Laurenzana ( Lucano: ) 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 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 are ...

, in the region of

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

(southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

). It rises on a spur between the torre Camastro and the wood surrounding the Serrapotamo valley.

History

Laurenzana's origins probably date from the 12th century when 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. ...

decided to build a fortified village in this area due to its strategic position. In 1268 Laurenzana took part in the Ghibelline revolt against Pope Clement IV. During the Aragonese domination, it was ruled by the

Orsini del Balzo The House of Orsini del Balzo was an Italian noble family from the 13th and 14th centuries. The dynasty was founded with the marriage between Roberto from the Orsini family and Sveve del Balzo from the House of Baux. The family produced a Queen o ...

and then in the 15th century by the Loffredos followed by the Filangieris the De Ruggieros, the De Quartos and the Belgioiosos.

Main sights

The ruins of the 12th to 13th-century Laurenzana Castle are found on a crag atop the village. Laurenzana Castle Ruins 2011

The Chiesa Madre dell'Assunta with a stone portal dating from 1780 is the main church. It has a polychrome marble main altar, and a 16th-century fresco along with 18th-century Neapolitan school altarpieces. Near the Assunta there is a

belvedere Belvedere (from Italian, meaning "beautiful sight") may refer to: Places Australia *Belvedere, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region Africa * Belvedere (Casablanca), a neighborhood in Casablanca, Morocco * Belvedere, Harare, Z ...

from which it is possible to view the surrounding valleys and mountains. Near town is a trail in the Abetina ("Fir-wood") of Laurenzana, covering an area of on which silver firs and beech trees grow. The Società Botanica Italiana has considered the Abetina as a biotope of extraordinary environmental interest and has designated it a "Riserva Naturale Regionale". The Church of the Madonna del Carmine houses a 1611 canvas painted by Giovanni Battista Serra from

Tricarico Tricarico ( nap, label= Lucano, Trëcàrëchë ; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Matera, Basilicata, southern Italy. It is home to one of the best preserved medieval historical centres in Lucania. Etymology The origin of the nam ...

Economy

Up to a few years ago, Laurenzana was famous for the production of high quality liquors produced in four distilleries situated within the village. Handicraft activities regarding the manufacture of wooden barrels, bagpipes and wrought-iron were also widespread. The economy of the village is mainly based on agriculture; in fact, it is possible to find

silviculture Silviculture is the practice of controlling the growth, composition/structure, and quality of forests to meet values and needs, specifically timber production. The name comes from the Latin ('forest') and ('growing'). The study of forests and wo ...

and animal breeding farms producing delicious dairy products.Excerpted from: Basilicata "Terra di Storia Cultura e Tradizione",Giovanni Varasano Editoria, 1998

Religious festivals

* Beato Egidio da Laurenzana: January 10 (date of birth); Last Sunday in May or First Sunday in June *Sant'Antonio di Padova : June 13 *San Vito : June 15 *Madonna del Carmelo : July 16 *San Rocco : August 16 *Madonna Addolorata : Last Sunday in September

Typical local dishes

Calzone A calzone (, , ; "stocking" or "trouser") is an Italian oven-baked folded pizza, often described as a turnover, made with leavened dough. It originated in Naples in the 18th century. A typical calzone is made from salted bread dough, baked in a ...

ripieno The ripieno (, Italian for "stuffing" or "padding") is the bulk of instrumental parts of a musical ensemble who do not play as soloists, especially in Baroque music. These are the players who would play in sections marked ''tutti'', as opposed to s ...

con salame. (Calzone filled with salame) *

Gnocchi Gnocchi ( , , ; singular ''gnocco'') are a varied family of dumpling in Italian cuisine. They are made of small lumps of dough most traditionally composed of a simple combination of wheat flour, egg, salt, and potato. Variations of the dish sup ...

con le rape. (Gnocchi with turnips) * Pane di grano duro cotto al forno (Durum wheat bread cooked in an oven) *Sauzezz r laurnzn (Traditional sausages) *Patate chiene (Filled potatoes) *Nuglia (Lean sausages)

Demographic

''Population census'' Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.6,0.7,0.8) ImageSize = width:455 height:373 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:8000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:500 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:100 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar:1861 text:1861 bar:1871 text:1871 bar:1881 text:1881 bar:1901 text:1901 bar:1911 text:1911 bar:1921 text:1921 bar:1931 text:1931 bar:1936 text:1936 bar:1951 text:1951 bar:1961 text:1961 bar:1971 text:1971 bar:1981 text:1981 bar:1991 text:1991 bar:2001 text:2001 bar:2011 text:2011 PlotData= color:barra width:20 align:left bar:1861 from:0 till:7588 bar:1871 from:0 till:7592 bar:1881 from:0 till:7013 bar:1901 from:0 till:4304 bar:1911 from:0 till:3566 bar:1921 from:0 till:3588 bar:1931 from:0 till:3892 bar:1936 from:0 till:4244 bar:1951 from:0 till:4769 bar:1961 from:0 till:4300 bar:1971 from:0 till:3369 bar:1981 from:0 till:3060 bar:1991 from:0 till:2640 bar:2001 from:0 till:2250 bar:2011 from:0 till:1944 PlotData= bar:1861 at: 7588 fontsize:S text:7.588 shift:(-8,5) bar:1871 at: 7592 fontsize:S text:7.592 shift:(-10,5) bar:1881 at: 7013 fontsize:S text:7.013 shift:(-10,5) bar:1901 at: 4304 fontsize:S text:4.304 shift:(-10,5) bar:1911 at: 3566 fontsize:S text:3.566 shift:(-10,5) bar:1921 at: 3588 fontsize:S text:3.588 shift:(-10,5) bar:1931 at: 3892 fontsize:S text:3.892 shift:(-10,5) bar:1936 at: 4244 fontsize:S text:4.244 shift:(-10,5) bar:1951 at: 4769 fontsize:S text:4.769 shift:(-10,5) bar:1961 at: 4300 fontsize:S text:4.300 shift:(-10,5) bar:1971 at: 3369 fontsize:S text:3.369 shift:(-10,5) bar:1981 at: 3060 fontsize:S text:3.060 shift:(-10,5) bar:1991 at: 2640 fontsize:S text:2.640 shift:(-10,5) bar:2001 at: 2250 fontsize:S text:2.250 shift:(-10,5) bar:2011 at: 1944 fontsize:S text:1.944 shift:(-10,5) TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:Data ISTAT

Twin towns

* Barberino di Mugello, Italy

References

External links

Laurenzana Genealogy
Births, Marriage index 1809-1910, Deaths
Archived

{{authority control Cities and towns in Basilicata