Nusco
Encyclopedia
Nusco is a town and comune
in the province of Avellino
(Campania
region) in the south of Italy
, east of Naples
, with c. 4,400 inhabitants. It is situated in the mountains between the valleys of the Calore lucano
and Ofanto
Rivers.
. As the legend goes, some of Hannibal's elephants became ensconced in the mud of the river to the east. As his elephants drowned the General mourned the death of these great beasts. As such, the river that extends through this valley became known as, and remains, the Ofanto (a corruption of Italian
"elefante") River.
The Lombards
built in Nusco a castle to defend the valley from the Ofanto river to the Calore one. It played a very important role between Irpinia
's people until the 17th century. In the 1656 a plague struck Irpinia killing up to a third of Nusco’s population. In addition to its drastic effect on people, the plague irrevocably changed Nusco’s social structure. It started to lose its economic power, and until the second half of the 20th century Nusco’s history was strictly linked to the history of the Church.
For years the town experienced the poverty and misery of rural towns. Vestiges of feudal relationships left the peasant farmers with little richness. In the late 19th century, families left Nusco for other, wealthier regions of Italy, as well as for new opportunities in South America and the United States
. These emigrants from Nusco never forgot their roots. Some of them returned to their homeland.
The earthquake in 1980 did not destroy the most ancient and important buildings.
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 Avellino
Province of Avellino
The Province of Avellino is a province in the Campania region of Italy. The area is typified by many small towns and villages scattered across the province; in fact only two towns have a population over 20,000; its capital city Avellino and Ariano Irpino....
(Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
region) in the south of 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...
, east of Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, with c. 4,400 inhabitants. It is situated in the mountains between the valleys of the Calore lucano
Calore lucano
The Calore Lucano is a river in Campania,southern Italy, whose course is entirely included in the province of Salerno, within Cilento, for a total of about 63 kilometers...
and Ofanto
Ofanto
The Ofanto, known in ancient times as Aufidus, from the Greek Ophidus, Ωφιδους, meaning snake, is a 170 km river in southern Italy...
Rivers.
History
Hannibal crossed this area during the Punic WarsPunic Wars
The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage from 264 B.C.E. to 146 B.C.E. At the time, they were probably the largest wars that had ever taken place...
. As the legend goes, some of Hannibal's elephants became ensconced in the mud of the river to the east. As his elephants drowned the General mourned the death of these great beasts. As such, the river that extends through this valley became known as, and remains, the Ofanto (a corruption of 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...
"elefante") River.
The Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
built in Nusco a castle to defend the valley from the Ofanto river to the Calore one. It played a very important role between Irpinia
Irpinia
Irpinia is a region of the Apennine Mountains around Avellino, a town in Campania, South Italy about 40 km east of Naples...
's people until the 17th century. In the 1656 a plague struck Irpinia killing up to a third of Nusco’s population. In addition to its drastic effect on people, the plague irrevocably changed Nusco’s social structure. It started to lose its economic power, and until the second half of the 20th century Nusco’s history was strictly linked to the history of the Church.
For years the town experienced the poverty and misery of rural towns. Vestiges of feudal relationships left the peasant farmers with little richness. In the late 19th century, families left Nusco for other, wealthier regions of Italy, as well as for new opportunities in South America and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. These emigrants from Nusco never forgot their roots. Some of them returned to their homeland.
The earthquake in 1980 did not destroy the most ancient and important buildings.
Main sights
- The Lombard castle (c. 9th century)
- The cathedral. The Renaissance portal (1548) was moved to the church of St. Anthony.
- The Church of Saint Stephen, holding the remains of Saint Amatus of NuscoAmatus of NuscoAmatus of Nusco, in Italian Amato di Nusco was the first bishop of Nusco in Irpinia, southern Italy. He died on 30 September 1093...
. - The Church of St. Anthony. It stands beneath the remains of the old castle, and just beyond the Superior Gate that allowed entrance into the eastern section of the medieval town.