What is "riace"

Riace is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about south of Catanzaro and about northeast of Reggio Calabria. Riace borders the municipalities of Camini and Stignano.

It is notable as the place where the Bronzi di Riace ( Riace bronzes), bronze statues of warriors, were found in the sea in 1972. These Ancient Greek sculptures can be seen in the Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia (National Museum of Magna Graecia, i.e. the colonies of Greater Greece) in Reggio Calabria.

Riace has also reached worldwide attention through its innovative approach to dealing with refugees, in the context of the European migrant crisis. About 450 refugees have settled there among the 1,800 inhabitants, revitalising the village and preventing the closure of the village school. The mayor, Domenico Lucano, came second runner-up in the 2010 World Mayor competition. (The winner was the Mayor of Mexico City, which has about nine million inhabitants.) He was also listed by Fortune as one of the world's greatest leaders in 2016.