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Catanzaro, capital city of Calabria, is commonly called "City between the two seas", because it is located between the Ionian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea or "City of three hills", because it is situated on the hills of San Trifone (today San Rocco), the Bishopric (today Piazza Duomo) and the Castle (today San Giovanni). In the past, however, it was called the "City of the three V's", with reference to three specific peculiarities:
the V of San Vitaliano, patron saint of the capital, celebrated annually on July 16.
the V of wind, because it is beaten by strong gusts of wind throughout the year from the Ionian Sea and Sila.
It is of ancient memory, the saying: "finding a friend is so rare, like a windless day in Catanzaro".
the V of velvet, because it was a renowned center of production of velvets and damasks since the time of the Byzantines. Later, with the flourishing of activities in 1519, the Statutes of the Silk Art of Catanzaro were published, the first collection of technical and administrative regulations for silk companies, still preserved at the Chamber of Commerce. In the eighteenth century, in fact, in Catanzaro there were more than a thousand silk-makers operating on more than a thousand craft looms. Among the others, an enormous quantity of damask fabric was made, coming from silk cultivations made from silkworms coming from Syria. The fame went beyond national borders, was particularly appreciated by the Normans and saw in the Emperor Frederick II of Swabia, a strong supporter of art.
