5 inspirational women from Calabria who have made history 

What better day than International Women’s Day to celebrate 5 Calabrian women who have inspired the world through their lives and achievements, have made (or changed) history in Calabria, in Italy and even abroad. 

Angela Maria Aieta

Born in the province of Cosenza in 1920, she emigrated to Argentina with her family when she was very young. Here she marries and leads a quiet life, until the arrest of one of her four children. At this point she will start a battle for the freedom of the child and the rights for all citizens. So she will be arrested by the Argentine military regime, tortured for months and eventually thrown by the plane, still alive, in the Atlantic Ocean, becoming a disappeared.

Amalia Cecilia Bruni

She was born in the province of Catanzaro in 1955. After graduating in medicine in 1979 and specializing at the University of Naples, Amalia chose the most difficult path: research. Her professional activity begins at the Department of Neurology at the hospital of Catanzaro. The studies on the hereditary forms of Alzheimer’s in fact lead it to the identification of the gene that mainly causes its transmission. The significant recognition of this goal is represented by the establishment, in 1996, in Lamezia Terme, of the Regional Center of Neurogenetics. She is a world-renowned scientist and neurologist, thanks to her discoveries about Alzheimer’s. She is currently the director of the Regional Neurogenetic Center of Lamezia Terme. Through her studies, she is one step away from the discovery of the gene, which is the cause of the disease.

Cecilia Faragò

Born in the province of Catanzaro in 1712, she was accused of being a witch and of having caused, with her magic, the death of a man. But the defense of a young lawyer of Catanzaro, managed to prove the innocence of his client and convinced that witchcraft should not be prosecuted as a crime, so much so that the king of Naples decided to abolish it. The woman was acquitted, becoming a civilian heroine. 

Jole Giugni Lattari

She was the first Calabrian woman to enter Parliament, as well as the first woman in Italy to be elected to the lists of the Italian Social Movement. In the ranks of the MSI she won a leading role, thanks to her commitment to every activity and his eloquence. She activated several law proposals in favor of the school, saved the metal industry in Calabria, tried to build ports, roads and railways in the region. 

Caterina Tufarelli Palumbo 

She graduated in law, and was elected mayor for the municipality of San Sosti (province of Cosenza) at the age of 24. She worked hard to improve the lives of the people and built schools, roads, the aqueduct, the covered market and a home for the poorest families. At the end of the legislature, in 1952, she left a document with all the works done, apologizing for what she had failed to do.

Buona Festa Della Donna! 

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