Squillace (Calabria) is a commune of Catanzaro in Calabria that sits on a hill 344 meters (900 feet or so) above sea level and was established sometime around the VII Century B.C. -Scyllaceum/Magna Grecia- Magdalena and I visited Squillace in July. We stayed in a hotel in Catanzaro.

The Castello at Squillace is also known as the Norman Castle or the Castle of the Borgia Family. Originally the site was home to a fortification (Byzantine) and it is suspected that the original fortication was built over an old factory of some type. This castle had the typical towers (1 polygon and one ... "other form"). In 904 the Castello "castrum" was annexed as an Arab Fortress and the Emir Abstaele settled in the area. The local Arabs invaders called the hill where the castle was the "Eagles Nest" and it was from here that the Arabs fanned out to pillage and loot the countryside. The Byzantines took it again in 965 but in 982 Otto (of Saxony) kicked their butts and took it from them only to lose it in 1000 to the Emir Mihael who ransacked the entire surrounding areas! The whole of the Castello and town were typical for the region and time period: The constant invaders and heavy taxation really made it a lousy life for the folks! The Castello played a rather important role throughout the middle ages (too much to go into here) and anyone wanting detail just email me, anton and I will pass on some additional info. There were four important families in Squillace history (plus the Aragonese King). Lancia-Frederick Lancia, Uncle of Prince Manfredi (son of Frederick the II) became the first Count under his nephew the Prince. Frederick Lancia was besieged and defeated by the French under John of Monfort and then immolated! Monforts-The next family is the Monforts. Charles of Angio came to beat Southern Italy into submission and arrived in Squillace around spring/1271. John took Squillace in 1271 (14 july) and was suceeded by Count Robert of Dreux. The famous Knights of the Order of the Temple "Templaris" or "Knights Templar" as they are known in English had a base here with a monastary at Gerosolimitanis of Monasterace. The history of the Templaris Order is one of my hobbies and I found out that William of Squillace was a steward in the order around 1294. This is of interest since the French King, Phillip IV ordered the mass Templar arrests shortly thereafter which eventually led to the destruction of the most powerful and respected order (all in the name of money!!!). De Baux ((Del Balzo in Italian)-The third important family for the region is the De Baux's. This family is the most respected that came with the French influx... The family traces its roots to the 10th Century in Provance and Tolouse (Provenza/Tolsa) and had great wealth and power as early as 1120. This played an important role later when Bertrando De Baux married Beatrice, Countess of Andria (Charles the 2nds daughter!) and was given Squillace and Montescagliosio Counties.

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