Battipaglia () is a municipality (''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'') in the
province of Salerno
The Province of Salerno ( it, Provincia di Salerno) is a province in the Campania region of Italy.
__TOC__
Geography
The largest towns in the province are: Salerno, the capital, which has a population of 131,950; Cava de' Tirreni, Battipagli ...
,
Campania
(man), it, Campana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demog ...
, south-western
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
.
Famed as a production place of
buffalo mozzarella, Battipaglia is the economic hub of the
Sele plain.
History
Formerly part of the
ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...
colonies of the
Magna Graecia, the municipal area used to host strategic Roman settlements during the
late Republican-
early Imperial times, like most of the southern
Tyrrhenian coast. Archaeological excavations have brought to light several finds dating back to as early as the
3rd century BC
In the Mediterranean Basin, the first few decades of this century were characterized by a balance of power between the Greek Hellenistic kingdoms in the east, and the great mercantile power of Carthage in the west. This balance was shattered ...
pertaining to at least two villas. One of those was located in the vicinity of the coastline and was part of a larger thermal complex. The other was positioned internally and likely served as a productive belt between
cereal crops in the plain and
olive crops and
vineyard
A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineya ...
s on the hill.
The town was first given its modern name in
1080
Year 1080 ( MLXXX) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Autumn – Nikephoros Melissenos, a Byzantine general and aristocrat, seize ...
within a bureaucratic document of the
Duchy of Apulia and Calabria
The County of Apulia and Calabria (), later the Duchy of Apulia and Calabria (), was a Norman state founded by William of Hauteville in 1042 in the territories of Gargano, Capitanata, Apulia, Vulture, and most of Campania. It became a duchy w ...
addressed to the local Catholic diocese. It is generally believed that the name ''Battipaglia'' is formed by the union of ''batti'' (to thresh) and ''paglia'' (to straw), owing to the activity of peasants in the past. However, some scholars have hypothesized that the name could have originated from ''Baptipalla'', indicating a place devoted to
Voltumna
In Etruscan mythology, Voltumna or Veltha was the chthonic (relating to or inhabiting the underworld) deity, who became the supreme god of the Etruscan pantheon, the ''deus Etruriae princeps'', according to Varro. Voltumna's cult was centered in ...
, a
chthonic Etruscan __NOTOC__
Etruscan may refer to:
Ancient civilization
*The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy
*Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization
**Etruscan architecture
**Etruscan art
**Etruscan cities
** Etrusca ...
deity.
Battipaglia as a definite township was formally created by
Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies
Ferdinand II ( it, Ferdinando Carlo; scn, Ferdinannu Carlu; nap, Ferdinando Carlo; 12 January 1810 – 22 May 1859) was King of the Two Sicilies from 1830 until his death in 1859.
Family
Ferdinand was born in Palermo to King Francis I of the T ...
in 1858, as the
Bourbon authorities designated the place as the site of an agricultural colony where families who had survived the
1857 Basilicata earthquake
The 1857 Basilicata earthquake (also known as the Great Neapolitan earthquake) occurred on December 16 in the Basilicata region of Italy southeast of the city of Naples. The epicentre was in Montemurro, on the western border of the modern provi ...
could be rehoused. It was eventually granted the status of independent municipality by a Royal Decree on March 28, 1929 (during the
Mussolini Cabinet), comprising parts of the territories which had been previously included in the nearby towns of
Eboli and
Montecorvino Rovella.
In 1943, during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the town suffered heavy bombing by
Allied air force, resulting in 117 civilian casualties. Although most of the town had been razed to the ground, in the aftermath of the conflict Battipaglia was to be rebuilt remarkably quickly, even attracting migrants from the hinterland seeking work. The town thus experienced an outstanding increase in population between 1951 and 1960, turning into a dynamic industrial area. In 1953, Battipaglia went under the media spotlight as its
socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...
mayor, Lorenzo Rago, was kidnapped never to be found again.
![Rivolta di Battipaglia - blocco ferrovia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Rivolta_di_Battipaglia_-_blocco_ferrovia.jpg)
In 1969, due to the scheduled shutdown of two large
sugar and
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
processing factories — both employing a significant number of locals — thousands of ''Battipagliesi'' carried out widespread riots, which would be calmed down few days later following the Italian government's commitment to keep both operational. The few but intense days of social unrest — which took place in the context of a wider protest movement by
students and
workers
The workforce or labour force is a concept referring to the pool of human beings either in employment or in unemployment. It is generally used to describe those working for a single company or industry, but can also apply to a geographic reg ...
in Italy and several other Western countries — eventually resulted in two fatalities.
Since the late 20th and early 21st century, the agricultural sector has been joined by the industrial one, several companies having established factories in the city.
Geography
The municipality borders with
Bellizzi,
Eboli,
Montecorvino Rovella,
Olevano sul Tusciano and
Pontecagnano Faiano
Pontecagnano Faiano (also known simply as Pontecagnano) is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-west Italy. The area dates back to Roman times when the city of Picentia stood in the place and was destro ...
. Its hamlets (''
frazioni
A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...
'') are Aversana, Belvedere, Fasanara, Lago, Padova, San Emilio, Santa Lucia Inferiore, Spineta, Tavernola, Verdesca, and Vivai.
Demographics
Colors=
id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9)
id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7)
id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1)
id:barra value:rgb(0.6,0.7,0.8)
ImageSize = width:490 height:400
PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30
DateFormat = x.y
Period = from:0 till:55000
TimeAxis = orientation:vertical
AlignBars = justify
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:5000 start:0
ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:1000 start:0
BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo
BarData=
bar:1861 text:1861
bar:1871 text:1871
bar:1881 text:1881
bar:1901 text:1901
bar:1911 text:1911
bar:1921 text:1921
bar:1931 text:1931
bar:1936 text:1936
bar:1951 text:1951
bar:1961 text:1961
bar:1971 text:1971
bar:1981 text:1981
bar:1991 text:1991
bar:2001 text:2001
bar:2011 text:2011
PlotData=
color:barra width:20 align:left
bar:1861 from:0 till:2869
bar:1871 from:0 till:2920
bar:1881 from:0 till:3545
bar:1901 from:0 till:3877
bar:1911 from:0 till:3976
bar:1921 from:0 till:4164
bar:1931 from:0 till:7997
bar:1936 from:0 till:9436
bar:1951 from:0 till:16896
bar:1961 from:0 till:25992
bar:1971 from:0 till:33277
bar:1981 from:0 till:40797
bar:1991 from:0 till:47139
bar:2001 from:0 till:50359
bar:2011 from:0 till:50464
PlotData=
bar:1861 at: 2869 fontsize:S text:2,869 shift:(-8,5)
bar:1871 at: 2920 fontsize:S text:2,920 shift:(-10,5)
bar:1881 at: 3545 fontsize:S text:3,545 shift:(-10,5)
bar:1901 at: 3877 fontsize:S text:3,877 shift:(-10,5)
bar:1911 at: 3976 fontsize:S text:3,976 shift:(-10,5)
bar:1921 at: 4164 fontsize:S text:4,164 shift:(-10,5)
bar:1931 at: 7997 fontsize:S text:7,997 shift:(-10,5)
bar:1936 at: 9436 fontsize:S text:9,436 shift:(-10,5)
bar:1951 at: 16896 fontsize:S text:16,896 shift:(-10,5)
bar:1961 at: 25992 fontsize:S text:25,992 shift:(-10,5)
bar:1971 at: 33277 fontsize:S text:33,277 shift:(-10,5)
bar:1981 at: 40797 fontsize:S text:40,797 shift:(-10,5)
bar:1991 at: 47139 fontsize:S text:47,139 shift:(-10,5)
bar:2001 at: 50359 fontsize:S text:50,359 shift:(-10,5)
bar:2011 at: 50464 fontsize:S text:50,464 shift:(-10,5)
TextData=
fontsize:S pos:(20,20)
text:Source ISTAT
Population
The first migration wave, beginning in the nineteenth century, led many people to move to Battipaglia from
Melfi
Melfi ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geographically, it is midway between Naples and Bari. In 2015 it had a population of 17,768.
Geography
On ...
and neighboring municipalities. During the
1960s, the local population soared due to the influx of immigrants from bordering areas (including the towns of the
Monti Picentini
300px, Rocky limestone landscape in the monti Picentini.
The Monti Picentini is a mountain range and national park in southern Italy, part of the Apennines, traditionally part in the Campanian Apennines. They are included between the Monti Latta ...
,
Campagna
Campagna (Italian: ) is a small town and ''comune'' of the province of Salerno, in the Campania region of Southern Italy. Its population is 17,148. Its old Latin name was Civitas Campaniae (City of Campagna). Campagna is located in one of the ...
, the valley of the
Sele and
Cilento), mainly because of the job opportunities in the town's industry. Over the last three decades, the aforementioned have been joined by other groups, mainly eastern European, northern African and southern Asian expats.
Economy
Most of the town's wealth is due to the industrial, craft, and agricultural sectors.
![Pomodoro varietà Fiaschello Battipagliese](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Pomodoro_variet%C3%A0_Fiaschello_Battipagliese.jpg)
A large number of local dairy companies produce the well-known local
buffalo mozzarella (''Mozzarella di bufala campana
DOP''), a famous form of which is called ''zizzona di Battipaglia'' (Battipaglia ''
boob'') because of its similarity to a female breast.
In addition to that, Battipaglia is a production area of ''Carciofo di Paestum'' (
Paestum
Paestum ( , , ) was a major ancient Greek city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Magna Graecia (southern Italy). The ruins of Paestum are famous for their three ancient Greek temples in the Doric order, dating from about 550 to 450 BC, whi ...
artichoke
The globe artichoke ('' Cynara cardunculus'' var. ''scolymus'' ),Rottenberg, A., and D. Zohary, 1996: "The wild ancestry of the cultivated artichoke." Genet. Res. Crop Evol. 43, 53–58. also known by the names French artichoke and green artich ...
)
IGP,
annurca IGP, and tomato ''Fiaschello''.
Among the most significant companies which established factories in Battipaglia are:
Bonduelle (food),
Prysmian (telecommunications cables), Sivam (animal husbandry),
Cooper Standard Automotive (car parts),
Nexans (electric cables), and Deriblok (packaging).
Culture
Every first Sunday of July the town's center is decked to the nines for three days on the occasion of the celebrating of Our Lady of Hope (''Festa della Speranza''). The big town market, whose atmosphere recalls an amusement park where traders can display their wares, lasts from Saturday to Monday, usually ending with a music exhibition in the central Piazza Amendola.
Education
Battipaglia houses a number of secondary schools, both public and private:
*
Liceo scientifico,
classico and
linguistico "Enrico Medi"
* Istituto di Istruzione Superiore "Besta-Gloriosi" (
istituto tecnico
Secondary education in Italy lasts eight years and is divided in two stages: '' scuola secondaria di primo grado'' (lower secondary school), also known as ''scuola media'', corresponding to the ISCED 2011 Level 2, middle school and '' scuola se ...
)
* Istituto di Istruzione Superiore "
Enzo Ferrari
Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe Maria Ferrari (; 20 February 1898 – 14 August 1988) was an Italian motor racing driver and entrepreneur, the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team, and subsequently of the Ferrari automobil ...
" (
istituto professionale)
* Istituto professionale per l'agricoltura Salerno
* Liceo scientifico e tecnico "
Giacomo Leopardi
Count Giacomo Taldegardo Francesco di Sales Saverio Pietro Leopardi (, ; 29 June 1798 – 14 June 1837) was an Italian philosopher, poet, essayist, and philologist. He is considered the greatest Italian poet of the nineteenth century and one of ...
" (private school)
* Istituto "Merini" (private school)
* Istituto "
Robert Kennedy
Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, a ...
" (private school)
Media
Press
* Nero su Bianco (bi-weekly)
* Battipaglia 1929 (online news outlet)
* Battipaglia News (online news outlet)
TV & radio
* RCS75 - Radio Castelluccio (radio)
* SeiTV (TV channel)
* Sud TV (TV channel)
Literature
*L. Rocco Carbone, ''Battipaglia, 70 anni nella sua storia'', Massa Editore (1999).
See also
*
A.S.D. Battipagliese
References
External links
Battipaglia official websiteBattipaglia Online website
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Campania
Populated places established in 1929