Potenza (, also , ; , Potentino dialect: ''Putenz'') is a ''

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 Southern Italian region of

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

(former Lucania). Capital 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 ...

and the

region, the city is the highest regional capital and one of the highest

provincial capitals A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses the ...

in Italy, overlooking the valley of the

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 ...

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

in the

Apennine Mountains The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...

of Lucania, east of

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 ...

. Its territory is bounded by the comuni of Anzi,

Avigliano Avigliano ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geography Overview The area surrounding Avigliano is considered mountainous with elevations varying between . Town's ...

Brindisi Montagna Brindisi Montagna, also spelled Brindisi di Montagna ( Lucano: ) is an Arbëreshë town and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geography The municipality borders with Albano di Lucania, Anzi, Pot ...

Picerno Picerno is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the ''comuni'' of Balvano, Baragiano, Potenza, Ruoti Ruoti ( Ruotese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Pot ...

Pietragalla Pietragalla is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bordered by the comuni of Acerenza, Avigliano, Cancellara, Forenza, Potenza, Vaglio Basilicata Vaglio Basilicata is a town and ...

Pignola Pignola is an Italian town in the province of Potenza in Basilicata. It borders to the east with Anzi, to the south-west with Abriola, to the west with Tito and to the north with Potenza Potenza (, also , ; , Potentino dialect: ''Putenz'') i ...

, Ruoti,

Tito Tito may refer to: People Mononyms * Josip Broz Tito (1892–1980), commonly known mononymously as Tito, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman * Roberto Arias (1918–1989), aka Tito, Panamanian international lawyer, diplomat, and journ ...

and

Vaglio Basilicata Vaglio Basilicata is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the comuni of Albano di Lucania, Brindisi Montagna, Cancellara, Pietragalla, Potenza, Tolve and Tricarico. It i ...

History of Potenza

Ancient times

The first settlement of Potentia (Potenza's original Latin name) was probably located at a lower elevation than at present, some south of today's Potenza. The

Lucanians The Lucanians ( la, Lucani) were an Italic tribe living in Lucania, in what is now southern Italy, who spoke an Oscan language, a member of the Italic languages. Today, the inhabitants of the Basilicata region are still called Lucani, and so thei ...

of Potentia sided against

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

's enemies during the latter's wars against the

Samnites The Samnites () were an ancient Italic people who lived in Samnium, which is located in modern inland Abruzzo, Molise, and Campania in south-central Italy. An Oscan-speaking people, who may have originated as an offshoot of the Sabines, they for ...

and the

Bruttii The Bruttians (alternative spelling, Brettii) ( la, Bruttii) were an ancient Italic people. They inhabited the southern extremity of Italy, from the frontiers of Lucania to the Sicilian Straits and the promontory of Leucopetra. This roughly corresp ...

. Subjugated during the 4th century BC (later gaining the status of ''municipium''), the Potentini rebelled after the Roman defeat at

Cannae Cannae (now Canne della Battaglia, ) is an ancient village of the Apulia region of south east Italy. It is a ''frazione'' (civil parish) of the ''comune'' (municipality) of Barletta. Cannae was formerly a bishopric, and is presently (2022) a Lati ...

in 216 BC. However, the Battle of the Metaurus marked the end of any

Carthaginian The term Carthaginian ( la, Carthaginiensis ) usually refers to a citizen of Ancient Carthage. It can also refer to: * Carthaginian (ship), a three-masted schooner built in 1921 * Insurgent privateers; nineteenth-century South American privateers, ...

aspirations in Italy and Potentia was reconquered by the Romans and reduced to the status of military colony.

Middle Ages

In the 6th century, the city passed to the Lombard Duchy of Benevento. Incursions by

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 ...

raiders menaced the city until the Norman conquest of southern Italy secured the area. In the 12th century, Potenza became an

episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...

. In 1137, the city hosted

Pope Innocent II Pope Innocent II ( la, Innocentius II; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as pope was controversial and the fi ...

and Emperor

Lothair II Lothair II (835 – 8 August 869) was the king of Lotharingia from 855 until his death. He was the second son of Emperor Lothair I and Ermengarde of Tours. He was married to Teutberga (died 875), daughter of Boso the Elder. Reign For political ...

during their failed attempt to conquer the Norman kingdom. In 1148 or 1149 in Potenza,

Roger II of Sicily Roger II ( it, Ruggero II; 22 December 1095 – 26 February 1154) was King of Sicily and Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily Roger I ( it, Ruggero I, Arabic: ''رُجار'', ''Rujār''; Maltese: ''Ruġġieru'', – 22 June 1101), nicknamed Rog ...

hosted King

Louis VII Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger, or the Young (french: link=no, le Jeune), was King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180. He was the son and successor of King Louis VI (hence the epithet "the Young") and married Duchess ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, whom the Norman fleet had freed from the Saracens. After pillaging by Emperor Frederick II, the city remained loyal to the

Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynasty ...

: as a result, it was almost totally destroyed by

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

when the Angevin lord conquered the

Kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily ( la, Regnum Siciliae; it, Regno di Sicilia; scn, Regnu di Sicilia) was a state that existed in the south of the Italian Peninsula and for a time the region of Ifriqiya from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 un ...

. On 18 December 1273, an earthquake further devastated the city. PiazzaDuomoPZ

Modern age

In the following years of the Late Middle Ages, the city was owned by various feudal families before the Spanish domination, during which Potenza was the site of riots against the Spaniards. In 1694, it was almost completely destroyed by

another earthquake ''Another Earthquake!'' is the fourth studio album by American teen pop singer Aaron Carter, released on September 3, 2002. The album made its chart debut at number 18 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 (with 41,000 units sold), but fell to number 41 ...

. With the declaration of the Neapolitan Republic in 1799, Potenza was one of the first cities to rebel against the king. After temporary Bourbon repression, the city was conquered by the French army in 1806 and declared the capital of Basilicata. King Joachim Murat improved the city's living conditions and administration, while some urban improvements were also introduced for the visit of Ferdinand II in 1846. A revolt broke out in 1848 and was again put down by Bourbon forces, until a third devastating earthquake followed in 1857. Potenza rebelled for the last time in 1860, before

Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...

's revolutionary army brought about the

unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century Political movement, political and social movement that resulted in the Merger (politics), consolidation of List of historic stat ...

. In September 1943, the city suffered heavy Allied bombing. In 1980, another strong earthquake struck Potenza.

Main sights

Potenza Cathedral The Cathedral of San Gerardo is the main church or duomo of the city of Potenza, capital of the province of the same name, and of the region of Basilicata, Italy. History A temple at the site, dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption, likely dat ...

: The ''Duomo di San Gerardo'', renovated in the 18th century. The cathedral still houses the rose window and the apse from the original 12th-century structure. * San Francesco: church founded in 1274. The portal and the bell tower date from the 15th century. The church houses the De Grasis sepulchre and a ''Madonna'' in Byzantine style (13th century). * The ''Torre Guevara'', the last remnant of the old castle. It is now used to stage art exhibitions. * The ''Palazzo Loffredo'', a 17th-century noble residence. It now houses the

National Archaeological Museum of Basilicata The National Archaeological Museum of Basilicata is an archaeological museum located in Potenza, Italy. It is located at the ''Palazzo Loffredo'' and holds objects discovered from excavations in the surrounding territory. It is dedicated to archa ...

, dedicated to archaeologist

Dinu Adameșteanu Dinu Adameșteanu (Toporu, 25 March 1913 – Policoro, 2 January 2004) was a Romanian-Italian archaeologist, a pioneer and promoter of the use of aerial photography and aerial survey in archaeology. From 1958 to 1964, he was director of ''Aerofoto ...

. * Three gates of the old city walls, now demolished. The gates are the ''Porta San Giovanni'', the ''Porta San Luca'' and the ''Porta San Gerardo''. * San Michele: 11th-12th century Romanesque-style church. * Santa Maria del Sepolcro: church. * The ruins of a Roman villa in the Poggio Tre Galli quarter. *

Musmeci Bridge The “Viadotto dell’Industria” (''Industry viaduct''), also known as "Bridge over the Basento" river or Musmeci Bridge, connects Potenza city centre exit on the Sicignano-Potenza motorway with the main access roads in the southern part of ...

, a unique construction, monument of modern civil engineering.

Geography

Climate

Potenza experiences an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(''Cfb'' in the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

), failing narrowly to classify as warm-summer Mediterranean climate (''Csb'') because the month with the most precipitation has slightly less than three times as much as the driest month. DuomoMUSEOnaz

Population

Potenza has a population of 67,122 as of 2015. It is the largest city in

. Source: Potenza, Italia

Transportation

Road

Potenza is located at the eastern end of the RA5 motorway, a branch from the A2 motorway.

Rail

Potenza is a rail junction on the main line from

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...

, managed by

FS Trenitalia Trenitalia is the primary train operator in Italy. A subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, itself owned by the Italian government, the company was established in 2000 following a European Union directive on the deregulation of rail transp ...

. It has also a connection to

Altamura Altamura (, ; nap, label= Barese, Ialtamùre) is a town and ''comune'' of Apulia, in southern Italy. It is located on one of the hills of the Murge plateau in the Metropolitan City of Bari, southwest of Bari, close to the border with Basilic ...

and its own small metropolitan railway service, served by the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane regional company. The city's main station, which was originally named Potenza Inferiore, is now known as Potenza Centrale. The nearest airports are: * Salerno-Pontecagnano QSR * Foggia-Gino Lisa FOG * Bari-Palese BRI

Escalators

With the city centre situated at the top of a steep hill,

escalator An escalator is a moving staircase which carries people between floors of a building or structure. It consists of a motor-driven chain of individually linked steps on a track which cycle on a pair of tracks which keep the step tread horizo ...

s provide a form of public transport in Potenza. The largest, Santa Lucia Escalator ( it, Scale Mobili Santa Lucia), is approximately long and connects Potenza's historic centre with a residential neighbourhood to the west by descending into a valley. Potenza's public escalator network is the largest in Europe and the second largest in the world after

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

People

* Saint

Gerard of Potenza Saint Gerard of Potenza, also Gerard La Porta ( it, Gerardo di Potenza, ''Gerardo La Porta'') (d. 30 October 1119) was a Roman Catholic saint and a bishop of Potenza in Italy. Life Gerard was born in Piacenza into a noble family. He travelled in ...

(died 1118) – bishop * Giovanni Andrea Serrao (1731-1799) – intellectual and churchman *

Ascanio Branca ''Ascanio'' is a grand opera in five acts and seven tableaux by composer Camille Saint-Saëns. The opera's French libretto, by Louis Gallet, is based on the 1852 play ''Benvenuto Cellini'' by French playwright Paul Meurice which was in turn based ...

(1840-1903) - politician * Domenico Montesano (1863-1930) - mathematician *

Tanio Boccia Camillo Tanio Boccia (15 June 1911 – 12 March 1982), was an Italian film director and screenwriter active between the 1950s and the early 1970s. From 1960 onwards, he was regularly credited as Amerigo Anton. Career Born in Potenza, Basilic ...

(1912–1982) – film director *

Emilio Colombo Emilio Colombo (11 April 1920 – 24 June 2013) was an Italian politician, member of the Christian Democracy, who served as Prime Minister of Italy from August 1970 to February 1972. During his long political career, Colombo held many offices ...

(11 April 1920 – 24 June 2013) – politician *

Salvatore Dierna Salvatore Dierna (18 November 1934 – 18 April 2016) was an Italian architect, professor in Environmental Design since 1977 at the University of Rome “La Sapienza” dean of the Architecture School at its university (2000–2003), and presid ...

(1934-2016), architect * Ruggero Deodato (1939) – film director * Wally Buono (1950) – (

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

) football head coach ( Calgary Stampeders, BC Lions) * Luciana Lamorgese (1953) – politician *

Cecilia D'Elia Cecilia D'Elia Riviello (born 31 July 1963) is an Italian politician who has sat in the Chamber of Deputies since winning the 2022 Rome Trionfale by-election, which was triggered when Roberto Gualtieri resigned after being elected Mayor of Rome. ...

(1963) – politician *

Donato Sabia Donato Sabia (11 September 1963 – 7 April 2020) was an Italian middle-distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres. Biography Donato Sabia was born in Potenza and won two medals, at senior level, at the International athletics competitio ...

(1963-2020) – former middle distance runner *

Francesco Colonnese Francesco Colonnese (born 10 August 1971) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a full-back. Club career Born in Potenza, Colonnese began his career in Potenza - where he played from 1989 to 1991 – before moving first to ...

(1971) – former football player *

Giovanni Frezza Giovanni Frezza (born 8 September 1972) is an Italian former child actor, diver, martial artist and product developer who appeared in a number of films throughout the 1980s. Frezza is possibly best recalled for his roles in several horror films ...

(1972) – film actor *

Danilo Restivo Danilo Restivo (born 3 April 1972) is an Italian serial killer. Restivo is serving a life sentence with a 40-year tariff for murdering his neighbour Heather Barnett in 2002. Investigators' suspicions that Restivo had murdered Barnett were raised ...

(1972) – double murderer * Vito Postiglione (1977) – racing driver * Roberto Speranza (1979) – politician *

William Cutolo William Cutolo (June 6, 1949 – May 26, 1999), also known as "Billy Fingers" and "Wild Bill", was a Brooklyn mobster in the Colombo crime family who rose to the position of under boss and was heavily involved in labor racketeering. Cutolo pl ...

(1949 - 1999), also known as "Billy Fingers" and "Wild Bill", powerful labor racketeer and underboss for the Colombo Crime Family

International relations

Potenza is twinned with: *

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, United States * Focșani, Romania *

Osuna Osuna () is a town and municipality in the province of Seville, southern Spain, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. , it has a population of c. 17,800. It is the location of the Andalusian Social Economy School. Among famous people associ ...

, Spain *

Amatrice Amatrice (; Sabino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Rieti, in northern Lazio (central Italy), and the center of the food-agricultural area of Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park. The town was devastated by a powerful earth ...

, Italy *

Tunja Tunja () is a city on the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes, in the region known as the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, 130 km northeast of Bogotá. In 2018 it had a population of 172,548 inhabitants. It is the capital of Boyacá department an ...

, Colombia

References

External links

Official website
(in Italian)

Music State Conservatory "Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Potenza Cities and towns in Basilicata