Rende

This article is about the town in Italy. For the district in Taiwan, see Rende, Tainan.

Rende Griko: Aríntha
Comune
Comune di Rende
Rende within the Province of Cosenza
Rende Location of Rende in Italy Show map of Italy Rende Rende (Calabria) Show map of Calabria
Coordinates: 39°20′N 16°11′E / 39.333°N 16.183°E / 39.333; 16.183
Country	Italy
Region	Calabria
Province	Cosenza (CS)
Frazioni	Arcavacata, Commenda, Quattromiglia, Roges, Santo Stefano, Saporito, Surdo
Government
• Mayor	Sandro Principe (PSI)
Area [1]
• Total	54 km^2 (21 sq mi)
Elevation	480 m (1,570 ft)
Population  (2025)[2]
• Total	36,918
• Density	680/km^2 (1,800/sq mi)
Demonym	Rendesi
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Patron saint	Immaculate Conception
Saint day	20 February
Website	Official website

Rende is a comune (municipality) in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, Italy, home to the headquarters of the University of Calabria. It has a population of about 36,000.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1861	3,648	—
1871	5,286	+44.9%
1881	5,239	−0.9%
1901	7,106	+35.6%
1911	7,522	+5.9%
1921	8,006	+6.4%
1931	9,038	+12.9%
1936	9,583	+6.0%
1951	11,729	+22.4%
1961	11,770	+0.3%
1971	13,157	+11.8%
1981	25,281	+92.1%
1991	30,946	+22.4%
2001	34,421	+11.2%
2011	33,555	−2.5%
2021	36,123	+7.7%
Source: ISTAT

The city is divided into two parts: the old town, on a high hill, and the modern area, on level ground, which is fully connected to the city of Cosenza and central to the cultural and economic life of the urban area.

Geography

Rende stretches from the left river of the Crati to the mountains called "Serre Cosentine".

• Southern borders: Cosenza, Castrolibero, Marano Marchesato and Marano Principato.
• Northern borders: Montalto Uffugo and San Vincenzo La Costa.
• Western borders: San Fili.
• Eastern borders: Castiglione Cosentino, Rose, San Pietro in Guarano and Zumpano.^[3]

The municipality counts the hamlets (frazioni) of Arcavacata, Commenda, Quattromiglia, Roges, Santo Stefano, Saporito and Surdo.

The territory presents mountain areas from west that degrade slowly eastward forming hills, one of which is the historic centre, until the valley of the Crati. Thanks to large flat areas, it is covered by the modern city. The most important rivers crossing Rende are Crati, Campagnano, Surdo and Emoli.

History

The Oenotrians founded here a town named Acheruntia and, later, Pandosia. However, several inhabitants later moved to a more defendable area, corresponding to the modern frazione of Nogiano, founding (c. 520 BC) the new settlement of Aruntia, later, Arintha. This is mentioned by the ancient Greek historian Hecataeus of Miletus as a Bruttian town of Oenotrian origins.

During Roman times, the town followed the history of the nearby Cosentia. After a long resistance, it was sacked by Totila's troops in 547, during the Gothic Wars. In the 8th-10th centuries, it was sometimes attacked by Saracen troops, until part of the population moved in what is now the territory of Castiglione Cosentino. Later it was controlled by the Normans and subsequently other southern Italian (sometimes of foreign origin) dynasties.

Main sights

• Norman Castle, built in 1095 by Bohemond I of Antioch.
• Mother church of Santa Maria Maggiore, built around 12th century but rebuilt several times, the last in the late 18th century
• Sanctuary of Our Lady of Costantinopoli.
• Church of Saint Michael, “del ritiro”
• Church of Our Lady of the Rosary
• Civic Museum of Zagarese’s Palace.
• Church of Saint Francis and Our Lady of Grace.
• Church of Our Lady of Consolation, in Arcavacata.
• Other important palace and little churches in the hystorical center.

Municipal government

Rende is headed by a mayor (sindaco) assisted by a legislative body, the consiglio comunale, and an executive body, the giunta comunale. Since 1994 the mayor and members of the consiglio comunale are directly elected together by resident citizens, while from 1946 to 1993 the mayor was chosen by the legislative body. The giunta comunale is chaired by the mayor, who appoints others members, called assessori. The offices of the comune are housed in a building usually called the municipio or palazzo comunale.

Since 1993, the mayor of Rende is directly elected by citizens, originally every four, then every five years.

Mayor	Term start	Term end	Party
Gaspare Rovella	1946	1948		PSI
Salvatore Chiappetta	1948	1951		PSI
Francesco Settino	1951	1952		PSI
Francesco Principe	1952	1980		PSI
Sandro Principe	1980	1987		PSI
Mario Portone	1987	1988		PSI
Raffaele De Rango	1988	1990		PSI
Antonietta Feola	1990	1993		PSI
Francesco Casciaro	6 December 1993	28 June 1999		PSI
Sandro Principe	28 June 1999	30 May 2006		SDI
Umberto Bernaudo	30 May 2006	31 May 2011		SDI
Vittorio Cavalcanti	31 May 2011	3 July 2013[a]		PD
Special Prefectural Commissioner (3 July 2013 – 10 June 2014)
Marcello Manna	10 June 2014	28 June 2023		Ind[b]
Special Prefectural Commission (28 June 2023 – 26 May 2025)[c]
Sandro Principe	26 May 2025	Incumbent		PSI

1. Resigned.
2. Centre-right independent.
3. Municipal administration dissolved by the national government due to mafia association.

Economy

The economy of Rende is mostly based on the University of Calabria. In comparison to the rest of southern Italy, Rende has quite a strong economy and is therefore in full expansion. While full industrialization has not yet been very successful, in recent times, major companies have established offices in Rende. Among these are the Japanese Digital and Data Innovation company NTT Data,^[4] which has a Research and Development office in Rende; and JRS Silvateam Food Ingredients.^[5]

Sports

Rende is home to the football team Rende Calcio, which competes in the official semi-professional tournament (C2).

Gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 
  Public Library
• 
  The Town Hall
• 
  Saint Charles' Church

References

1. "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
2. "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
3. Giulio, Mezzetti (1979). Geografia - Atlante (in Italian). Firenze: La Nuova Italia Editrice.
4. "Nuovi investimenti a Cosenza per il colosso giapponese Ntt Data". Corriere della Calabria (in Italian). 2019-01-28. Archived from the original on 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
5. "Silvateam Food Ingredients". Silvateam (in Italian). 2015-05-15. Archived from the original on 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2020-03-09.

Sources

• Fonte, Fedele (1976). Rende nella sua cronistoria (in Italian). Chiaravalle Centrale: Frama Sud.
• Miceli di Serradileo, Amedeo (2013). Il partito angioino a Cosenza e le sue vicende tra la guerra dei baroni di Ferrante I ed il regno di Carlo V attraverso i documenti dell'Archivio di Stato di Cosenza, in "Archivio Storico per le province napoletane (in Italian). Napoli: Società Napoletana di Storia Patria.
• Giraldi, Gerardo (1991). Rende: Usanze, tradizioni, costumi (in Italian). Rende: Amministrazione Comunale di Rende.
• Giraldi, Gerardo (2004). Le chiese di Rende (in Italian). Amministrazione Comunale di Rende. Alternate 1990 2nd edition OCLC 878860087
• Giraldi, Riccardo (2003). Il popolo cosentino e il suo territorio (in Italian). Cosenza: Pellegrini.
• Settia, Aldo Angelo (2002). Rapine, assedi, battaglie. La guerra nel medioevo (in Italian). Rome, Bari: Gius. Laterza & Figli S.p.A.

External links

• Official website (in Italian)