San Fili - History



Prehistoric and Greco-Roman period

The Magna-Grecia In prehistoric times, the first Sanfilesi lived by the bank s of the river Emoli. They were known as the Opici and they came from the mountains of the Pollino.
Around 1650 AC the 'Arcadi' reached Bretia and after crossing the mountains they came about a river that they called Acheronte and there they built a town called Acheruntia. The territory now occupied by San Fili was part of Acheruntia. Acheruntia was conquered by the Greeks and prospered with the rest of the other neighboring towns. The commerce between Consentia and Pandosia on one side and Clampetia e Terina gave Acheruntia its importance. After the fall of Sibari(511 AC) Acheruntia and the rest of the area fell under Roman dominance.


The origin

We can only speculate about the time and the why people decided to settle there. We do know that during the VI century, in the area of the Emoli Roman bridge valley there were Christian communities and in the following centuries Byzantine monastic life was also evident. In a document confirming Ruggero II dated 1144 the following appears: ' Ecclesia Sancte Venere cumpertinentis earum et rusticis hominibus qui sunt LX' given by Drogone lord of Montalto in 1115 to the monastery of Santa Maria di Valle Giosafat of Gerusalem. During the X century, the Saracen invasions forced the people of Consentia to flee to the mountains and presumably to the Emoli valley as well.


The Name

The oldest mention of San Fili appears in a public document dated 1267 and mentioned in the letter 'Justis Petentium' by Pope Clemente IV. Using the name Felum, it was part of the town of Rende.
Eventually the name ' Terra Sancti Felicis' was used in honor of Santo Felice worshiped by the local population. The name San Fili appears for the first time at the end of '600. Barrio calls it Filum, Padula uses the ebraic meaning 'built at the side of a mountain'. Local tradition uses the legend of 'Santo e figli'(Santo and sons) exiled and fugitives.


The eighteenth century

During the second half of 1700 and the beginning of 1800, the town expanded and the neighborhoods of San Vincenzo Ferreri, Rinacchio, Concezione and Cozzo del Joria were established. The Chiesa Madre(mother church) with a tall bell tower, the church of the Immacolata and the church of the Spirito Santo(Saint Spirit) were built.
At the end of the '700 San Fili becomes an incorporated town and it annexes the village of Bucita as ordered by the regional government installed by Napoleone.
During this same period, after the return of the Borboni, there is a lot of construction, agricultural growth, and retail and industrial activity. The Industrial and commercial activity was considered relevant since the '500, by the middle of 1800 there were 5 silk mills with 114 workers, 41 looms in addition to the production of chestnuts, olive oil, cheese, wool, meat and figs. The most important trading partners were the towns on the Tirreno coast.


The Risorgimento

The Carbonerist movement did not bypass San Fili.The 'Clique' (for lack of a different word) Sanfilese was in contact with the members of the Rende's chapter. The leaders were Luca Granato and Antonio Pellegrino. Others, such as Giuseppe Miceli and Antonio Gentile, were arrested and incarcerated several times. Santo Cesario nicknamed guerra(war) was captured and executed by firing squad together with the brothers Bandiera in the Rovito valley on July 15, 1844. On June 24, 1848 a doctor named Francesco Pante went to Bucita to organize the population of the village and a good number of persons followed him to Paola. In San Fili the meetings were held in the house of Antonio and Leopoldo Gentile and in the house of Giovanni Gentile who was the commander of the National Guard. In Bucita the meetings were held in the house of Serafino Lupia.


The Electrification.

The first light bulb with filaments made from charcoal was lit for the first time in San Fili in 1904. Giuseppe Cannataro thought and built a small power plant using the waters of the Emoli river to supply the energy. This power plant was built without using an alternator and therefore the current generated was similar to the current of a battery(DC current). Thick copper wire carried this elctricity to the main street and the Piazza.
Between June and July 1923, plans were made to build a new power plant. The anticipated cost for this new power plant was estimated to be 100.000.00 lire. The work begun in the spring of 1924 and continued throughout the year, sometime amid financial difficulties. By December 1924, the work was completed and the line extended from the river bank to the town. In January 1925, Piazza San Giovanni, received the first electricity manufactured by the new power plant. A pressure water pipe 475 meters long designed to carry 150 liters per second was used to power the turbine. A final jump of 33 meters helped the turbine generate 66 HP of electricity. The monthly cost for a 10 watts bulb was 4 lire and 12 cents. Most of the times, nobody paid this bill in cash, instead it was settled with agricultural goods and other similar arrangements. This power plant was managed by the grandparents of Aniceto Costa and Francesca Cannataro, by the mother Rosina and sisters Delia and Irma. Later the power plant was taken over by the Societa' Electrica dele Calabrie and rebuilt in a different spot on the same location. In 1988 a study was requested by the local administration to ascertain the feasibility of reactivating this power plant and was conducted by the engineers Celentani and Nasta. Their presentation showed that a new hydroelectric plan would have great potential even with its small size. Maybe one day this project will take off and continue a great tradition.

Original article taken from ' L'Occhio' n.3.96 di Franca Gambaro



Edited and translated to English by Pietro Parrinello- Selden- USA May 16, 1997


Back to San Fili - Home page