Acerenza ( Lucano: ) 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 ...

'' in 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 the Southern Italian region of

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 ...

. It is one of

I Borghi più belli d'Italia () is a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest, that was founded in March 2001 on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities, with the a ...

("The most beautiful villages of Italy").

History

With its strategic position above sea-level, Acerenza has been sacked by a series of invaders. The town, then known as ''Aceruntia'', ''Acheruntia'' or ''Acherontia'', was conquered by the Romans in 318 BC. Later, it was taken by the

Ostrogoths The Ostrogoths () were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Western Roman Empire, drawing upon the large Gothic populatio ...

(it was mentioned as an important fortress during the

Gothic Wars The Gothic Wars were a long series of conflicts between the Goths and the Roman Empire between the years 249 and 554. The main wars are detailed below. History Crisis of the Third Century During the Crisis of the Third Century, Goths under ...

) and then the

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

, who fortified the town. In 788

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

ordered that its walls be destroyed. In 1041, after a period in which it was fought over by the

Principality of Salerno The Principality of Salerno () was a Middle Ages, medieval Mezzogiorno, Southern Italian state, formed in 851 out of the Principality of Benevento after a decade-long civil war. It was centred on the port city of Salerno. Although it owed alle ...

and the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

, it was conquered again by the

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 ...

Robert Guiscard Robert Guiscard ( , ; – 17 July 1085), also referred to as Robert de Hauteville, was a Normans, Norman adventurer remembered for his Norman conquest of southern Italy, conquest of southern Italy and Sicily in the 11th century. Robert was born ...

. The town has been the see of a

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

since at least 499, when a Justus is known, and an

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

since 1068. According to legend, the town's first bishop was appointed by St. Peter. From the 16th century, Acerenza was held under the feudal lordship of the

Marquess of Galatone Marquess or Marchioness of Galatone (Marchese o Marchesa di Galatone) was a noble title created by the Kings of Spain for Stefano Squarciafico, patricianship, Patrician of Genoa, on 29 June 1562, and inherited according to Spanish nobiliary law ...

, that family being granted the title

Duke of Acerenza Prince of Belmonte (; ) is a noble title created in 1619 by the Spanish crown for the Barons of Badolato and Belmonte. The name of the title is taken from the fortress town of Belmonte in Calabria, historically important for the defence of the Ital ...

on 12 April 1593 by

Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...

. Through marriage the duchy of Acerenza was inherited by the family of the

Prince Belmonte Prince of Belmonte (; ) is a noble title created in 1619 by the Spanish crown for the Barons of Badolato and Belmonte. The name of the title is taken from the fortress town of Belmonte in Calabria, historically important for the defence of the Ital ...

, in whose line the title has descended to the present day.

Main sights

Acerenza Cathedral Acerenza Cathedral (, ''Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta e San Canio'') is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and to Saint Canius in the town of Acerenza, in the province of Potenza and the region o ...

, begun in 1080 by archbishop Arnando. In Romanesque-Gothic style, it houses a famed marble bust of

Julian the Apostate Julian (; ; 331 – 26 June 363) was the Caesar of the West from 355 to 360 and Roman emperor from 361 to 363, as well as a notable philosopher and author in Greek. His rejection of Christianity, and his promotion of Neoplatonic Hellenism ...

. It has a nave and two aisles with 16th century canvasses, and a crypt from 1524. *The church of ''San Laviero Martire'' (12th century). It has a Baroque-style stone high altar with an altarpiece of the ''Martyrdom of Saint Laviero'' (18th century).

References in popular culture

The movie''

From the Vine ''From the Vine'' is a 2019 Canadian drama film, directed by Sean Cisterna.Barry Hertz, "From the Vine is worth sipping, if only for Joe Pantoliano's drunk-on-life performance". ''The Globe and Mail'', July 10, 2020. Based on the novel ''Finding M ...

'' is set in Acerenza.

References

External links

Cities and towns in Basilicata Hilltowns in Basilicata Borghi più belli d'Italia {{Basilicata-geo-stub