Belcastro

{{Infobox Italian comune

| name = Belcastro

| official_name = Comune di Belcastro

| image_skyline =

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| image_shield = Belcastro-Stemma.png

| shield_alt =

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| coordinates = {{coord|39|1|N|16|47|E|region:IT_type:city(1385)|display=inline,title}}

| coordinates_footnotes =

| region = {{RegioneIT|sigla=CAL}}

| province = {{ProvinciaIT (short form)|sigla=CZ}} (CZ)

| frazioni = Fieri di Belcastro

| mayor_party =

| mayor = Maurizio Pace

| area_footnotes =

| area_total_km2 = 53.56

| population_footnotes =

| population_total = 1397

| population_as_of = 31 December 2013

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| population_demonym = Belcastresi

| elevation_footnotes =

| elevation_m = 535

| twin1 =

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| saint = Thomas Aquinas

| day = 21 March

| postal_code = 88050

| area_code = 0961

| website = {{official website|http://www.comune.belcastro.cz.it/}}

| footnotes =

}}

Belcastro ({{langx|la|Bellicastrum}}; Calabrian: {{lang|scn|Bercashru}}) is a comune in the province of Catanzaro, in the Calabria region of southern Italy.

History

The small town of Belcastro is situated on a rocky spur crowned by a Norman-style castle that belonged to the counts of Aquino. Some propose it as the birthplace of Saint Thomas Aquinas, more commonly taken to have been born in the castle of Roccasecca, not far from Aquino. Feudo for some centuries of the Lords of Aquino, in 1330 by decree of the King of Naples, Robert of Anjou, became a county and changed its name from Geneocastro to Belcastro (Bellicastrum), as a tribute to the beauty of the place and gratification to Thomas 'Aquino, first count of the city and nephew of the saint. In the 15th century it was given the title of city.Articles by Ivan Ciacci in Calabria Letteraria 1998, 1999, 2005, 2006;Cesare Sinopoli, La Calabria, Storia, Geografia, Arte (Catanzaro 1925);Girolamo Marafioti, Cronache e Antichità di Calabria (Padova 1601); The historian Lutio d'Orsi Lutio d'Orsi..., I terremoti delle due Calavrie..., NA 1640 - New edition on line 2500 a cura di Ivan Ciacci. (16th and 17th centuries) and jurist Giuseppe Poerio (1775-1843), patriot of the Italian Risorgimento and father of the poet Alessandro Poerio, also a patriot, were born in Belcastro.

Its population is now reduced to about 1400 (2017).

References

Category:Cities and towns in Calabria