Cirigliano (; 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 Matera The province of Matera (; Materano: ) is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Matera. It has an area of and a total population of 201,133; the city of Matera has a population of 61,204. The province contains ...

, 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 ...

. Cirigliano is an ancient town whose origin is uncertain. It is surrounded by walls and towers. Cirigliano is a typical medieval village which still has a castle tower with an oval base and a chapel within its walls. It has a 17th-century “Pieta” in a decorated wood temple.

History

The earliest written evidence of the existence of the town dates back to 1060, from a document of the Diocese of Tricarico. Its etymology derives from ''Caerellius'' because it was built on the property of Cerellio, a presumed Roman centurion who was granted these lands for his merits on the battlefield. It is said that Cirigliano was a mandatory stop for those traveling from Heraclea to

Potenza Potenza (, ; ; , Potentino dialect: ''Putenz'') is a ''comune'' in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata (former Lucania). Capital of the Province of Potenza and the Basilicata region, the city is the highest regional capital and one of ...

Tricarico Tricarico ( ; ) 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 name Tricarico is unknown. It might de ...

. The designated places for stopping were the bakery of Cirigliano and the tavern of Acinello. The town is surrounded by towers and walls, confirming that it is a medieval village. In the center of the town stands the imposing ancient

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...

castle with its suggestive oval tower and the adjoining

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

of the ''Addolorata'', in which, among other things, a

Pietà The Pietà (; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Mary (mother of Jesus), Blessed Virgin Mary cradling the mortal body of Jesus Christ after his Descent from the Cross. It is most often found in sculpture. ...

from the 17th century is preserved, set in a decorated wooden shrine. The castle, owned by the

Coppola family The Coppola family ( , ) is an Italian-American family of filmmakers and performing artists. The family originates from Bernalda in the region of Basilicata. Agostino "August" Coppola (1882–1946) immigrated to the United States circa 1905. ...

(purchased by them for 13,000 ducats from the Iannellis family in 1595), was acquired in the post-medieval era (1750) by the barons Formica, who still retain ownership to this day. On November 12, 1861, formations led by

Carmine Crocco Carmine Crocco (5 June 1830 – 18 June 1905), known as Donatello or sometimes Donatelli, was an Italian brigand. Initially a soldier for the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Bourbons, he later fought in the service of Giuseppe Garibaldi. Soo ...

and

José Borjes José Borjes (28 November 18128 December 1861) was a Spanish general who fought on the Carlist side during the Carlist Wars. Later in his life he sided with Francis II of the Two Sicilies and fought against the unification of Italy. Biography ...

moved towards Cirigliano to disarm the militiamen of the local national guard. Welcomed warmly, they stopped for a couple of hours before moving towards Gorgoglione, which they reached in the early afternoon.Io, Brigante - Con la controbiografia di Basilide Del Zio – supplemento a “Il Mattino” – Capone Editore/Edizioni del Grifo. Pag. 74

Cuisine

Typical dishes of Cirigliano include "''letratte''," a type of homemade

pasta Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an Leavening agent, unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or Eggs as food, eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Pasta was originally on ...

, and "''rafanata''," a

frittata Frittata is an egg-based Italian dish, similar to an omelette, crustless quiche or scrambled eggs, enriched with additional ingredients such as meats, cheeses or vegetables. History The Italian word ''frittata'' derives from ''friggere'' and ...

made with

horseradish Horseradish (''Armoracia rusticana'', syn. ''Cochlearia armoracia'') is a perennial plant of the family Brassicaceae (which also includes Mustard plant, mustard, wasabi, broccoli, cabbage, and radish). It is a root vegetable, cultivated and us ...

Notes and references

External links

Cirigliano community Cities and towns in Basilicata {{Basilicata-geo-stub