Lauria

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Comune in Basilicata, Italy

Lauria
Comune
Comune di Lauria

Lauria within the Province of Potenza
Location of Lauria
40°03′N 15°50′E / 40.050°N 15.833°E / 40.050; 15.833
Country	Italy
Region	Basilicata
Province	Potenza (PZ)
Frazioni	see list
Government
• Mayor	Angelo Lamboglia
Area ^[1]
• Total	176.63 km² (68.20 sq mi)
Elevation	430 m (1,410 ft)
Population (31 March 2018)^[2]
• Total	12,669
• Density	72/km² (190/sq mi)
Demonym	Laurioti
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	85044
Dialing code	0973
Patron saint	Bl. Domenico Lentini
Saint day	25 February
Website	Official website

Lauria is a town and comune of the province of Potenza, in Basilicata, southern Italy, situated near the borders of Calabria. It is a walled, medieval town on the steep side of a hill, with another portion of municipal territory in the plain below.

It is historically the largest city in the southwestern Lucania region.

History

The original nucleus of the city appeared probably in the 10th century, near the place where later the Sanctuary of Madonna dell'Armo was edificated. However it seems that monastic activity pre-existed in the area, as Lauria just means the "lavra city". The Castle of Lauria, later attributed to Roger of Lauria, was built by Byzantins. In the 12th century Lauria was the seat of a Norman fief, which was held by Gibel and then by his son Richard of Lauria, who died in the battle of Benevento on 1266.^[3]

His son Roger of Lauria was a famous admiral of the 13th century.

In 1806 the city was destroyed and the population slaughtered by the French soldiers under general André Masséna, as punishment for having supported the Bourbon kings.

Geography

Located in southern Basilicata and included in the Appennino Lucano - Val d'Agri - Lagonegrese National Park, Lauria is a hill town divided into a pair of districts (in italian, "rioni"): the upper one named "rione superiore" (in ancient times, "Castello", because the presence of its castle) and the lower one named "rione inferiore" (formerly "Borgo"). The municipality borders with Castelluccio Superiore, Castelsaraceno, Lagonegro, Laino Borgo, Latronico, Moliterno, Nemoli, Tortora and Trecchina.^[4]^[5]

Main sights

The remains of the Castle (13th century)
The Sanctuary of the Assunta
The Mother Church of St. Nicholas
The church of St. James (15th century)
The Convent of Immacolata (16th century), with a noteworthy cloister

Transport

Lauria is not served by a near airport, anyway the nearest airport is Salerno-Pontecagnano 129 kilometres (80 mi) from Lauria. Other airports are Lamezia Terme and Napoli-Capodichino.

The town is served by the A2 motorway Salerno-Reggio Calabria, at the exits "Lauria Nord" and "Lauria Sud" and, until the closure in 1979, by the Lagonegro–Castrovillari-Spezzano Albanese railway.^[6]

People

Roger of Lauria – admiral
Francesco Lorenzo Brancati di Lauria
Domenico Lentini – priest
Rocco Papaleo – actor, film director, and singer
Domenico Pittella – politician
Gianni Pittella – politician
Marcello Pittella – politician

References

^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
^ Population data from Istat
^ (in Italian) History of Lauria
^ 40203 (x a j h) Lauria on OpenStreetMap
^ (in Italian) Geography of Lauria
^ (in Italian) List of FCL railway lines

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Lauria". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 286.