Muro Lucano
Encyclopedia
Muro Lucano is a town and comune
in the province of Potenza
, in the region of Basilicata
, southern Italy
.
was killed by order of her adopted son Charles III of Naples
.
, which is the chief town of the province. It rises 650 metres above sea level, has a surface of 125.7 square kilometers and in 2005 had a population of approximately 6,000. The population, which was over 10,000 in the 1950s, has been shrinking steadily through the years due to social changes, lack of local work and heavy emigration. There are about 2,200 families with an average of close to 2.7 people per family.
The territory of the municipality lies between 300 and 1450 metres above sea level. The altimetric span is thus of 1100 metres, and the town rises on a slope over the Muro ravine, with picturesque houses built on terraces, and its name comes from the medieval wall (in Italian
muro) that surrounded the medieval center.
.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in the province of Potenza
Province of Potenza
The Province of Potenza is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Potenza.-Geography:It has an area of 6,545 km² and a total population of 387,107 . There are 100 comuni in the province .-History:In 272 B.C. the province was conquered by the Greek army...
, in the region of Basilicata
Basilicata
Basilicata , also known as Lucania, is a region in the south of Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south, having one short southwestern coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania in the northwest and Calabria in the southwest, and a...
, southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
History
The town is situated on the site of the ancient Numistri, at the foot of the Apennines, the scene of a battle between Hannibal and Marcellus in the second Punic war.Main sights
The town has a cathedral; and it was in its castle that Queen Joan of NaplesJoan I of Naples
Joan I , born Joanna of Anjou, was Queen of Naples from 1343 until her death. She was also Countess of Provence and Forcalquier, Queen consort of Majorca and titular Queen of Jerusalem and Sicily 1343–82, and Princess of Achaea 1373/5–81....
was killed by order of her adopted son Charles III of Naples
Charles III of Naples
Charles the Short or Charles of Durazzo was King of Naples and titular King of Jerusalem from 1382 to 1386 as Charles III, and King of Hungary from 1385 to 1386 as Charles II. In 1382 Charles created the order of Argonauts of Saint Nicholas...
.
Overview
The town of Muro Lucano is composed by the old town and the surrounding quarters of Cappuccini in the north, and Giardini (meaning gardens) in the south. It is 51 kilometers from PotenzaPotenza
-Transportation:Potenza is a rail junction on the main line from Salerno to Taranto, managed by FS Trenitalia; it has also a connection to Altamura, served by the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane regional company...
, which is the chief town of the province. It rises 650 metres above sea level, has a surface of 125.7 square kilometers and in 2005 had a population of approximately 6,000. The population, which was over 10,000 in the 1950s, has been shrinking steadily through the years due to social changes, lack of local work and heavy emigration. There are about 2,200 families with an average of close to 2.7 people per family.
The territory of the municipality lies between 300 and 1450 metres above sea level. The altimetric span is thus of 1100 metres, and the town rises on a slope over the Muro ravine, with picturesque houses built on terraces, and its name comes from the medieval wall (in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
muro) that surrounded the medieval center.
Dialect
The town's dialect is called Murese. This dialect is exclusive to the town and is often intelligible to Italian speakers. It is believed to have originated from the Oscan languageOscan language
Oscan is a term used to describe both an extinct language of southern Italy and the language group to which it belonged.The Oscan language was spoken by a number of tribes, including the Samnites, the Aurunci, the Sidicini, and the Ausones. The latter three tribes were often grouped under the name...
.
Notable people
- Antonio Rosario MennonnaAntonio Rosario MennonnaAntonio Rosario Mennonna was an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. At the age of 103, he was the second-oldest bishop in the Church, behind Antoine Nguyên Van Thien....
- Gerard MajellaGerard MajellaSaint Gerard Majella is a Roman Catholic saint. He is the saint whose intercession is requested for children , childbirth, mothers , motherhood, falsely accused people, good confessions, lay brothers and Muro Lucano,...
- Joseph StellaJoseph StellaJoseph Stella was an Italian-born, American Futurist painter best known for his depictions of industrial America. He is associated with the American Precisionism movement of the 1910s-1940s....
- Cristian ZaccardoCristian ZaccardoCristian Zaccardo, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer, who plays for Italian Serie A club Parma...
- Anne BancroftAnne BancroftAnne Bancroft was an American actress associated with the Method acting school, which she had studied under Lee Strasberg....
- Ron GalellaRon GalellaRon Galella is an American photographer, known as a pioneer paparazzo. Dubbed "Paparazzo Extraordinaire" by Newsweek and "the Godfather of the U.S...