San Pietro Apostolo (Calabrian: ) is a comune and town in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region of Italy. It is about northwest of Catanzaro, the provincial capital. It is surrounded by the villages of Decollatura, Gimigliano, Miglierina, Serrastretta and Tiriolo. The largest nearby town is Nicastro, which has since become part of the larger comune of Lamezia Terme. History The town was founded by peasants who fled from Motta Santa Lucia after the earthquake of 1638. Moving to the interior, they asked asylum from Prince Cigala of Tiriolo, who allowed them to settle in the area which is today known as "Colla Pagliara", in exchange for the payment of a modest head tax. They subsequently moved to a lower area which was more sheltered from the wind. The village took name from a small statue of the apostle St. Peter erected in the area. San Pietro Apostolo was administered by its neighbor Tiriolo until the end of the 18th century when it obtained its autonomy under law No. 14 of 19 January 1807. It was elevated to the status of a comune with the name of 'San Pietro a Tiriolo' and placed under the jurisdiction of what was then called Calabria Ulteriore, which consisted of the current provinces of Catanzaro, Crotone, Reggio Calabria and Vibo Valentia. On 4 May 1811 the comune was given the name of San Pietro Apostolo, attesting its separation from Tiriolo which remained, however, the administrative seat. Law No. 360 of 1 May 1816 transferred the village of San Pietro Apostolo with its 1992 inhabitants from the administration of Tiriolo to that of Gimigliano, and from the province of Calabria Ultra to the new province of Calabria Ultra Seconda (Catanzaro). Revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi stopped here on the night of 28 August 1860. The leader of the Expedition of the Thousand, coming from Maida, was a most welcome guest of the Garibaldi supporter Anselmo Tomaini (already condemned to death by the Bourbons for having been one of the supporters of the movements of Maida and Filadelfia) where, with his closest collaborators, he took note of the situation and planned the forthcoming operations that would have opened the roads to Naples; on the same night Francisco Stocco, with only a few men, induced the surrender of 10,000 men commanded by General Ghio and encamped at Soveria Mannelli, by cleverly having ignited numerous fires placed very