Lauria 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 ...

'' of 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

Basilicata it, Lucano (man) it, Lucana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

, southern

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 re ...

, situated near the borders of

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. It is a walled, medieval town on the steep side of a hill, with another portion of municipal territory in the plain below. It is historically the largest city in the southwestern

Lucania Lucania was a historical region of Southern Italy. It was the land of the Lucani, an Oscan people. It extended from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. It bordered with Samnium and Campania in the north, Apulia in the east, and Brutti ...

region.

History

The original nucleus of the city appeared probably in the 10th century, near the place where later the Sanctuary of Madonna dell'Armo was edificated. However it seems that monastic activity pre-existed in the area, as ''Lauria'' just means the "

lavra A lavra or laura ( el, Λαύρα; Cyrillic: Ла́вра) is a type of monastery consisting of a cluster of cells or caves for hermits, with a church and sometimes a refectory at the center. It is erected within the Orthodox and other Eastern Chr ...

city". The Castle of Lauria, later attributed to

Roger of Lauria Roger of Lauria (''c''. 1245 – 17 January 1305) was a Neapolitan admiral in Aragonese service, who was the commander of the fleet of the Crown of Aragon during the War of the Sicilian Vespers. He was probably the most successful and talent ...

, was built by Byzantins. In the 12th century Lauria was the seat of a

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

fief, which was held by Gibel and then by his son

Richard of Lauria Richard of Lauria (died 26 February 1266) was an Italian nobleman. He was the father of admiral Roger of Lauria. Biography He was lord of Lauria from 1254 and Scalea from 1266, and also held fiefs in Basilicata (from 1239) and Calabria. He married ...

, who died in the

battle of Benevento The Battle of Benevento was a major medieval battle fought on 26 February 1266, near Benevento in present-day Southern Italy, between the forces of Charles I of Anjou and those of King Manfred of Sicily. Manfred's defeat and death resulted in ...

on 1266. His son

was a famous admiral of the 13th century. In 1806 the city was destroyed and the population slaughtered by the French soldiers under general

André Masséna André Masséna, Prince of Essling, Duke of Rivoli (born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817) was a French military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.Donald D. Horward, ed., trans, annotated, The Fre ...

, as punishment for having supported the

Bourbon Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * A beer produced by Bras ...

kings.

Geography

Located in southern Basilicata and included in the

Appennino Lucano - Val d'Agri - Lagonegrese National Park The Appennino Lucano - Val d'Agri - Lagonegrese National Park ( it, Parco Nazionale dell'Appennino Lucano - Val d'Agri - Lagonegrese) is an Italian national park located in the province of Potenza of Basilicata region. It was established in 2007 ...

, Lauria is a hill town divided into a pair of districts (in italian, "rioni"): the upper one named "rione superiore" (in ancient times, "Castello", because the presence of its castle) and the lower one named "rione inferiore" (formerly "Borgo"). The municipality borders with

Castelluccio Superiore Castelluccio Superiore ( Castelluccese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata it, Lucano (man) it, Lucana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , popu ...

Castelsaraceno Castelsaraceno ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata it, Lucano (man) it, Lucana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 ...

Lagonegro Lagonegro ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is part of the Valle del Noce and has (2017) a population of 5,471. Geography The municipality, located southwest of its ...

Laino Borgo Laino Borgo ( Calabrian: ) is a town and ''comune'' of inhabitants in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is located on the border between two regions ( Calabria e Basilicata), and lies at the entrance to the ...

Latronico Latronico ( Latronichese: ) 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 ('' re ...

Moliterno Moliterno ( Lucano: ''Mulitiernu'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the comuni of Castelsaraceno, Grumento Nova, Lagonegro, Lauria, Montesano sulla Marcellana, ...

Nemoli Nemoli is a town and ''comune'' of 1,501 inhabitants, found in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. The town, positioned between the Apennine Mountains, is noted for its artisanal work, typically in wood and copp ...

Tortora Tortora ( Calabrian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is lo ...

and

Trecchina Trecchina () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata it, Lucano (man) it, Lucana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demo ...

Main sights

*The remains of the Castle (13th century) *The Sanctuary of the Assunta *The Mother Church of St. Nicholas *The church of St. James (15th century) *The Convent of Immacolata (16th century), with a noteworthy cloister

Transport

Lauria is not served by a near airport, anyway the nearest airport is Salerno-Pontecagnano from Lauria. Other airports are

Lamezia Terme Lamezia Terme (), commonly called Lamezia, is an Italian city and ''comune'' of 70,452 inhabitants (2013), in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region. Geography Lamezia is located on the eastern border of the coastal plain commonly cal ...

and Napoli-Capodichino. The town is served by the A2 motorway

Salerno Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popul ...

, at the exits "Lauria Nord" and "Lauria Sud" and, until the closure in 1979, by the Lagonegro–Castrovillari-Spezzano Albanese railway.List of FCL railway lines
/ref>

People

– admiral *

Francesco Lorenzo Brancati di Lauria Francesco Lorenzo Brancati di Lauria (10 April 1612, Lauria – 30 November 1693, Rome) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal and theologian. Life and career At the age of seventeen di Lauria was struck with a dangerous illness, and ...

Domenico Lentini Domenico Lentini (20 November 1770 – 25 February 1828) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest. Lentini was ordained as a priest in 1794 and served as a life-long parish priest in his hometown of Potenza where he dedicated himself to promoting Euc ...

– priest *

Rocco Papaleo Rocco Antonio Papaleo (born 16 August 1958) is an Italian actor, film director and singer. Born in Lauria ( Basilicata), he moved to Rome to study math at university but left soon to attend the theatre school. He made his theatrical debut in 19 ...

– actor, film director, and singer * Domenico Pittella – politician *

Gianni Pittella Giovanni Saverio Furio Pittella (born 19 November 1958) is an Italian politician who served as Leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Group from 2014 to 2018 and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Italy from 1999 ...

– politician * Marcello Pittella – politician

References

External links

Official website

Lauria on comuni-italiani.it
{{authority control Cities and towns in Basilicata