Monticchio is an Italian hamlet (''

frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') 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 consolidat ...

'') belonging to the municipalities of

Rionero in Vulture Rionero in Vulture () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is located on the slopes of Monte Vulture in the northern part of the region. The village was founded and historically inh ...

and

Atella Atella was an ancient Oscan city of Campania, located 20km directly north of Naples. Remains The ruins of the city walls, private houses, the so-called ''garden of Virgil'' and many tombs remain, on sites in the ''comuni'' of Frattaminore, ...

, 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 ...

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 ...

. The village is divided into three zones: Monticchio Laghi (part of Atella), Monticchio Bagni and Monticchio Sgarroni (both in Rionero).

History

First inhabited by the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

, who occupied the ancient castle near Sgarroni (''Castrum Monticuli''), it became, in the second half of the 19th century, a strategic point for

brigands Brigandage is the life and practice of highway robbery and plunder. It is practiced by a brigand, a person who is typically part of a gang and lives by pillage and robbery.Oxford English Dictionary second edition, 1989. "Brigand.2" first record ...

after

Italian unification The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the annexation of various states of the Italian peninsula and its outlying isles to the Kingdom of ...

. It was the shelter for brigands such as

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 his subordinates '' Ninco Nanco'' (Giuseppe Summa), Giuseppe Caruso, Teodoro Gioseffi and Giovanni Fortunato. Nowadays it is a touristic place admired for its natural environment and for mineral waters, due to the presence of some

extinct volcanoes A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often fou ...

Geography

Monticchio is part of the Vulture region and lies near the borders with the

Province of Avellino The province of Avellino () is a province in the Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea ...

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...

. The three tiny villages composing it are located to the west of

Mount Vulture Mount Vulture () is an inactive Dormant volcano located north of the city Potenza in the Basilicata region (Italy). As a prominent landmark it gave its name to the Vulture region, the most significant viticultural zone in Basilicata growing t ...

and few kilometres away from each other. A regional road links Monticchio Bagni and Monticchio Laghi. *Monticchio BagniInfos about Monticchio on Rionero website
(''M. Baths'', ) is the northernmost locality, situated few kilometres from the borders with Campania and from the closed

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

on the Avellino-Lioni-Rocchetta line. With a population of about 250, it is the most populated locality. *Monticchio Laghi (''M. Lakes'', ) lies on the slopes of Mount Vulture and counts about 150 inhabitants. In front of it there are situated two little volcanic lakes and the locality is receptive for tourism. From 1971 the smaller of the two lakes, habitat of the European owl moth, constitutes a

natural reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologi ...

, named Riserva regionale Lago piccolo di Monticchio. Around the village are situated two abbeys:

St. Michael Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...

and the ruins of St. Hippolytus. *Monticchio Sgarroni (), with a population of about 50, is the least populated one. Also known as Sgarroni, close to it are located the ruins of a castle. Monticchio is 13 kilometres from

Melfi Melfi ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geographically, it is midway between Naples and Bari. In 2015 it had a population of 17,768. Geography On a ...

, 16 kilometres from

, 22 from

, 68 from

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 ...

, 71 from

Foggia Foggia (, ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere delle Puglie, Tavoliere, also know ...

and 123 from

Avellino Avellino () is a city and ''comune'', capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento. ...

Economy

The economy of Monticchio is mainly based on tourism and agriculture. Local industry is based on the export of the

mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. It is usually still, but may be sparkling ( carbonated/ effervescent). Traditionally, mineral waters were used or consumed at t ...

s, owned by the Italian companies Gaudianello (based in Melfi) and Fonti del VultureTERRITORIO")">Infos on Fonti del Vulture website (section "TERRITORIO")
(based in Rionero). This second company has a local factory that produces the waters ''Toka'', ''Solaria'' and ''Felicia''.

Gallery

File:Monticchio Laghi.jpg, The lakes of Monticchio File:Monticchio4.jpg, View of Monticchio Laghi File:Abbazia monticchio.JPG, The abbey of St. Michael File:Abbazia di Sant'Ippolito.jpg, Ruins of the abbey of St. Hippolytus

References

External links

Monticchio website

Monticchio on the website of Rionero

Natural Reserve of Monticchio
{{authority control Frazioni of the Province of Potenza