Lauria is a town and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' of the

province of Potenza The province of Potenza (; Potentino: ) is a province in the Basilicata region of 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 are 100 ''comuni'' (singular: ''com ...

, in

Basilicata Basilicata (, ; ), also known by its ancient name Lucania (, , ), is an administrative region in Southern Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south. It has two coastlines: a 30-kilometr ...

, southern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, situated near the borders of

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

. 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, corresponding to the modern-day region of Basilicata. 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 ...

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 (; 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. Lavra monasteries operate within the Orthodox and other Eastern Chri ...

city". The Castle of Lauria, later attributed to

Roger of Lauria Roger of Lauria (''c''. 1245 – 17 January 1305), was a Calabrian knight who served the Crown of Aragon as admiral of the Aragonese navy during the War of the Sicilian Vespers. He was probably the most successful and talented naval tacticia ...

, 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 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

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 marri ...

, 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 C ...

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 d'Essling, duc de Rivoli (; born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817), was a French military commander of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original eighteen Marshal of the ...

, 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, a beer produced by Brasseries de Bourbon * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * Bourbon coffee, a type of coffee ma ...

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 () is an Italian national park located in the province of Potenza of Basilicata region. It was established in 2007 and its extension is close to 70,000 hectares. Fauna include wolf, ...

, 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,

Castelsaraceno Castelsaraceno ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata Basilicata (, ; ), also known by its ancient name Lucania (, , ), is an administrative region in Southern Italy, b ...

Lagonegro Lagonegro ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italy 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 it ...

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 Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Sou ...

, Latronico,

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 Marcella ...

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, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It co ...

and

Trecchina Trecchina () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata Basilicata (, ; ), also known by its ancient name Lucania (, , ), is an administrative region in Southern Italy, bordering on Ca ...

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. History The municipality of Lamezia Terme was formally created on 4 January 1968. It ...

and Napoli-Capodichino. The town is served by the

A2 motorway A, or a, is the first Letter (alphabet), letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''English alphabet#Letter names, a'' (pronounced ), plural ...

Salerno Salerno (, ; ; ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' (municipality) 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 Naples. It is located ...

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...

, 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 and theologian. Life and career At the age of seventeen di Lauria was struck with a dangerous illness, and he made a vow that i ...

Domenico Lentini Domenico Lentini (20 November 1770 – 25 February 1828) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest. He was ordained in 1794 and was a life-long parish priest in his hometown of Potenza where he promoted Eucharistic devotion and worked alongside the po ...

– priest *

Rocco Papaleo Rocco Antonio Papaleo (born 16 August 1958) is an Italian actor, film director and singer. Biography Born in Lauria, Basilicata, he moved to Rome to study math at university, while working as a plongeur. He left university to attend the theat ...

– actor, film director, and singer *

Domenico Pittella Domenico Pittella (7 February 1932 – 15 April 2018) was an Italian politician. A member of the Italian Socialist Party, Pittella served on the Senate of the Republic between 1972 and 1983. He was a trained surgeon, which cost him a conviction ...

– politician *

Gianni Pittella Giovanni Saverio Furio "Gianni" 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 ...

– politician *

Marcello Pittella Marcello Pittella (born 4 June 1962) is an Italian politician. He served as president of the Basilicata region from 2013 to 2019. Formerly a member of the Democratic Party, he has been associated with the Action party since 2022. Early life, f ...

– politician

References

External links

Official website

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