Bernalda ( Metapontino: or ) 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 ...

'' in the province of Matera, 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 = ...

. The

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a '' comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate terri ...

Metaponto Metaponto is a small town of about 1,000 people in the province of Matera, Basilicata, Italy. Administratively it is a frazione of Bernalda. History The town was built by the ancient Greeks to defend Sybaris from the growth of Taranto. A 1 ...

is the site of the ancient city of

Metapontum Metapontum or Metapontium ( grc, Μεταπόντιον, Metapontion) was an important city of Magna Graecia, situated on the gulf of Tarentum, between the river Bradanus and the Casuentus (modern Basento). It was distant about 20 km from ...

. Until the 15th century, it was called Camarda. It is home to a castle built in the 15th century during the Aragonese rule in the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...

. The patron Saint of Bernalda is Saint Bernardino of Siena. The celebration of Saint Bernardino is on 20 May and on 23 August.

Main sights

Religious buildings

*Mother Church, built in the 1530s by Bernardino de Bernaudo. Originally the church was very small with only one nave. During the XVII, the church was built up with a second nave. In the church there were: a cemetery for priests under the choir, and a second cemetery, near the baptismal font, for children who died within the seventh year of life. The church was refurbished in the 1950s, 1960s and 2000s. *Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: this church was subject to at least two or three refurbishments and amplifications, before obtaining the current appearance. In 1678 the church was received an altar with the image of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel painted on the wall. In the second half of the 19th century, it was enlarged to accommodate the statues and a big wooden 17th-century crucifix. *Convent Church. The Convent of St. Antonio from Padova, with the attached church, was founded in 1616. At the time of the titling of the church, two factions arranged among the observants: a part that wanted to dedicate the church to the Immaculate, the other one to St. Antonio from Padova. The fate chose St. Antonio. The current front of the church was built in the 19th century. After the Italian unification many properties, often of historical importance and owned by the Ecclesiastical Fund, became state assets. So that the monks made over their convent to the Municipal offices. In the right nave is located the 19th-century crucifix.

Other sights

The castle was probably built by the

Normans The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...

in the 11th century and restored by the Aragonese during their domination, when it was enlarged, fortified and protected with a moat and a drawbridge. On the west side there is a thin square tower considered more ancient than the other towers of round shape. The façade of the Castle that overlooks the Mother Church is the result of a later restoration. Palaces include: * Palazzo Margherita *Palazzo Dell'Osso *Palazzo Fischetti *Palazzo Lacava *Palazzo Guida *Palazzo Appio

Notable family

Coppola family The Coppola family () is an Italian-American family of filmmakers and performing artists. Family tree Academy Awards The lineal descendants of Carmine Coppola and Italia Pennino have been nominated 2 ...

Twin towns – sister cities

Bernalda is twinned with: *

L'Aquila L'Aquila ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of both the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. , it has a population of 70,967 inhabitants. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valle ...

, Italy *

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...

, Italy * Massa Marittima, Italy * Mirabella Eclano, Italy *

Venosa Venosa ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, in the Vulture area. It is bounded by the comuni of Barile, Ginestra, Lavello, Maschito, Montemilone, Palazzo San Gervas ...

, Italy * Marsicovetere, Italy

External links

Back to Bernalda
by

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five ...

, T ''(

International Herald Tribune The ''International Herald Tribune'' (''IHT'') was a daily English-language newspaper published in Paris, France for international English-speaking readers. It had the aim of becoming "the world's first global newspaper" and could fairly be said ...

'' Style Magazine), 8 December 2012
Coppola talks about Bernalda
''The New York Times'', 9 March 2009

Local dishes

* Crapiata
Cialledda

Scorzette pastries

References

Cities and towns in Basilicata Castles in Italy {{Basilicata-geo-stub