Castelmezzano (
Castelmezzano dialect
The dialect of Castelmezzano is a Romance variety spoken in Castelmezzano in the Province of Potenza in Italy. It constitutes a dialect of the Neapolitan language that differs from the rest (and from neighbouring imported Gallo-Italic varieties) ...
: ) is a town and ''
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 Potenza
The Province of Potenza ( it, Provincia di Potenza; Potentino: ) is a province in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Potenza.
Geography
It has an area of and a total population of 369,538 (as of 2017). There a ...
, in the Southern Italian region of
Basilicata
it, Lucano (man) it, Lucana (woman)
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. It is bounded by the comuni of
Albano di Lucania
Albano di Lucania ( Lucano: ) is a town and 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 ('' r ...
,
Anzi,
Laurenzana
Laurenzana ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the region of Basilicata (southern Italy). It rises on a spur between the torre Camastro and the wood surrounding the Serrapotamo valley.
History
Laurenzana's origins ...
,
Pietrapertosa
Pietrapertosa is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the comuni of Accettura, Albano di Lucania, Campomaggiore, Castelmezzano, Cirigliano, Corleto Perticara, Gorgoglio ...
,
Trivigno
Trivigno is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata.
It is the birthplace of the silent film actor and director Robert G. Vignola
Robert G. Vignola (born Rocco Giuseppe Vignola, August 7, ...
.
It is part of the club
The most beautiful villages in Italy
''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
. In 2007 Castelmezzano was chosen by
Arthur Frommer
Arthur Frommer (born July 17, 1929) is a travel writer. He founded the Frommer's brand of travel guides.
Frommer was born in Jefferson City, Missouri, and moved to Brooklyn, New York when he was 14. He graduated from New York University in 1950 ...
's ''Budget Travel'' magazine among "The best places you've never heard of". ''
The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
'' included Castelmezzano among its "Italy's 19 most beautiful villages" list in 2017, defining it "one of southern Italy's most stunningly located villages".
History
The origins of Castelmezzano date to approximately between the 6th and 5th centuries BC, when
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
settlers got into the valley of
Basento
The Basento (Latin ''Casuentus'') is a river in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. It rises at Monte Arioso in the southern Apennine Mountains, southwest of Potenza in the province of Potenza. The river flows northeast near Pignola and Pote ...
and founded a town called Maudoro, meaning roughly the world of gold. In the 10th century AD, the
Saracen
upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens
Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...
invasions forced the local population to find a new location. It is said that during the exodus, a shepherd called Paolino discovered a place to move to, formed by rocks from the steep peaks of which one could repel the invaders by means of rolling stone boulders on to them.
After the occupation by the
Lombards
The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774.
The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 and ...
, the
Normans
The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...
settled there between the 11th and 13th century AD and built a castle (of which are still visible the remains of the walls and tier of rocks which allowed access to the higher lookout point). It was from the name of the castle (''Castrum Medianum'', roughly means Castle in the Middle) that the town derived its name, the castle so named because of its position between those of
Pietrapertosa
Pietrapertosa is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the comuni of Accettura, Albano di Lucania, Campomaggiore, Castelmezzano, Cirigliano, Corleto Perticara, Gorgoglio ...
and
Albano di Lucania
Albano di Lucania ( Lucano: ) is a town and 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 ('' r ...
. With the Normans, Castelmezzano experienced a period of peace and development, until under the
Angevins it experienced a sharp decline.
With the arrival of the
Aragonese, between the 14th and 16th century, many landowners received Castelmezzano as
fief
A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...
, although the economic and social conditions remained mostly unchanged. Only with the appointment of Baron Giovanni Antonio De Leonardis (whose family governed the town from 1580 to 1686), did development take place. Subsequently, it passed by marriage to the De Lerma, who held it until 1805, when feudalism was suppressed in southern Italy.
In the 19th century, Castelmezzano was affected by
brigandage
Brigandage is the life and practice of highway robbery and plunder. It is practiced by a brigand, a person who usually lives in a gang and lives by pillage and robbery.Oxford English Dictionary second edition, 1989. "Brigand.2" first recorded usa ...
. Due to its location, rich in natural hiding places among the rocks and lush vegetation, it was an ideal refuge for many bandits. At the end of the century, the town suffered a major migratory exodus, which prompted many families to move overseas.
Main sights
*Mother church of Santa Maria dell'Olmo
*Church of Santo Sepolcro
*Chapel of Madonna dell’Annunziata
Events
The ''Volo dell'Angelo'' (Angel Flight) is a high-speed
zip line
A zip-line, zip line, zip-wire, flying fox, or death slide is a pulley suspended on a cable, usually made of stainless steel, mounted on a slope. It is designed to enable cargo or a person propelled by gravity to travel from the top to the bott ...
crossing the valley between Castelmezzano and neighbouring
Pietrapertosa
Pietrapertosa is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the comuni of Accettura, Albano di Lucania, Campomaggiore, Castelmezzano, Cirigliano, Corleto Perticara, Gorgoglio ...
, offering a evocative view at over 400 metres (1,300 feet) from the ground at speeds of 120 km/h (70 mph). Inaugurated in 2007, the event is held annually between May and November.
The ''Percorso delle Sette Pietre'' (Seven Stones Path) is a literary walk inspired by Mimmo Sammartino’s book ''Vito ballava con le streghe'' (Vito danced with the witches), based on ancient stories handed down orally. Each path includes a space that evokes a sequence of the story, with a sound environment that offers additional suggestions to the magic of nature revealed.
People
*
Anthony Campagna, Count of Castelmezzano (1884–1969), Italian American real estate developer
*
Charles V. Paterno
Charles Vincent Paterno (born Canio Paternò, August 4, 1878 – May 30, 1946) was an Italian-born American real estate developer. He was called the "Napoleon of the Manhattan Skyscraper Builders".
Life and career
Born in Castelmezzano, in the ...
(1876–1946), Italian American real estate developer
*
Eugenio Santoro
Eugenio Santoro (27 August 1920 – 13 May 2006), was an Italian-born Swiss outsider artist.
Biography
Born at Castelmezzano, in the province of Potenza ( Basilicata), he started as a carpenter but he had to quit his job going to the front dur ...
(1920–2006), Italian Swiss sculptor and painter
*
Bob Yosco
Lyons and Yosco were an American comedy duo, consisting of Italian American musicians George Lyons and Bob Yosco. They were defined by the '' Ottawa Evening Journal'' "the finest pair of Italian street musicians playing in the Vaudeville ranks." T ...
(1874–1942), Italian American musician and
Vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
performer
Gallery
File:Notturna di Castelmezzano innevata.jpg, Night view of Castelmezzano after a snowfall
File:Castelmezzano-chiesa-madre.jpg, Chiesa Madre di Santa Maria dell'Olmo
See also
*
Castelmezzano dialect
The dialect of Castelmezzano is a Romance variety spoken in Castelmezzano in the Province of Potenza in Italy. It constitutes a dialect of the Neapolitan language that differs from the rest (and from neighbouring imported Gallo-Italic varieties) ...
*
Dolomiti lucane
Dolomiti lucane is a mountain range in the region of Basilicata, southern Italy. Located in the Southern Apennines and dominating the Basento Valley, the range is at the heart of the Gallipoli Cognato Piccole Dolomiti Lucane Regional Park ...
References
External links
Selected Transcribed vital records for CastelmezzanoArchived
{{authority control
Cities and towns in Basilicata
Colonies of Magna Graecia