Potenza (, ; ; , Potentino dialect: ''Putenz'') is a ''

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 Southern

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

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 ...

(former Lucania). Capital of 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 ...

and the

region, the city is the highest regional capital and one of the highest

provincial capitals A capital city, or just capital, is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state (polity), state, province, department (administrative division), department, or other administrative division, subnational division, usually as its ...

in Italy, overlooking the valley of the

Basento The Basento (Latin ''Casuentus'') is a river in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. It rises at Monte Arioso in the southern Apennine Mountains, southwest of Potenza in the province of Potenza. The river flows northeast near Pignola and Po ...

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in the

Apennine Mountains The Apennines or Apennine Mountains ( ; or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; or – a singular with plural meaning; )Latin ''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which would be segmented ''Apenn-inus'', often used with nouns s ...

of Lucania, east of

Salerno Salerno (, ; ; ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Campania, southwestern Italy, and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after Naples. It is located ...

. Its territory is bounded by the comuni of Anzi,

Avigliano Avigliano ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geography Overview The area surrounding Avigliano is considered mountainous with elevations varying between . Town's ...

Brindisi Montagna Brindisi Montagna, also spelled Brindisi di Montagna ( Lucano: ) is an Arbëreshë town and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geography The municipality borders with Albano di Lucania, Anzi, Pote ...

Picerno Picerno is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the ''comuni'' of Balvano, Baragiano, Potenza, Ruoti, Savoia di Lucania, Tito, and Vietri di Potenza. References
...

Pietragalla Pietragalla is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bordered by the comuni of Acerenza, Avigliano, Cancellara, Forenza, Potenza, Vaglio Basilicata Vaglio Basilicata is a town and ' ...

Pignola Pignola is an Italian town in the province of Potenza in Basilicata. It borders to the east with Anzi, to the south-west with Abriola, to the west with Tito and to the north with Potenza Potenza (, ; ; , Potentino dialect: ''Putenz'') is a ...

Ruoti Ruoti ( Ruotese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. Geography It is bounded by the comuni of Avigliano, Baragiano, Bella, Picerno, and Potenza Potenza (, ; ; , Potentino diale ...

Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 until his death ...

and

Vaglio Basilicata Vaglio Basilicata is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the comuni of Albano di Lucania, Brindisi Montagna, Cancellara, Pietragalla, Potenza, Tolve and Tricarico. I ...

History of Potenza

Ancient times

The first settlement of Potentia (Potenza's original Latin name) was probably located at a lower elevation than at present, some south of today's Potenza. The

Lucanians The Lucanians () were an Italic tribe living in Lucania, in what is now southern Italy, who spoke the Oscan language, a member of the Italic languages. Today, the inhabitants of the Basilicata region are still called Lucani, and so is their d ...

of Potentia sided against

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

's enemies during the latter's wars against the

Samnites The Samnites () were an ancient Italic peoples, Italic people who lived in Samnium, which is located in modern inland Abruzzo, Molise, and Campania in south-central Italy. An Oscan language, Oscan-speaking Osci, people, who originated as an offsh ...

and the

Bruttii The Bruttians (alternative spelling, Brettii) () were an ancient Italic people. They inhabited the southern extremity of Italy, from the frontiers of Lucania to the Sicilian Straits and the promontory of Leucopetra. This roughly corresponds to ...

. Subjugated during the 4th century BC (later gaining the status of ''municipium''), the Potentini rebelled after the Roman defeat at

Cannae Cannae (now , ) is an ancient village of the region of south east Italy. It is a (civil parish) of the (municipality) of . Cannae was formerly a bishopric, and is a Latin Catholic titular see (as of 2022). Geography The commune of Cannae i ...

in 216 BC. However, the

Battle of the Metaurus The Battle of the Metaurus was a pivotal battle in the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage, fought in 207 BC near the Metauro River in Italy. The Carthaginians were led by Hasdrubal Barca, brother of Hannibal, who was to have brought si ...

marked the end of any

Carthaginian The term Carthaginian ( ) usually refers to the civilisation of ancient Carthage. It may also refer to: * Punic people, the Semitic-speaking people of Carthage * Punic language The Punic language, also called Phoenicio-Punic or Carthaginian, i ...

aspirations in Italy and Potentia was reconquered by the Romans and reduced to the status of military colony.

Middle Ages

In the 6th century, the city passed to the Lombard

Duchy of Benevento A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between "sovereign ...

. Incursions by

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Rom ...

raiders menaced the city until the Norman conquest of southern Italy secured the area. In the 12th century, Potenza became an

episcopal see An episcopal see is the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, making it synonymous with ''diocese'' ...

. In 1137, the city hosted

Pope Innocent II Pope Innocent II (; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as Pope was controversial, and the first eight years o ...

and Emperor

Lothair II Lothair II (835 – 8 August 869) was a Carolingian king and ruler of northern parts of Middle Francia, that came to be known as Lotharingia, reigning there from 855 until his death in 869. He also ruled over Burgundy, holding from 855 just th ...

during their failed attempt to conquer the Norman kingdom. In 1148 or 1149 in Potenza,

Roger II of Sicily Roger II or Roger the Great (, , Greek language, Greek: Ρογέριος; 22 December 1095 – 26 February 1154) was King of Kingdom of Sicily, Sicily and Kingdom of Africa, Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon, C ...

hosted King

Louis VII Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger or the Young () to differentiate him from his father Louis VI, was King of France from 1137 to 1180. His first marriage was to Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest and ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, whom the Norman fleet had freed from the Saracens. After pillaging by Emperor Frederick II, the city remained loyal to the

Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...

: as a result, it was almost totally destroyed by

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

when the Angevin lord conquered the

Kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily (; ; ) was a state that existed in Sicily and the southern Italian peninsula, Italian Peninsula as well as, for a time, in Kingdom of Africa, Northern Africa, from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 until 1816. It was ...

. On 18 December 1273, an earthquake further devastated the city. PiazzaDuomoPZ

Modern age

In the following years of the Late Middle Ages, the city was owned by various feudal families before the Spanish domination, during which Potenza was the site of riots against the Spaniards. In 1694, it was almost completely destroyed by

another earthquake ''Another Earthquake!'' is the fourth studio album by American teen pop singer Aaron Carter, released on September 3, 2002. The album made its chart debut at number 18 on the US Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 (with 41,000 units sold), but fell ...

. With the declaration of the Neapolitan Republic in 1799, Potenza was one of the first cities to rebel against the king. After temporary Bourbon repression, the city was conquered by the French army in 1806 and declared the capital of Basilicata. King

Joachim Murat Joachim Murat ( , also ; ; ; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French Army officer and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the military titles of Marshal of the ...

improved the city's living conditions and administration, while some urban improvements were also introduced for the visit of Ferdinand II in 1846. A revolt broke out in 1848 and was again put down by Bourbon forces, until a third devastating earthquake followed in 1857. Potenza rebelled for the last time in 1860, before

Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...

's revolutionary army brought about the

unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century Political movement, political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, annexation of List of historic states of ...

. In September 1943, the city suffered heavy Allied bombing. In 1980, another strong earthquake struck Potenza.

Main sights

Potenza Cathedral The Cathedral of San Gerardo is the main church or duomo of the city of Potenza, capital of the province of the same name, and of the region of Basilicata, Italy. Since 1986 Potenza forms part of the archdiocese In church governance, a dioc ...

: The ''Duomo di San Gerardo'', renovated in the 18th century. The cathedral still houses the rose window and the apse from the original 12th-century structure. * San Francesco: church founded in 1274. The portal and the bell tower date from the 15th century. The church houses the De Grasis sepulchre and a ''Madonna'' in Byzantine style (13th century). * The ''Torre Guevara'', the last remnant of the old castle. It is now used to stage art exhibitions. * The ''Palazzo Loffredo'', a 17th-century noble residence. It now houses the National Archaeological Museum of Basilicata, dedicated to archaeologist

Dinu Adameșteanu Dinu Adameșteanu ( Toporu, 25 March 1913 – Policoro, 2 January 2004) was a Romanian-Italian archaeologist, a pioneer and promoter of the use of aerial photography and aerial survey in archaeology. From 1958 to 1964, he was director of ''Aerofo ...

. * Three gates of the old city walls, now demolished. The gates are the ''Porta San Giovanni'', the ''Porta San Luca'' and the ''Porta San Gerardo''. * San Michele: 11th-12th century Romanesque-style church. * Santa Maria del Sepolcro: church. * The ruins of a Roman villa in the Poggio Tre Galli quarter. *

Musmeci Bridge The “Viadotto dell’Industria” (''Industry viaduct''), also known as "Bridge over the Basento" river or Musmeci Bridge, is a bridge in Potenza, Basilicata, Italy, that connects the Potenza city center exit on the Sicignano-Potenza motorway wi ...

, a unique construction, monument of modern civil engineering.

Geography

Climate

Potenza experiences an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

(''Cfb'' in the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

), failing narrowly to classify as

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(''Csb'') because the month with the most precipitation has slightly less than three times as much as the driest month. DuomoMUSEOnaz

Demographics

Transportation

Road

Potenza is located at the eastern end of the RA5 motorway, a branch from the

A2 motorway A, or a, is the first Letter (alphabet), letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''English alphabet#Letter names, a'' (pronounced ), plural ...

Rail

Potenza is a rail junction on the main line from

Taranto Taranto (; ; previously called Tarent in English) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Taranto, serving as an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base. Founded by Spartans ...

, managed by FS Trenitalia. It has also a connection to

Altamura Altamura (; ; ) is a town and ''comune'' of Apulia, in southern Italy. It is located on one of the hills of the Altopiano delle Murge, Murge plateau in the Metropolitan City of Bari, southwest of Bari, close to the border with Basilicata. , i ...

and its own small metropolitan railway service, served by the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane regional company. The city's

main station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

, which was originally named Potenza Inferiore, is now known as Potenza Centrale. The nearest airports are: * Salerno-Pontecagnano QSR * Foggia-Gino Lisa FOG * Bari-Palese BRI

Escalators

With the city centre situated at the top of a steep hill,

escalator An escalator is a moving staircase which carries people between floors of a building or structure. It consists of a Electric motor, motor-driven chain of individually linked steps on a track which cycle on a pair of tracks which keep the st ...

s provide a form of public transport in Potenza. The largest,

Santa Lucia Escalators The Santa Lucia escalators, in 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 approximately long and connects Potenza's historic centre with a residential neighbourhood to the west by descending into a valley. Potenza's public escalator network is the largest in Europe and the second largest in the world after

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

People

* Saint

Gerard of Potenza Saint Gerard of Potenza, also Gerard La Porta (, ''Gerardo La Porta'') (d. 30 October 1119) was a Roman Catholic saint and a bishop of Potenza in Italy. Life Gerard was born in Piacenza into the noble Della Porta family. He traveled into sou ...

(died 1118) – bishop *

Giovanni Andrea Serrao Giovanni Andrea Serrao (4 February 1731 – 24 February 1799) was an Italian intellectual and churchman of the Kingdom of Naples who supported the Parthenopaean Republic of 1799. Biography Early life and ordination Giovanni Andrea Serrao w ...

(1731-1799) – intellectual and churchman * Ascanio Branca (1840-1903) - politician * Domenico Montesano (1863-1930) - mathematician *

Tanio Boccia Camillo Tanio Boccia (15 June 1911 – 12 March 1982), was an Italian film director and screenwriter active between the 1950s and the early 1970s. From 1960 onwards, he was regularly credited as Amerigo Anton. Career Born in Potenza, Basilic ...

(1912–1982) – film director *

Emilio Colombo Emilio Colombo (; 11 April 1920 – 24 June 2013) was an Italian politician. A member of the Christian Democracy party, he served as Prime Minister of Italy from August 1970 to February 1972. In 2003, he was appointed senator for life, a seat h ...

(11 April 1920 – 24 June 2013) – politician * Salvatore Dierna (1934-2016), architect *

Ruggero Deodato Ruggero Deodato (; 7 May 1939 – 29 December 2022) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. His career spanned a wide-range of genres including Sword-and-sandal, peplum, Comedy film, comedy, Drama (film and television), drama, P ...

(1939–2022) – film director *

Wally Buono Pasquale "Wally" Buono (born February 7, 1950) is a Canadian ex-football coach currently working as the vice president of football operations, alternate governor and the former head coach of the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL), a ...

(1950) – (

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest pr ...

) football head coach (

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

) *

Luciana Lamorgese Luciana Lamorgese (born 11 September 1953) is an Italian civil servant and prefect who served as Minister of the Interior in the governments of Prime Ministers Giuseppe Conte and Mario Draghi from 2019 to 2022. Early life and career Born in Pote ...

(1953) – politician * Cecilia D'Elia (1963) – politician *

Donato Sabia Donato Sabia (11 September 1963 – 7 April 2020) was an Italian middle-distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres. Biography Donato Sabia was born in Potenza and won two medals, at senior level, at the International athletics competit ...

(1963-2020) – former middle distance runner *

Francesco Colonnese Francesco Colonnese (born 10 August 1971) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a full-back. Club career Born in Potenza, Colonnese began his career in Potenza - where he played from 1989 to 1991 – before moving first to ...

(1971) – former football player *

Giovanni Frezza Giovanni Frezza (born 8 September 1972) is an Italian former child actor, diver, martial artist and product developer who appeared in a number of films throughout the 1980s. Frezza is possibly best recalled for his roles in several horror films ...

(1972) – film actor * Danilo Restivo (1972) – double murderer *

Vito Postiglione Vito Postiglione (born 28 February 1977 in Potenza) is an Italian racing driver. Racing career Postiglione won the Italian Renault Mégane Winter Trophy in 1998. He then finished runner-up in the main series in 1999. He went one better, winnin ...

(1977) – racing driver *

Roberto Speranza Roberto Speranza (born 4 January 1979) is an Italian politician of the Chamber of Deputies who served as national secretary of Article One. From 5 September 2019 until 22 October 2022, he has been serving as Minister of Health in the government ...

(1979) – politician *

William Cutolo William Cutolo (June 6, 1949 – May 26, 1999), also known as "Billy Fingers" and "Wild Bill", was an Italian-American mobster in the Colombo crime family of New York City who rose to the position of underboss and was heavily involved in labor ...

(1949 - 1999), also known as "Billy Fingers" and "Wild Bill", powerful labor racketeer and underboss for the

Colombo Crime Family The Colombo crime family (, ) is an Italian American Mafia crime family and the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City within the criminal organization known as the American Mafia. It was during ...

Giuseppe D'Amico Giuseppe D'Amico (born June 10, 1983) is an Italian double bassist and composer. Biography Obtained his degree in double bass from the "G. da Venosa" Conservatory in Potenza in 2007, and later earned a second-level academic qualification fro ...

(1983) – double bassist and composer.

International relations

Potenza is twinned with: *

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, United States *

Focșani Focșani (; ) is the capital city of Vrancea County in Romania on the banks the river Milcov, in the historical region of Moldavia. , it has a population of 66,719. Geography Focșani lies at the foot of the Curvature Carpathians, at a point of ...

, Romania *

Osuna Osuna () is a town and municipality in the province of Seville, southern Spain, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. , it has a population of c. 17,800. It is the location of the Andalusian Social Economy School. Osuna is built on a hill, o ...

, Spain *

Amatrice Amatrice (; Sabino: ) is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Rieti, in the Italian region of Lazio, and the center of the food-agricultural area of Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park. The town was devastated by a p ...

, Italy *

Tunja Tunja () is a municipality and city on the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes, in the region known as the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, 130 km northeast of Bogotá. In 2018 the municipality had a population of 172,548. It is the capital of B ...

, Colombia

References

External links

Official website
(in Italian)

Music State Conservatory "Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Potenza Cities and towns in Basilicata