eRESTAURANT NFC

The first communities

(Le prime comunità)

(The first communities)

The presence of the first human communities in the Venosa area dates back to the lower Paleolithic, as evidenced by the discovery of numerous stone tools of a very advanced typology (amygdale), typical of that period. The installation of a first embryo of anthropic organization of space is due to the Neolithic. Subsequently, around the VII century a. C., with the Appuli there was the first settlement of permanent residences on the Venosian promontory. In the fourth century a. C., the Samnites, took possession of the city. Although relatively short (350 - 290 BC), the Samnite dominion represented a period of power and prosperity for the city.

The beginning of Roman expansionism

(L’inizio dell’espansionismo romano)

(The beginning of Roman expansionism)

The beginning of Roman expansionism towards the south of the peninsula began in 291. a. C. The protagonist of the conquest was L. Postumio Megello who was soon ousted and replaced by the powerful Fabii family. It was the Fabii, in fact, who took care of the founding ceremonies of the city, and who decided to confirm the name of Venusia to the new colony. Framed among the colonies of Latin law, Venosa enjoyed a large autonomy, bound only by the pact of alliance with Rome. The colony played an active role during the second Punic War (218 - 201 BC), which saw Rome engaged against the armies of Hannibal, providing substantial aid during the various phases of the conflict. On the occasion of the famous battle of Canne, Venosa welcomed the garrisons who had escaped the massacre and provided them with the necessary support to launch the counterattack. In this period, the city must have undoubtedly been worn down and seriously reduced in the number of inhabitants if in 200 BC a reinforcement of colonists was sent, for the choice of which triumvirs were appointed. Starting from 190 BC, with the definitive extension of the Via Appia (the oldest of the Roman consular roads), the city became an important commercial and therefore administrative center, acquiring a privileged position within the region.

Growth after the Roman conquest

(La crescita dopo la conquista romana)

(Growth after the Roman conquest)

As a result of the "lex julia de civitate", Venusia had an advancement of rank in the hierarchical system of Roman cities, becoming "municipium civium romanorum" (Roman municipality), and inserted in the tribus Horatia, the old tribe of the classes of government. In 43 BC Venusia lost the status of a Roman municipality and returned to being a military colony. The return to the old status, however, should not be considered as a simple downgrading, on the contrary, the influx of new population chosen from among the most valiant war veterans, favored the beginning of a new period of prosperity and economic development. The time of Emperor Augustus coincided with the period of maximum economic expansion of the Roman Venusia, a period in which the city experienced, among other things, a significant increase in buildings and public buildings (baths, amphitheater, etc.). In 114 AD, with the decision of the Emperor Trajan to deviate the original route of the Via Appia, having a variant built towards Puglia, Venosa was cut off from the great communication routes and began to lose its role as an important military center.

The late ancient age

(L’età tardo antica)

(The late ancient age)

In late antiquity in Venosa, now resized in its original role, also thanks to the presence of a thriving Jewish community dedicated to trade, the Christian message began to spread, especially in extra-urban areas (hence the presence of some small religious buildings outside the walls). In 238, Philip, appointed bishop of Venosa, at the head of a large Christian community, began the slow process of replacing religious power with civil power in the administration of the city. The affirmation of the episcopal power as an expression of the new local ruling class led the bishop himself to gradually assume the powers and prerogatives of the civil administration.

The decline of the Western Roman Empire

(Il declino dell’Impero Romano di Occidente)

(The decline of the Western Roman Empire)

The unstoppable decline, which began with the deviation of the Via Appia, continued until the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. The disintegration of the empire determined the arrival of the so-called barbarian peoples, and therefore first the Byzantines in the first half of the 16th century and subsequently the Lombards who occupied the territories of the former Lucanian region, dividing it administratively into Gastaldati (In the medieval order, the gastaldato o gastaldia was an administrative district governed by an official of the royal court, the Gastaldo was the delegate to operate in the civil, military and judicial fields). In the early Middle Ages, Venosa saw its north-eastern borders move back considerably and therefore its urban perimeter reduced. Alongside this phenomenon, there was also a strong demographic contraction and a constant abandonment of the countryside which has now become less safe.

(Allergen: Nuts)

The Lombard rule

(Il dominio longobardo)

(The Lombard rule)

Under the Lombards the city, included in the gastaldato of Acerenza, was governed by a count who exercised his power by delegation of the castaldo. The first early medieval fortified structure dates back to this period and, according to the most accredited hypotheses, it stood on the area of the present Institute of the Trinitarian Fathers, formerly the Convent of Sant'Agostino and then the diocesan seminary. The Lombards remained in Venosa in a dominant position for about four centuries, during which peace and tranquility were repeatedly threatened by the Byzantines and the Saracens who made the first raids from 840 to 851, when the city was conquered and subdued until 866.

Saracens and Byzantines

(Saraceni e bizantini)

(Saracens and Byzantines)

Under the Saracen domination, Venosa had to undergo further looting and destruction which further mortified the already precarious economic condition. In 866 Lodovico II, king of the Franks, passing from Venosa to the monastery of Monte Sant'Angelo, freed the city from the Saracens. After his departure, the city fell back into Byzantine hands, and after the last Saracen sack in 926, it remained in Byzantine hands until the arrival of the Normans (1041).

The Normans

(I Normanni)

(The Normans)

In this period, the arrival of the Benedictines in Venosa, coming from the territories of the current Campania, marked an important moment in the centuries-old history of the city. In fact, their presence favored a sensitive urban revival which he found in the construction of the abbey of the SS. Trinity the highest point. The urban revival, which had already begun at the end of the 10th century by the Basilian and precisely Benedictine monks, received a robust intensification in the Norman era. In the division of the lands conquered by the Normans, the city was assigned to Drogone of the Altavilla family (1043) who, as absolute lord, kept it in an “allodium” that is as a family patrimony. In this period the Benedictine monastery of the Holy Trinity was refounded which, with the Normans, became the maximum center of religious power, so much so that they destined it to the burial place of the members of the Altavilla family. From this moment on, the monastery became the beneficiary of continuous donations which over the centuries will constitute the so-called Bailiwick of the Trinity, abolished and dismembered by the French in the first decade of the 1800s.

The Benedictine monks and the Jerusalemites

(I monaci benedettini e i gerosolimitani)

(The Benedictine monks and the Jerusalemites)

The prosperity and prosperity of the important religious building reached its peak at the end of the 12th century, when the Benedictine monks decided to undertake the grandiose project of building a new church which, in their intentions, should have been more than considerable in size. Most likely, the excessive grandiosity of the project and the crisis in which the monastery plunged immediately after the beginning of the works, determined the interruption of the enterprise, with which the parable of the city's growth was exhausted. In fact, in 1297 Pope Boniface VIII took them away and entrusted their management to the Gerosolimitano order of San Giovanni which, however, failed to produce any progress in the works. Indeed, the Jerusalemites preferred to establish their headquarters within the urban area, and after having progressively abandoned the monastery, they built the first nucleus of the building which later became the official residence of the Balì (provincial governor of the Gerosolimitano order). Over the years, the bailiff's residence acquired considerable weight, so much so that the space in front of the building (now Largo Baliaggio) became a sort of free zone, not subject to any jurisdiction, on which the right of asylum could also be obtained.

The Swabians

(Gli Svevi)

(The Swabians)

With the death of Tancredi, which took place in 1194, the first independent kingdom constituted by the Normans, following the well-known events of the parental passages, passed to the Swabians. In fact, in 1220, Pope Honorius III crowned Frederick II of Swabia as the new emperor. During the Swabian period, Venosa was declared a state city, that is, it belonged directly to the crown. From this they obtained numerous privileges that persisted even in the first period of Angevin domination. In 1250, the death of Frederick the emperor and the end of the Swabian dynasty marked the beginning of a period of long decline for Venosa.

The Angevin dynasty

(La dinastia angioina)

(The Angevin dynasty)

In 1266, with the investiture of Charles I of Anjou by Pope Clement IX, there was the transition from the Swabian to the Angevin dynasty. As mentioned above, in the first decades of the Angevin dynasty, Venosa, unlike many other urban centers of Basilicata, resisted the feudalism, obtaining the reconfirmation of the privileges granted by the Norman and Swabian kings.

The feudal period

(Il periodo feudale)

(The feudal period)

Subsequently, in 1343 with the death of Robert of Anjou, the contrasts between the crown and the barons intensified, and in this context, two years later, in 1345, the county of Venosa was enfeoffed and assigned to Robert Prince of Taranto, inaugurating thus the long series of feudal lords who succeeded each other in possession of the fiefdom (Sanseverino, Caracciolo, Orsini, del Balzo, Consalvo di Cordova, Gesualdo, Ludovisi, Caracciolo di Torella). With the fiefdom, the political power was transferred from the hands of the bishop to those of the feudal lord who became the sole arbiter of the fate of the city. After Roberto and Filippo prince of Taranto, in 1388 the fief of Venosa passed to Venceslao Sanseverino, who was succeeded, in 1391, by Vincenzo Sanseverino. After a brief parenthesis in which the city was granted to Queen Margherita, wife of King Ladislao, in 1426 it was acquired by Ser Gianni Caracciolo, who after a few years gave it into the hands of the Orsini. In the second half of the 15th century the fiefdom, in the meantime passed as a dowry to Maria Donata Orsini daughter of Gabriele lord of Venosa, following the marriage of Orsini with Pirro del Balzo, was transmitted to these who, in 1458, received the official investiture of the Duchy of Venosa. According to Cenna, Pirro del Balzo was the feudal lord who, perhaps also driven by the need to heal the damage caused by the earthquake of 1456, began the major reconstruction interventions of the urban building fabric which led, among other things, to the construction of the castle . After the death of Pyrrhus and the defeat of the Aragonese, the city was owned for a short time by the great captain Consalvo of Cordova, a dignitary of the court, originally from Spain, who remained lord of Venosa until the purchase of the fief by the Gesualdo family in 1543

The Gesualdi period

(Il periodo gesualdino)

(The Gesualdi period)

Luigi IV Gesualdo was succeeded by his son Fabrizio, father of Carlo, husband of Geronima Borromeo, sister of San Carlo, cardinal of Milan, thanks to which Venosa became a principality. In 1581, Fabrizio was succeeded by his son Carlo Gesualdo. The new lords, sensitive to the charm of worldly life, made Venosa an active intellectual center, in stark contrast to the slow process of marginalization that affected all the main cities of "Basilicata". At the time of the passage to the Gesualdo family, the city counted, according to Giustiniani, 695 fires, a number that gradually increased as the city recovered from the plague of 1503 (in 1545 the number of fires passed to 841 and again in 1561 to 1095 ). With the Gesualdo Venosa lived its Renaissance as a small and refined center of culture, an unrepeatable season for cultural fervor that was inaugurated with the birth of the Accademia dei Piacevoli (or Soavi) in 1582. In this period, the city saw the flowering as well as a class of first-rate intellectuals, a brilliant law school headed by the Maranta. The season ended in 1613 with the birth, directly inspired by Emanuele Gesualdo, of the second Academy, known as the Rinascenti, which had a very short life (from March to August), conditioned by the premature death of its patron. The foundation of the Academies and the activities they carried out found adequate reception in the rooms of the Pyrrian fortress that the Gesualdo family had transformed into rooms for the court. The works, begun in 1553, lasted for the whole of the Gesualdi period. During this period, precisely in 1607, the political - social balance of the city was upset by the onset of violent economic conflicts between the bishop and the governor of the city. The harshness of the clash, which saw the direct participation of the local population alongside the civil power, led to the excommunication of the city. Venosa lived excommunicated for five years and, only in 1613, through the intercession of the new bishop Andrea Perbenedetti, the excommunication or, as we said, the interdict, will be removed by Pope Paul V. On the death of Emanuele Gesualdo (1588 - 1613), followed a few days later by that of his father Carlo, it was the eldest daughter Isabella to inherit the titles and assets of the prestigious lineage of Norman ancestry. She married the nephew of Pope Gregory XV, the Duke of Fiano Nicolò Ludovisi, with whom she had a daughter, Lavinia, but the premature death of both allowed Ludovisi to confiscate the patrimony of the Gesualdo after the payment of the relevio (typical feudal tribute).

From the Gesualdo to the Ludovisi

(Dai Gesualdo ai Ludovisi)

(From the Gesualdo to the Ludovisi)

The passage of the feud from the Gesualdo to the Ludovisi (princes of Piombino, who never resided in Venosa) marked the beginning of a new period of economic and cultural decline in the city. The condition of "abandonment", already serious, had a further blow with the passage of titles and feudal goods from Niccolò Ludovisi to his son Giovan Battista, which took place in 1665, of which the memory remains for having been "the greatest dissipator of the XVII century". Its bad management forced him to sell the fiefdom to Giuseppe II Caracciolo di Torella, together with the relative proceeds from the herbage territories. The sale was made on May 22, 1698 at the notary Cirillo in Naples.

The XVIII century

(Il secolo XVIII)

(The XVIII century)

During the eighteenth century, against the background of the well-known events that affected the Viceroyalty, which subsequently became an autonomous kingdom in 1734, the city of Venosa remained in an overall worsened state and acute crisis, also witnessed by the conspicuous decline in the number of inhabitants (from the Gaudioso Report of 1735 it is noted that the population of Venosa amounted to about 3000 inhabitants). Cut off from the great production and commercial circuits of the Kingdom of Naples, also due to the serious state of neglect of the internal communication routes, at the end of the eighteenth century the city was at the terminal stage of a long period of its history, which began in second half of the seventeenth century. The dramatic events that involved the Kingdom of Naples at the turn of the eighteenth century and the first decades of the nineteenth century, as is widely known, led to the dismantling of the old feudal institutions and the creation of new systems that definitively transformed the traditional social and land structures . In this tumultuous context, Venosa, which had its own peculiar land arrangement based on the tripartite division of ownership: feudal, ecclesiastical and private, saw its social economic equilibrium completely upset. Therefore, the structure inherited from the feudal age, characterized by a strong presence of the Church and religious corporations (the cadastral census of 1807 attributed to the church, as a whole, 34.4% of the land rent of the whole municipality), suffered a severe blow from the first subversion and suppression laws, and from the more general listing operations started from 1813. In the context of the substantial continuity pursued by the restored Bourbon monarchy, in Venosa the first listing operations of the estates were altered by fraud, corruption, delays, defaults and connivance, so much so as to suggest a real concerted intentional design. After a period of stasis which lasted until 1831, the city registered a demographic recovery, passing from 6,264 inhabitants in the current year to 7,140 in 1843.

The popular uprising of 1848

(L’insorgenza popolare del 1848)

(The popular uprising of 1848)

The demographic increase of the early '800, together with the never subsided aspiration to the possession of the land, determined the popular insurgency of 1848. The revolt began at 11 am on 23 April when, to the sound of trumpets and drums, the peasants invaded the streets of the country with arms. In the red-hot climate that had arisen, in the following days there were two murders, as well as numerous abuses and intimidations. The sad story ended after about a month with the solemn commitment of the local landowners who, in an enlarged session of the decurional council, signed the sale of a fifth of some state-owned bodies, so as to be able to proceed with the contextual divisions. But, once the emergency phase was over, the old methods aimed at delaying the execution of the distribution operations returned. Thus it was that the visit of Ferdinand II on the occasion of the earthquake of 14 August 1851 (the violent earthquake caused extensive damage to the buildings and the death of 11 people), restarted the jammed bureaucratic machine, which finally got over the opposing resistance by the local aristocracy. In 1861, once again in April, Venosa was the scene of a terrible episode of city violence. On the 10th at 18.30, in fact, General Carmine Crocco at the head of a large group of brigands attacked the city which, after a brief attempt at resistance, was invaded by the hordes of brigands and remained at the mercy of the same three days before being freed by the men of the National Guard. During the occupation, numerous massacres were committed, as well as robberies and numerous violence of all kinds, so much so that, with a resolution of the City Council of 23 October 1861 it was established that "on 10 April at 18.30 precisely of each year, since 1862 in the future let all the death bells ring in this municipality ".

National unification

(L’unificazione nazionale)

(National unification)

Starting from the national unification, the city, from the urban point of view, began to undergo some transformations which, subsequently, led to the construction of the "new quarter" (for the first time since the foundation of the Roman colony the city is projected in areas up to never affected by the construction at that time) located in the Capo le mura area (now via Luigi La Vista) to the left and right of the ancient roadway to Maschito. In this period, at the end of the nineteenth century, the city had about 8,000 inhabitants and was preparing to experience a period of favorable economic conditions, fueled above all by the remittances of workers who emigrated to Latin America. Throughout the period from the beginning of the twentieth century to the second postwar period, the city remained in a socio-economic situation of substantial uniformity with the rest of the region, characterized, as is known, by a widespread and consolidated retreat.

Land reform after the Second World War

(La riforma agraria dopo la seconda guerra mondiale)

(Land reform after the Second World War)

After the Second World War, the wind of the reforms launched by the first republican governments also hit Venosa which, starting from 1950, with the approval of the land reform law, saw the progressive parcelling of the ancient large estates established, as we have seen, after the laws of subversion. The Reform finally gave rise to the tensions of the unemployed laborers, forced to survive at the mercy of the employers. However, the changed general economic conditions of the country pushed the assignees to gradually abandon their quotas and to emigrate to Northern Italy in a phase of rapid industrialization. Despite everything, the social tension, already manifested on several occasions with the occupation of uncultivated lands after the Gullo decrees, before the approval of the land reform, had not completely subsided. In the winter of 1956, in fact, a tragic episode of popular insurgency led to the death, shot by a firearm, of the young unemployed Rocco Girasole. In the following years, the city, in line with the national trend, made significant steps forward to the point of becoming the modern and liveable town that today presents itself to the eyes of those who have the pleasure of visiting it.

Abbey of the Holy Trinity: introduction

(Abbazia della Santissima Trinità: introduzione)

(Abbey of the Holy Trinity: introduction)

The abbey of SS. Trinità, located at the far end of the city, stands where it was once the political and economic center of the city. It consists of three parts: the ancient church, flanked on the right by an advanced body of the building which was once the place reserved for welcoming pilgrims (guesthouse on the ground floor, monastery on the upper floor); the unfinished church, whose perimeter walls develop behind the ancient church and continue on the same axis; and the Baptistery, probably an early Christian church with two baptismal basins, separated from this by a short space.

Abbey of SS. Trinity: construction

(Abbazia della SS. Trinità: costruzione)

(Abbey of SS. Trinity: construction)

The first interventions of construction of the ancient church, carried out on an early Christian building dating back to the V - VI century, in turn built on the ruins of a pagan temple dedicated to the god Hymen, must be dated between the end of the 900 and the beginning of the year 1000. The layout of the church is the typical early Christian one: a large central nave of 10.15 meters wide, lateral naves respectively five meters wide, and an apse on the back and crypt of the "corridor" type. The walls and pillars appear decorated with frescoes datable between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries (Madonna with Child, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Niccolò II, Angelo Benedicente, Deposition).

Abbey of SS. Trinity: the interior of the abbey

(Abbazia della SS. Trinità: l’interno dell’abbazia)

(Abbey of SS. Trinity: the interior of the abbey)

Inside, next to the mentioned frescoes, there is the marble tomb of Aberada, wife of Roberto il Guiscardo and mother of Bohemond, hero of the first crusade and, opposite, the tomb of the Altavilla, testimony of their devotion and their particular attachment to religious building.

Abbey of SS. Trinity: The unfinished temple

(Abbazia della SS. Trinità: Il tempio incompiuto)

(Abbey of SS. Trinity: The unfinished temple)

The unfinished temple, whose entrance is surmounted by a semicircular arch embellished with the symbol of the Order of the Knights of Malta, is of grandiose dimensions (covering an area of 2073 square meters). The plant is a Latin cross with a very protruding transept in the arms of which two oriented apses are obtained. The interior is characterized by the presence of many stone blocks from the nearby Roman amphitheater (Latin epigraph reminiscent of the Venetian gladiatorial school of Silvio Capitone, a bas-relief depicting a head of Medusa, etc.). The crisis in which the Benedictine monastery plunged immediately after the start of the extension works was certainly the cause of the interruption of the same which were never completed. In front of the entrance you can see the remains of a large curvilinear wall; it is what today remains of the Baptistery or more probably of a basilica building with two baptismal basins.

Jewish-Christian catacombs (3rd-4th century)

(Catacombe ebraico-cristiane (III-IV secolo))

(Jewish-Christian catacombs (3rd-4th century))

The Jewish Catacombs are located near the Maddalena hill, just over a kilometer away from the city. They are divided into various nuclei of considerable historical and archaeological interest. A row of caves dug into the tuff and partly collapsed, heralds the presence of the Jewish and Paleochristian Catacombs. Inside there are parietal niches and in the ground. The niches (arcosolii) contain two or three tombs as well as lateral niches for children. They were discovered in 1853 (the complete documentation relating to the discovery is preserved in the historical archive) and showed indelible signs of looting and devastation. At the end of the main gallery, turning left, there are numerous epigraphs (43 from the third and fourth centuries) in letters painted in red or graphite. Of these, 15 are in Greek, 11 in Greek with Hebrew words, 7 in Latin, 6 in Latin with Hebrew words, 4 in Hebrew, and another 4 are in fragments. In 1972 another burial ground was discovered in the Maddalena hill, the Christian Catacomb of the 4th century, whose original entrance was located about 22 meters from the level of the path leading to the Jewish Catacomb. In the access corridor on that occasion 20 arcosoli were found, 10 per wall, as well as parts of oil lamps and a whole of red clay of the so-called beaded type dating back to the IV - II century BC. C. It was also found a light clay lamp, fallen from a niche, of the Mediterranean type and a sepulchral slab attributed to the year 503

The Jewish community

(La comunità ebraica)

(The Jewish community)

The Jewish community, whose original nucleus was almost certainly Hellenistic, as can be seen from the epigraphs, was mostly made up of merchants and landowners. Not a few of its exponents assumed important positions in the city government. Even in Venosa the Jews concentrated economic power in their hands, holding the monopoly of the grain, textiles and wool trade.

The ducal castle of Balzo (15th century)

(Il castello ducale del Balzo (XV secolo))

(The ducal castle of Balzo (15th century))

In the point where the castle is located, there was previously the ancient Cathedral dedicated to S. Felice, the Saint who, according to tradition, suffered martyrdom in Venosa at the time of the Emperor Diocletian. The ancient Cathedral was demolished to make way for the fortification when, in 1443, Venosa was brought as a dowry by Maria Donata Orsini, daughter of Gabriele Orsini, Prince of Taranto, to Pirro del Balzo, son of Francesco, Duke of Andria. The construction works of the Castle, which began in the second half of the 15th century, continued for a few decades. The original appearance was far from today's: it appeared, in fact, as a fortification with a square plan, defended by a wall 3 meters thick, with cylindrical angular towers, devoid of the same bastions that were completed in the middle of the century following. Born as a defensive post, it subsequently became the residence of the feudal lord with the Gesualdo family.

The ducal castle: From the Ludovisi to the Caracciolos

(Il castello ducale: Dai Ludovisi ai Caracciolo)

(The ducal castle: From the Ludovisi to the Caracciolos)

Passed to the Ludovisi as an asset of the fiefdom, it was completely abandoned, and the violence of the seismic shocks that repeatedly struck throughout the seventeenth century undermined its structure and functionality. The Caracciolos, (successors in the fiefdom to the Ludovisi), provided for the reconstruction with the addition of parts, such as the elegant loggia on the noble floor, in order to reaffirm the noble power over the city increasingly distant from the vast ones of the glorious past. The original entrance was not the current one, it opened on the north - east side, and was equipped with a drawbridge. Currently, at the beginning of the access bridge, there are two lion heads from the Roman ruins: a typical and recurring ornamental element in a city that in the past made extensive use of bare material. Inside the Castle, the 16th century octagonal pillared loggia overlooks the courtyard.

House of Horace

(Casa di Orazio)

(House of Horace)

Site dating back to the 1st century AD. C. better known as the House of Quinto Orazio Flacco. A structure consisting of the thermal rooms of a patrician house, consisting of a round room that constituted the calidarium and an adjacent rectangular room. The façade shows visible sections of Roman structures covered with reticulated bricks

Mausoleum of Consul Marcus Claudius Marcellus

(Mausoleo del Console Marcus Claudius Marcellus)

(Mausoleum of Consul Marcus Claudius Marcellus)

Tomb located along a parallel of the current Via Melfi. It is impossible to know its original state in terms of shape and size. In 1860, a lead cinerary urn was found at its base which, when opened, showed a low dusty layer on the bottom; what remained of the human remains of a character of the Roman person from the end of the 1st century BC - first decades of the 1st century AD. C. On this occasion, some fragments of glass, a comb and a silver ring were also found.

The Baliaggio (bailiwick) and the Balì (bailiff)

(Il Baliaggio (baliato) e il Balì (balivo))

(The Baliaggio (bailiwick) and the Balì (bailiff))

The Baliaggio (bailiwick) is the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff. Balivo (from the Latin baiulivus, adjectival form of baiulus, "bearer") is the name of an official, invested with various types of authority or jurisdiction, present above all in past centuries in numerous Western countries, mainly in Europe. Balì is also the title of high-ranking members of some orders of chivalry, including that of Malta.

From the Benedictines to the Spedalieri

(Dai benedettini agli Spedalieri)

(From the Benedictines to the Spedalieri)

It was towards the end of the thirteenth century, in September 1297, during the Magisterium of William of Villaret, that Pope Boniface VIII, considering that the Order had lost many Palestine assets, to allow him to continue his work, with a Bull issued by Orvieto on 22 September joined the Abbadia della SS. Trinità di Venosa which, with the Monastery, belonged to the Benedictine monks. Following this transfer, the Grand Council, through its Grand Master, ordered that all the assets of the discontinued Abbadia be administered and governed by the master recipient general of the "Spedalieri al di quà del Faro", Frà Bonifacio di Calamandrana. It was later established that this very rich patrimony, first transformed into a Commenda and then into a Baliaggio (Bailiwick), according to the internal rules of the Order, should be administered by dignitaries as delegates of the Grand Master, to whom and to the Order itself the income should be given.

The annuities

(Le rendite)

(The annuities)

The income, in normal cases, had to be used for the management of the Hospital of St. John in Jerusalem and for the sustenance of the religious who celebrated "the divine offices" and looked after the cult of the SS. Trinity. The aforementioned bull of Boniface VIII established, among other things, the constitution of a Chapter which later became "Baliaggio"(Bailiwick), made up of 12 chaplain friars belonging to the Johannite Order, who were assigned the task of maintaining and exercising, in the balival church of the SS . Trinity, divine worship and to fulfill the obligations of legates with the celebration and sacred offices in suffrage of the souls of the ancient founders. The heritage was made up of vast state-owned bodies, entrances to pastures, censuses and other services and canons, of various gifts, rights and feudal jurisdictions on different lands, farmhouses, castles and cities scattered in Basilicata, Capitanata, Terra di Bari, Terra di Otranto and Valle di Grati in Calabria. In this way it had its first configuration until the Grand Magisterium thought it appropriate to dismember it to form a large Commenda, which later became Baliaggio (Bailiwick), and several small Commendas of various sizes for the benefit of simple commanders. The stable presence of the dignitary who exercised his authority as a monastery annexed to the Abbey of the Holy Trinity, with all the apparatus of the chaplains and clerics, determined a period of renewed splendor for the Abbey. In this first residence the dignitaries, later "Balì" (bailiff), lived for over a hundred years, surrounded by the respect and devotion of the local population.

XV century, the Baliaggio (Bailiwick) becomes autonomous

(XV secolo, il Baliaggio (bailato) diventa autonomo)

(XV century, the Baliaggio (Bailiwick) becomes autonomous)

Starting from the second half of the 15th century, in the middle of the Aragonese period, the commandery of Venosa, no longer dependent on the priory of Barletta, assumed the rank of real bailiwick, because the dignitaries in charge of its administration were also the mercy of the Grand Cross, therefore effective members of the Grand Magistral Council of the Order, and in fact aspiring to the title of Grand Master. For this reason, the "bailiff" for his own status had the special concession of being assimilated in the prerogatives, dignity and pre-eminence to the monastic Priors. In this period, almost certainly, the entire administrative and representative structure was transferred from the monastery to the new seat, "a noble palace in the middle of the new city", where the Bailiff could better defend his own interests and the more general ones of the 'Order'. According to a later description of the canon. Giuseppe Crudo, obtained from the consultation of documents that have now disappeared, the Palace was located in the estate of the then parish of S. Martino, in the heart of the city, equipped with a covered atrium and courtyard, warehouses and stables, well and cellars, with an adjoining internal and external chapel, with impressive apartments on the upper floors. Over the years, the news has given us examples of heroism on the part of some Balì of Venosa, such as the case of frà Consalvo Vela, engaged in the strenuous defense of the island of Rhodes, then the seat of the Grand Magisterium, besieged by the arms of the Sultan Muhammad II. Another bailiff from Venosa, Fra Leonardo di Prato da Lecce, illustrious knight, man of arms and skilled diplomat, previously in the service of the Republic of Venice, was responsible for the temporary pacification with the Muslim armies.

Administrative restructuring: the cabrei (inventories)

(La ristrutturazione amministrativa: i cabrei (gli inventari))

(Administrative restructuring: the cabrei (inventories))

In 1521 the Grand Master Villers de l'Isle Adam decided to start a profound restructuring of the peripheral structures of the Order. He therefore ordered that the owners of the bailiwick and commendas were obliged to compile, every twenty-five years, an inventory of all the goods, movable and immovable, subject to their administration. These inventories, called Cabrei, (the land registry of the Order of Malta) in the Kingdom of Naples were drawn up in public form and were authorized by the delegate of the Order who sat in the Sacred Royal Council. Already starting from the 16th century the cabrei were accompanied by maps that depicted not only the rustic funds, but also the building heritage. For this reason, they represent an extraordinary source for the study and knowledge of the local dynamics of the individual "administrative" units and for the very knowledge of the chronology of the dignitaries who succeeded each other over the centuries.

The Cicinelli Cabreo (the Cicinelli inventory)

(Il Cabreo Cicinelli)

(The Cicinelli Cabreo (the Cicinelli inventory))

In particular in the Cabreo Cicinelli (the Cicinelli inventory, of which you can see some images below), named after the bailiff frà Don Giuseppe Maria Cicinelli (Neapolitan nobleman, who took possession of the Palace in 1773) who commissioned it to the land surveyor of Venosa Giuseppe Pinto, the precise description of the balival palace is given, and we obtain the actual structure of the landed property of the Baliaggio (bailiwick), with the relative income.

Napoleon and the French decade

(Napoleone e il decennio francese)

(Napoleon and the French decade)

A few years later, in 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte, engaged in the Egyptian campaign, managed to conquer the island of Malta, to take possession of all the goods of the Order and to decree their suppression. Subsequently, during the so-called French decade, as part of the broader reform operation launched between 1806 and 1808, the Priories were also suppressed and then the Baliaggio di Venosa was also abolished and suppressed, whose movable and immovable property were assigned first to the Real State Property and later they went to form the endowment of the Royal Order of the Two Sicilies. To the Church of SS. Trinità the cult was maintained, but its progressive state of abandonment made it gradually unusable, even if it had been placed under the royal tutelage, as the Church of Juspatronato Regio (church with royal protection). Thus ended the long season of presence of the Knights of John in Venosa.

The "Monsignor Rocco Briscese" Civic Library

(La Biblioteca Civica “Monsignor Rocco Briscese”)

(The "Monsignor Rocco Briscese" Civic Library)

The civic library has a book patrimony of around 20,000 bibliographic units, including about 1000 volumes including manuscripts and ancient books (sixteenth, seventeenth century, eighteenth century editions). The Horace Section is set up within it, with about 500 volumes and 240 microfilms donated by the Basilicata Region in 1992 on the occasion of the two thousandth anniversary of the death of the poet Quinto Orazio Flacco. It also preserves the complete collection of the laws and decrees of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, as well as the collection of the Ferdinandee pragmatics of the 18th century.

Information on the use of the Library

(Informazioni sulla fruizione della Biblioteca)

(Information on the use of the Library)

The Historical Archive

(L'Archivio Storico)

(The Historical Archive)

Located in the premises of the Ducal Castle of Balzo, the Historical Archive of the Municipality of Venosa is made up of about 600 items including folders, volumes and registers, for a total number of about 8000 archival units, with the following extreme dates 1487 - 1965. It has inventory tools and equipment. Includes: Professor Annibale Cogliano Archive, Senator Vincenzo Leggieri Private Archive, Monsignor Rocco Briscese Private Archive.

National Archaeological Museum of Venosa

(Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Venosa)

(National Archaeological Museum of Venosa)

Inaugurated in November 1991. Inside, the museum itinerary winds through a series of sections that illustrate the various stages of life of the ancient city, starting from the period preceding the Romanization, documented by red-figure pottery and votive materials ( terracotta, bronzes including a belt) of IV - III century. BC from the sacred area of Fontana dei Monaci di Bastia (today Banzi) and from Forentum (today Lavello). This section is dominated by the funerary equipment of a child, containing the little statue of the Api bull, and the famous askos Catarinella with a funeral procession scene (late 4th - 3rd century BC). The walkways of the castle retrace the life of the ancient Venusia from the moment of its foundation, with the reconstruction of the urban layout and the most important documents of the republican phase (the architectural terracotta, the black-painted ceramic production, the ex-voto from the stipe under the amphitheater, the rich bronze coinage). The epigraphic collection is very significant and consistent, allowing us to retrace the most important stages in the history of the ancient center, such as the rearrangement of the colony in the 1st century BC. C., well represented by the augural Bantine temple (of the ancient city of Banzia on the borders of Apulia and Lucania), rebuilt in the Museum, with inscribed stones to draw the auspices, and by a fragment of the famous Tabula bantina, with legislative texts on both sides, found near Oppido Lucano in 1967. The epigraphs, some of which recall magistrates engaged in the reconstruction of roads or in the construction of infrastructures such as the aqueduct, are mainly of a funerary nature with a considerable number of inscribed stones, arched stelae, ark lids (the so-called “Lucanian ark”), funerary monuments with life-size busts and statues and rich Doric friezes, which from I a. C. until the 4th century AD. C. constitute a precious testimony of the social stratification of the city.

Paleolithic Museum. Paleolithic site of Notarchirico.

(Museo del Paleolitico. Sito Paleolitico di Notarchirico.)

(Paleolithic Museum. Paleolithic site of Notarchirico.)

It can be reached by taking the Provincial Road Ofantina at the Venosa Spinazzola level crossing, and then taking the State Road 168 after the junction for Palazzo San Gervasio, about nine kilometers from the modern city, in a hilly area that extends up to to the artificial caves of Loreto. It consists of a covered museum area set up and entrusted by the Luigi Pigorini Paleolithic Institute of Rome. The discovery of the first evidence of human presence in the protohistoric era is due to the passion and scientific ability of lawyer Pinto and professor Briscese who, in the summer of 1929, carried out the first reconnaissance on the territory, bringing to light the first significant finds. Subsequent excavation campaigns have made it possible to find a series of fragments of prehistoric man as well as numerous remains of animals now extinct (ancient elephant, bison, wild ox, rhinoceros, deer, etc.). Among the instruments found there are the double-sided ones. A skull of Elephas anticuus was found during excavations in 1988. Research is continuing by the Special Superintendence in collaboration with the Archaeological Superintendence of Basilicata, with the University of Naples "Federico II" and with the Municipality of Venosa. In September 1985, a heavily fossilized fragmentary human femur was found attributed to an adult female individual. The femur, which probably belonged to a Homo erectus, is the oldest human remains found in Southern Italy and has some pathological aspects, studied by professor Fornaciari, consisting of a new bone formation, perhaps the result of osteoperiostitis resulting from a deep wound in the thigh suffered by the individual in life. The femur was given to the laboratories of the Institute of Human Paleontology in Paris for study and its dating, attributed using the uranium series imbalance method, dates back to about 300,000 years ago.

Archaeological Park (Domus, Terme, Amphitheater, Paleochristian Baptistery)

(Parco Archeologico (Domus, Terme, Anfiteatro, Battistero Paleocristiano))

(Archaeological Park (Domus, Terme, Amphitheater, Paleochristian Baptistery))

In the eastern part of the city (between the current churches of San Rocco and SS. Trinità). They are attributable to the Trajan-Hadrian period, a period of intense building activity, especially in the public sector. Traces of the thermal environments as a whole remain a Tepidarium (the part of the ancient Roman baths intended for baths in warm water) with small brick plates that supported the floor slab and the traces of a frigidarium (the part of the ancient Roman baths where cold water baths could be taken) which has a mosaic floor with geometric and zoomorphic motifs. There are numerous testimonies of the numerous private domus (houses), probably dating back to the period of the colonial deduction of 43 BC, built on some furnaces of the Republican age and renovated at the beginning of the 1st century AD. he archaeological area stood the Amphitheater. Undoubtedly the public building that best represents the Roman Venosa. Its construction can be traced back to the Julio-Claudian age (republican), for the masonry parts in reticulated work, to a later phase dating back to the Trajan-Hadrianic (imperial) age for the mixed masonry. On the model of the other amphitheaters built in the Romanized world, it was presented in an elliptical shape with diameters measuring approximately m. 70 x 210. According to some calculations, these dimensions allowed an approximate capacity of 10,000 spectators. With the decline of the Roman Venusia, the amphitheater was literally dismantled piece by piece and the stolen materials were used to qualify the urban environment of the city. Some stone lions that we currently find inside the town come in fact from the ruins of the amphitheater.

Angevin or Pilieri Fountain (13th century)

(Fontana Angioina o dei Pilieri (XIII secolo))

(Angevin or Pilieri Fountain (13th century))

The splendid monument owes its origin to the privilege granted to the city by King Charles II of Anjou in the year 1298, with which, among other things, a body of local inspectors was established, in charge of not only maintaining the fountain, but also of the control of the aqueducts that fed it. It is located in the place from which, until 1842, the city was accessed through the city gate called “Fontana”. At its ends there are two stone lions from Roman ruins (the first almost intact, holds a ram's head under the paw).

Messer Oto Fountain (14th century)

(Fontana di Messer Oto (XIV secolo))

(Messer Oto Fountain (14th century))

Built between 1313 and 1314, following the privilege granted by King Robert I of Anjou with which the city was allowed to have fountains in the inhabited center. It is dominated by the imposing bulk of a stone lion of Roman origin.

Fountain of San Marco

(Fontana di San Marco)

(Fountain of San Marco)

Its existence is documented starting from the first half of the fourteenth century and its construction is supposed to be due to the privilege granted by King Robert with which the city was allowed to have fountains in the inhabited center. It is called San Marco because it stood in front of the church of the same name.

Palace of the Captain or Commander (17th century)

(Palazzo del Capitano o del Comandante (XVII secolo))

(Palace of the Captain or Commander (17th century))

It stands out for the singularity of the typological system and for the architectural value that is given by the stone parameter that covers it. The large building, inserted in the urban context of the S. Nicola district, is built on the edge of the overhang of the Ruscello valley and overlooks its main facade. The blind arches that support the structures overlooking the valley, perceptible even from a great distance, are the expression of a remarkable constructive capacity.

Calvini Palace (XVIII century)

(Palazzo Calvini (XVIII secolo))

(Calvini Palace (XVIII century))

In classical form, it belonged to the Calvini family and has been the seat of the Town Hall since 1876. A testimony of considerable historical interest, with a well-proportioned and symmetrical facade. On the staircase a marble table (Fasti Municipali) of considerable size shows the names of the magistrates who succeeded one another in Venosa in Roman times from 34 to 28 BC. Interesting architectural elements of the building are also the portal and the stone masks inserted in the facade of the building.

Rapolla Palace (19th century)

(Palazzo Rapolla (XIX secolo))

(Rapolla Palace (19th century))

Located on the corner of the current vico Sallustio and vico San Domenico, it occupies an entire block. Known for having given hospitality to Ferdinand II of Bourbon and the brigand Crocco. On the back of the main building there is a large courtyard overlooked by a series of rooms that were used as stables, granaries, warehouses for the collection of salt and for gunpowder. The courtyard accessible from a large portal that allowed the passage of transport wagons, constitutes a singular space for characterizing the urban morphology. At the time, the Rapolla family were the largest landowners in the area and had their residence in the palace of the same name located next to the Convent of San Domenico.

Dardes Palace

(Palazzo Dardes)

(Dardes Palace)

It was built following the restructuring of the road layout (now via De Luca) which converges in the Cathedral square, which with the construction of the Episcopal palace, has increased its weight within the urban structure. The building is characterized by an entrance courtyard (which is accessed through a portal) which bears, on the keystone, an ecclesiastical coat of arms in finely carved stone around which the rooms arranged on two floors are organized. The innovation is given by the presence of a loggia on the upper floor which opens onto both the courtyard and the front facing the street. The architectural motif of the loggia takes on considerable aesthetic importance. (The loggia is an architectural element, open integrally at least on one side, like a gallery or portico, often raised and covered, and generally supported by columns and arches. It can be open (practicable) or have only a decorative function. In Italian architecture, especially from the second half of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the loggias are found mainly on the ground floor, but sometimes also on the first floor (thus acting as balconies or terraces); two overlapping loggias, one on the ground floor and the other on the first floor, they form a double loggia)

Episcopal Palace

(Palazzo Episcopale)

(Episcopal Palace)

Attached to the Cathedral, the episcopal palace is one of the most significant interventions carried out during the 17th century. The façade, not very high, is marked by the large windows on the upper floor and by two portals surmounted by coats of arms and epigraphs. The oldest bears the date of 1620, the other, the main one, worked in ashlar, (technique characterized by stone blocks superimposed in staggered rows previously worked so that the horizontal and vertical joints are grooved and set back from the facade plane of the masonry, with a projecting effect of each single block), is dated 1639.

Palazzo del Balì (bailiff palace)

(Palazzo del Balì (balivo))

(Palazzo del Balì (bailiff palace))

Original core dating back to the 14th century. Refurbished to a modern building in the 19th century. Built between the second half of the 15th and the first half of the 16th century, and restored in 1500 by the Balì (bailiff) Friar Arcidino Gorizio Barba. The right of asylum was in force over the entire area in front of the building, which at that time was delimited by a perimeter of small columns with a metal Maltese cross at the top, connected to each other with chains. After the suppression of the Order during the Napoleonic period, the assets of the Baliaggio (bailiwick) di Venosa, including the balival palace, passed to the state property. The palace, divided into lots, was sold to various owners. In the second half of the 19th century, unified in its original structure by a single owner, the priest Giuseppe Nicola Briscese, it was donated by the latter to his brother Mauro who, in 1894, provided for the reconstruction and renovation of the entire building and the facade . Today, after a series of vicissitudes, returned to its ancient splendor, it is used as a hotel residence.

Cathedral of Sant'Andrea Apostolo (16th century)

(Cattedrale di Sant’Andrea apostolo (XVI secolo))

(Cathedral of Sant'Andrea Apostolo (16th century))

Built starting in 1470, and for over thirty years, it was built on the spot where the ancient parish church of San Basilio stood, in the center of a large square that housed blacksmiths' workshops and many craftsmen's shops, which were then demolished for make way for the sacred building to which the bell tower is attached. The bell tower is 42 meters high with three cubic floors and two octagonal prismatic floors, a pyramidal spire with a large metal sphere at the top, surmounted by a cross with a weather vane. The material for the construction was taken from the Roman Amphitheater and this explains the reason for the Latin inscriptions, and funerary stones. With Bishop Perbenedetti at the head of the diocese from 1611 to 1634, (whose two coats of arms are noted), the bells were installed, most likely in 1614 coinciding with the first diocesan synod.

Cathedral of Sant'Andrea Apostolo: the layout of the church

(Cattedrale di Sant’Andrea apostolo: l'impianto della chiesa)

(Cathedral of Sant'Andrea Apostolo: the layout of the church)

The layout of the church consists of three modular naves with pointed arches. The building of considerable size does not offer particular characteristics on the outside, except in the rear section, in correspondence with the presbyteral area. In the church, some insignia of the del Balzo family occupy the top of the arches in a cartouche. In the crypt there is the funeral monument of Maria Donata Orsini, wife of Pirro del Balzo. To the left of the main entrance at the top are the bas-reliefs representing three symbols of the evangelists: the lion, the ox, the large book in very primitive writing. There are also some chapels, including that of the SS. Sacramento, whose entrance arch dates back to 1520. It has two frescoes of biblical subjects: Judith and Holofernes, and David and Goliath.

Church of San Filippo Neri, known as del Purgatorio (17th century)

(Chiesa San Filippo Neri, detta del Purgatorio (XVII secolo))

(Church of San Filippo Neri, known as del Purgatorio (17th century))

The Church was built by the will of the bishop Francesco Maria Neri (1678 - 1684). The characteristic of the bell tower is highlighted, which forms part of the beautiful and sober facade, all friezes, volutes, niches and pinnacles, the work of a Roman architect, who was brought to Venosa around 1680 by Cardinal Giovanni Battista De Luca, at the time auditor period of Pope Innocent XI. Inside there are beautiful twisted columns and a painted San Filippo attributed to Carlo Maratta (1625 - 1713).

Church of San Martino dei Greci (13th century)

(Chiesa di San Martino dei Greci (XIII secolo))

(Church of San Martino dei Greci (13th century))

Ancient urban dependence of the Italo-Greek Monastery of San Nicola di Morbano, of extramoenia (outside the walls), was built around the second half of the 13th century. After the suppression of San Nicola, the titles and possessions relating to the Commenda di Morbano were annexed to it. In 1530 it was joined to the Chapter of the Cathedral and remained a parish until 1820. It has a portal decorated with Corinthian capitals and inside an ancient Byzantine table (now temporarily transferred to the cathedral), depicting the Madonna of Idria. The portal of the sacristy bears the insignia of the lily of France. In this ancient church there is also a beautiful painting depicting Santa Barbara, patron saint and protector of miners and gunners.

Church of San Michele Arcangelo (16th century), formerly dedicated to San Giorgio

(Chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo (XVI secolo), già intitolata a San Giorgio)

(Church of San Michele Arcangelo (16th century), formerly dedicated to San Giorgio)

The construction works of the church, with the annexed tower known as Monsignore, presumably began in 1613, when the Genoese patricians brothers Orazio and Marco Aurelio, of the Giustiniani family, originally from the Greek island of Chios, following the establishment of the new commandery of San Giorgio di Chio, of the Jerusalem order, wanting to make the new commandery conform to the classical scheme, had the church of San Giorgio built, which would have been the "head" of the commandery, and a "good house that will be comfortable as a home for the residence of the Commendatore ". The church, already at the end of the seventeenth century, changed its name to San Michele and the Monsignore tower was used as a summer residence for the bishop. At the moment we are not able to provide the reasons for this change of naming of the church, but it is evident that the common iconographic origin of the two Saints "soldiers of Christ" who brandish the weapon against Satan, must however be taken into consideration.

Church of San Domenico (XVIII century)

(Chiesa di San Domenico (XVIII secolo))

(Church of San Domenico (XVIII century))

Built at the behest of Pirro del Balzo, then Duke of Venosa. It is profoundly remodeled compared to the original design, due to the very serious damage suffered by the tragic earthquake of 1851 when it had to be rebuilt with the alms of the faithful and thanks to the generosity of Ferdinand II of Bourbon, as recalled by a stone walled inside. Of particular interest is the marble triptych inserted in the facade.

Church of San Rocco (16th century)

(Chiesa di San Rocco (XVI secolo))

(Church of San Rocco (16th century))

It was built in 1503, when the city was struck by the plague, in honor of the saint who would later free the city from that terrible disaster. Later it was rebuilt after the earthquake of August 14, 1851.

Church of San Biagio (16th century)

(Chiesa di San Biagio (XVI secolo))

(Church of San Biagio (16th century))

Dating back to the 16th century, it was probably built on the remains of a previous religious building. Despite its small size, it turns out to be one of the most significant architectural episodes in the process of redevelopment of the urban environment started in that period. Closed to worship for several decades, it offers the visitor a facade of particular interest due to the presence of sturdy semi-columns leaning against it, in addition to the portal with alternating ashlars surmounted by a pediment and the numerous moldings of the frame. Particularly interesting are the lateral soft stone medallions depicting the coat of arms of Pirro del Balzo and the coat of arms of the Ludovisi princes.

Church of San Giovanni (16th century)

(Chiesa di San Giovanni (XVI secolo))

(Church of San Giovanni (16th century))

Probably built on a pre-existing small medieval church. The first news of its existence dates back to 1530. It appears to have been completely rebuilt in the second half of the 19th century, following the 1851 earthquake Note the splendid spire bell tower (crowning, triangular or pyramidal in shape, of a building or part of it.)

Monastery of the Madonna delle Grazie (15th / 16th century)

(Monastero della Madonna delle Grazie (XV/XVI secolo))

(Monastery of the Madonna delle Grazie (15th / 16th century))

Built in 1503 and consecrated in 1657, the original location was about two hundred and fifty steps from the city walls, along the route of the ancient Via Appia. In 1591, following the extension works of the same, the convent of the minor friars of the Capuchins was founded. The convent was built under the title of San Sebastiano, according to the poor Capuchin form. There were 18 cells plus an external room used to house pilgrims. The friars of the convent lived on alms from the people of Venosa and surrounding villages. The convent was enlarged in 1629 with the addition of 5 new cells at a cost of about 200 ducats. It was definitively abandoned in 1866 following the enactment of the rules for the suppression of religious orders. The church was richly decorated with stuccos and frescoes; in the center of the barrel vault of the central nave there was represented the "Judgment of Solomon", while in the lateral lunettes there were frescoes of the Franciscan saints and Christ the Redeemer. After the abandonment of the convent by the Alcantarini fathers, who took over from the Capuchins in the last period, only the worship space occupied by the church was used in the building. Starting from the early years of the twentieth century, the convent was used as a place of residence, thus undergoing alterations and modifications such as to meet the needs posed by the new intended use. Subsequently, starting from the sixties, the convent progressively undergoes a serious structural deterioration caused, mainly by its state of total abandonment and by acts of vandalism perpetrated in total indifference.

Monastery of the Madonna delle Grazie: the restoration for the 2000 Jubilee

(Monastero della Madonna delle Grazie: il restauro per il Giubileo del 2000)

(Monastery of the Madonna delle Grazie: the restoration for the 2000 Jubilee)

With the restoration work started on the occasion of the Jubilee of 2000, the original typological system is recovered and the structural restoration of the building is carried out. However, it was not possible to recover the frescoes and stuccos that adorned the entire central nave covered by the barrel vault with lunettes. Today, after the restoration, the building is on two levels: the first consists of a chapel with a rectangular central nave, represents the oldest nucleus of the entire complex, ending with an apse area divided from the rest by a triumphant arch and, on the left, from a side aisle; the second consists of three corridors orthogonal to each other through which you enter the convent cells organized along the external and internal perimeter of the building with views inside the cloister and partly on the external elevations. The layout of the rooms is simple and the very small cells bear the signs of poverty and the weight of monastic life made up of meditation, prayer and alms. The bell tower, added at a later date, is grafted partly on the barrel vault of the church and partly on that of an underlying room of the convent.

Montalbo Monastery under the title of San Benedetto

(Monastero di Montalbo sotto il titolo di San Benedetto)

(Montalbo Monastery under the title of San Benedetto)

Title of church or monastery: in today's liturgical language it means the name of the mystery or saint to whom a church is dedicated to honor. Original core dating back to the 11th century. Located about two kilometers from the inhabited center, its construction dates back to around 1032. A female monastery was annexed to it, later moved within the walls, which counted up to a maximum of thirty nuns. Inside there are some ancient frescoes.

Quinto Orazio Flacco

(Quinto Orazio Flacco)

Venosa 65 in. C. - Rome 8 a. C. He was born on December 8, 65 BC Son of a freed slave (freedman), the child had as a teacher mainly his father for whom he always cherished immense gratitude. With common tenacity the father had to work hard to allow his son to settle in Rome, perhaps presaging his destiny.

Quinto Orazio Flacco: training

(Quinto Orazio Flacco: la formazione)

(Quinto Orazio Flacco: training)

In Rome he attended the best grammar and rhetoric schools (he was a pupil, among others, of the Benevento grammarian Orbilio). At 18 the poet was in Athens, where he studied the most important culture of the time, a student of famous academics, peripatetics and epicureans. The adhesion to the republican ideology: in Athens Horace adhered to the republican ideology of the young Roman patricians and in this period he was involved in the historic battle of Philippi (42 BC). Miraculously saved, he returned to Rome (41 BC), taking advantage of Octavian's political amnesty who, however, did not spare his rustic properties in his native Venosa, which were subsequently confiscated. Deprived of means, he had to adapt to being a scribe in the commissioner's office.

Quinto Orazio Flacco: the success of the compositions

(Quinto Orazio Flacco: il successo delle composizioni)

(Quinto Orazio Flacco: the success of the compositions)

In the meantime, his compositions began to find admirers in Rome and were soon appreciated by Virgil and by Vario who became his friends for life; they presented him to Maecenas who had already received news of the poet from Venosa. With the friendship of Maecenas he became part of a small elite of intellectuals close to the emperor Augustus. Augustus designated him as his secretary, but Horace declined the invitation, although he shared his action both on a political and a literary level. In 17 a. C. was commissioned to write the secular Carmen, in honor of Apollo and Diana, to be sung during the ludi saeculares. (The Ludi Saeculares were a religious celebration, involving sacrifices and theatrical performances, held in ancient Rome for three days and three nights that marked the end of one "saeculum" (century) and the beginning of the next. A saeculum, presumably the maxim possible length of human life, was considered to last between 100 and 110 years). In 20 a. C. began to publish the "Epistles", the second book of which includes three long compositions on aesthetic topics including the ars poetics. In the last year of his life he wrote the four books of the Odes, among which the so-called Roman Odes stand out. He died on November 27, 8 BC after a short time of his great friend and protector, leaving his possessions to Augustus who had him buried on the Esquiline next to the tomb of Maecenas.

Quinto Orazio Flacco: the works

(Quinto Orazio Flacco: le opere)

(Quinto Orazio Flacco: the works)

The works: Epodi (17 compositions ordered metrically); Satires (I book 35 - 33 BC; II book30 BC); Odes (I, II, III, IV book); Epistles (I, II book); The Carmen saeculare; Epistola ai Pisoni or Ars Poetica.

Carlo Gesualdo

(Carlo Gesualdo)

Venosa 1566 - Gesualdo 1613. He was born on 8 March 1566 to Fabrizio II and Geronima Borromeo, sister of San Carlo. He studied in Naples and was a composer of madrigals and sacred music, now known throughout the world. From an early age he showed a great passion for music and at the age of 19 he published his first motet: “Ne reminiscaris, Domine, delicta nostra” (Forgive, sir, our sins). (The motet is a musical composition, vocal, with or without instruments, of sacred inspiration). In 1586 he married his cousin Maria d'Avalos, of Spanish royal lineage, born in 1560 of Carlo, count of Montesarchio and Sveva Gesualdo. The wedding took place in May 1586 with dispensation from Pope Sixtus V, in the church of San Domenico Maggiore in Naples, located near the palace where the Gesualdo family lived. Carlo was 20 years old and Maria 26. The son Emanuele was born from the marriage.

Carlo Gesualdo. The murder of his wife Maria D'Avalos and Duke Carafa

(Carlo Gesualdo: L’omicidio della moglie Maria D’Avalos e del Duca Carafa)

(Carlo Gesualdo. The murder of his wife Maria D'Avalos and Duke Carafa)

Too devoted to hunting and music, he did not understand that his beautiful wife could feel neglected to the point of taking refuge in the arms of the handsome Duke of Andria Fabrizio Carafa. The two lovers, on the night between Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 October 1590, were caught red-handed in Maria's bedroom and brutally slaughtered. The prince, in the terrible act, was helped by some of his armed guards. Charles was probably induced to the murderous violence in spite of himself; and more than personal resentment from interested delations that imposed on him the obligation to avenge, with blood, the offense done to his family.

Carlo Gesualdo: The refuge in the Gesualdo fortress

(Carlo Gesualdo: Il rifugio nella fortezza di Gesualdo)

(Carlo Gesualdo: The refuge in the Gesualdo fortress)

To escape the Carafa's revenge, he left Naples and took refuge in the inaccessible and impregnable castle - fortress of Gesualdo. Here he remained for seventeen years, and during his stay he dedicated his work to the care of the village of Gesualdo with zeal and love; he had churches and convents built. In the castle the prince was able to devote himself completely to music; he wrote madrigals and motets, many of which were printed in the typography installed in the castle by the typographer Gian Giacomo Carlino. After three years and four months from the double murder he went, accompanied by his brother-in-law Ferdinando Sanseverino count of Saponara, by count Cesare Caracciolo and the musician Scipione Stella, to Ferrara to be married again (21 February 1594) with Eleonora d'Este , cousin of the Duke of Ferrara Alfonso II, with whom he had a son, Alfonsino, who died at an early age. Repentant for the double murder, gripped by remorse and afflicted by migraines and intestinal atony, the prince experienced moments of anguish. On 20 August 1613 he received news from Venosa of the accidental death of his only son Emanuele. Carlo was overcome with pain and after a few days, on 8 September he ceased to live. His remains rest in the church of Gesù Nuovo in Naples.

Giovan Battista De Luca

(Giovan Battista De Luca)

Venosa 1614 - Rome 1683. He was born in Venosa in 1614 from a humble family. He studied law in Salerno and Naples where he graduated in 1635 and where he practiced law. At the age of 21, having returned to Venosa, he was part of the (lay) Chapter of the Cathedral as vicar general. In this capacity he opposed the abuses of Prince Nicola Ludovisi and, to escape the latter's reprisals, he had to leave his native place. Moving to Rome, where he found refuge in 1654, he soon became prominent, until he obtained important positions from Pope Clement X. He took the ecclesiastical habit, became an auditor and secretary of the memorials of Innocent XI, who in 1681 appointed him Cardinal.

Giovan Battista De Luca: the works

(Giovan Battista De Luca: le opere)

(Giovan Battista De Luca: the works)

His fundamental work is the "Theatrum veritatis et iustitiae, sive decisivi discursus per materias seu titulos distincti" (21 volumes, Rome 1669 - 73), in which he collected and ordered his studies and the speeches he gave in the practice of advocacy. Of the Theatrum he edited a reduction in Italian with the title "Il dottor vulgare or the compendium of all civil, canonical, feudal and municipal law in the things most received in practice" (15 books, 1673), in which he argued the opportunity of using of Italian in judicial documents. De Luca was not only a learned and modern jurist, but also a clear writer, to be placed among the notable examples of technical and scientific prose of the seventeenth century. He most likely also composed "Instituta civilia", as well as works on economics and finance. He died on February 5, 1683, and in memory of his hometown, he established scholarships for deserving university students, a dowry for marriageable girls and a donation of wheat. He restored and embellished the Venetian churches, in particular the Purgatory, S. Maria della Scala within the walls, the Cathedral, and also the beautiful paintings by Maranta. He was buried in an imposing mausoleum, in the church of S. Spirito dei Napoletani, in via Giulia in Rome. The Cardinal wanted to be buried in the Church of S. Girolamo degli Schiavoni which he managed. His friend Cardinal Pamphili preferred the church of S. Spirito. The Civic Library of Venosa preserves most of its juridical and theological works.

Roberto Maranta

(Roberto Maranta)

Venosa 1476 - Melfi 1539. Son of Bartolomeo, a gentleman from Tramonti, a town in the Principality of Citra, who settled in Venosa, was born in 1476. He graduated in law and taught for many years at the Studio of Salerno and subsequently in those of Palermo and Naples. He married Viva Cenna of noble Venosian origin and had four children: Bartolomeo, Pomponio, Lucio and Silvio. General auditor of the Caracciolos, he was very competent in canonical laws. To him we owe the treatise “De multiple rerum alienatione prohibited”. He retired as a general auditor in Melfi, had then to flee with his family due to the plague of 1501. He took refuge in the castle of Lagopesole where he composed his main work entitled “Tractatus de ordinatione judiciorum sive Speculum Aureum et lumen advocatorum praxis civilis”. Another important work of his, composed later, is the one entitled "Feudi", in which he dealt in particular with issues relating to feudal law. He died in Melfi in 1539.

Bartolomeo Maranta

(Bartolomeo Maranta)

Venosa First half of the 16th century - Molfetta 1571. Son of Roberto and Viva Cenna, descendant of one of the most influential families of Venosa. From the bibliographic sources available, it is not possible to establish the exact date of birth, but we know that, after having cultivated, by his natural inclination, the love for the classical texts of antiquity, he was initiated into the study of sciences, which he studied in depth at the Naples Studio.

Bartolomeo Maranta: studies

(Bartolomeo Maranta: gli studi)

(Bartolomeo Maranta: studies)

In 1550 he moved to Pisa reaching Ulisse Aldrovrandi (1522 - 1605) with whom he was always in very close friendships, witnessed by a close exchange of letters. Together with Aldrovrandi he attended the lessons of Luca di Ghino Ghini, professor at the Pisan university from 1554 to 1555. It was the latter who unveiled the charm and secrets of botanical art to the Maranta. In the Tuscan city Maranta was able to learn the rudiments of botanical art and medical sciences from Ghini, and came into contact with that cultural heritage that had been left by the passage, only a few decades earlier, by the most famous doctor of the century, Paracelsus, through the attendance of one of the most faithful disciples, Johannes Oporinus. The “Lucullianae quaestiones” will see the light from Oporino in 1564.

Bartolomeo Maranta: medical and botanical expertise

(Bartolomeo Maranta: la competenza medica e botanica)

(Bartolomeo Maranta: medical and botanical expertise)

At the end of 1556 he was called to practice medicine in the service of Prince Vespasiano Gonzaga (an Italian leader, politician and patron, Duke of Sabbioneta and Marquis of Ostiano). In the same year he returned to Naples, where he began to frequent the Botanical Garden that Gian Vincenzo Pinelli had provided with exotic and rare plants. In 1559 he published, in Venice, the "Methodus cognoscendorum simplicium medicamentorum libri tres", in which Maranta collected the fruit of the lessons followed in Pisa and, above all, in the teaching of Luca Ghini and Gian Vincenzo Pinelli. "Methodus" earned the botanist of Venosa the admiration of the greatest scientific authorities of that period.

Bartolomeo Maranta: The trial of the Holy Inquisition and the return to Molfetta

(Bartolomeo Maranta: Il processo della Santa Inquisizione e il ritorno a Molfetta)

(Bartolomeo Maranta: The trial of the Holy Inquisition and the return to Molfetta)

In Naples, between 1559 and 1561, Maranta, leaving aside his medical-scientific studies, devoted himself almost exclusively to his never forgotten literary interests. In fact, the manuscripts of literary poetics date back to this period on problems of interpretation of Horace's Ars Poetica and Aristotle's Poetics. In 1562, subjected to trial by the Holy Inquisition, he ran into serious danger, escaped also thanks to the intervention of his brother Lucio, bishop of Lavello. In 1568 Maranta was in Rome in the service of Cardinal Castiglioni della Trinità, but already the following year he had to return to Molfetta where his brothers lived. In Molfetta he lived the last years of his life, still comforted by the friendship of Aldrovandi, in whose correspondence a last letter dated 9 April 1570 is preserved, and in the same city he died on 24 March 1571. His remains rest in the church of San Bernardino in Molfetta.

Luigi Tansillo

(Luigi Tansillo)

Venosa 1510 - 1568 Teano. He was born in Venosa in 1510, from Vincenzo, doctor and philosopher from Nola, and from Laura Cappellano from Venosa. He first studied with his uncle Ambrogio Leone, a learned humanist who had married a Ippolita Tansillo, and later in Naples. He was always in the service of the Viceroy Don Pedro of Toledo, as secretary, and of his son Don Garzia. He was also governor of Gaeta and a friend of Tasso and of powerful lords of the time. He loved a woman of royal lineage, Maria D'Aragona, wife of Alfonso D'Avalos, the first general of Charles V. In 1550 he married Luisa Punzo (or Punzio) with whom he had six children, 3 males and 3 females.

Luigi La Vista

(Luigi La Vista)

Venosa 1820 - Naples 1848. He was born in Venosa on January 29, 1820 to Nicola La Vista physicist and Maria Nicola Petrone, who left him orphaned at the age of six. He had as his first teacher his paternal grandfather who favored the development of a rare talent in the boy. He studied first at the seminary of Molfetta, and later in Naples, where he was a disciple of Francesco De Santis, and perfected his studies having Villari as a companion among others. The poet died on May 15, 1848, during the well-known insurrection of Naples against the Bourbons.

Giacomo Di Chirico

(Giacomo Di Chirico)

Venosa 1844 - Naples 1883. He was born in Venosa on 25 January 1844 to Luigi, a modest 56-year-old carpenter and Caterina Savino in a humble petticoat in the San Nicola district. The economic conditions of the family, already largely precarious, precipitated in 1847 with the death of the head of the family. Due to the precarious economic conditions of the Giacomo family he was soon put to work in a barber shop, where he remained until the mid-sixties. Since he was a teenager, however, the young man shows the signs of an obsession and a restlessness, a brilliant tendency to observation and representation with colors that translate into the mania for drawing, for making portraits. For this reason, with the passage of time, Giacomo does not resign himself to his destiny as a barber. Giacomo remained in the humble barber's shop until the age of twenty.

Giacomo Di Chirico: training in Naples

(Giacomo Di Chirico: la formazione a Napoli)

(Giacomo Di Chirico: training in Naples)

In the autumn of 1865, he moved to Naples to attend the Royal Institute of Fine Arts, thanks to a special subsidy given to him first by the Municipality, "with the clause that will be continued if he proves to draw excellent profit from his studies", and subsequently by provincial administration. For this reason he was always largely generous with the gifts of his art to his native village, when his paintings, admired, sought after and disputed in all parts of the world, adorned the walls of illustrious residences. In Naples, in his free hours, he assiduously attends the private studio of an artist known and respected at the time. This is Tommaso De Vivo, honorary professor of the Institute, with whom he maintains a solid relationship of friendship and admiration.

Giacomo Di Chirico: The move to Rome

(Giacomo Di Chirico: Il trasferimento a Roma)

(Giacomo Di Chirico: The move to Rome)

He stayed with Tommaso De Vivo for two years, while he was attending the Institute of Fine Arts then, convinced of the need to broaden his professional horizon, and "after getting to know Morelli's manner, which had as its basis the observation of everything that is real ”, he leaves Naples and moves to Rome. In the "eternal city" he broadens his artistic views with the study of nature. His Roman stay lasted three years, during which he visited the main Italian art galleries.

Giacomo Di Chirico: The return to Naples

(Giacomo Di Chirico: Il rientro a Napoli)

(Giacomo Di Chirico: The return to Naples)

Back in Naples he opened a painting studio, thus looking out onto the Neapolitan art scene, making himself appreciated by the teachers of the Institute for his first “historical” painting works. He established himself in Naples as an artist of great talents and great innovation, participating with his works in the most important national and international exhibitions. In 1879, in the wake of the extraordinary successes achieved at national level, the King confers on him the title of Knight of the Crown of Italy. The previous year, following the marriage, contracted in Maiori, with Emilia D'Amato, presumably related to the Mayorese painter Raffaele, the only daughter, Maria, was born in Naples on 10 May 1883, shortly before her death which came at the end of the same year. Despite the joy of fatherhood, the last few months are painful, as the signs of a certain mental imbalance became more evident, with moments of partial memory loss. From November 30 of the previous year he was, in fact, locked up in the Provincial Asylum of Naples, where he died on December 16, 1883, at the height of his career and artistic maturity.

Emanuele Virgilio

(Emanuele Virgilio)

Venosa 1868 - Tortolì 1923. He was born on August 3, 1868 to Teresa D'Andretta and Antonio, a cloth merchant, originally from Canneto di Bari. From an early age he showed a particular inclination towards the priestly life. Canon Saverio D'Andretta was entrusted to the care of a cousin of his mother, who will follow him until he enters the seminary, from which he left the priest on 22 May 1891. He carried out, from the beginning, his priestly ministry as a teacher of letters at the episcopal seminary, of which he will later become rector.

Emanuele Virgilio: organizational skills and the work of social redemption

(Emanuele Virgilio: le capacità organizzative e l’opera di redenzione sociale)

(Emanuele Virgilio: organizational skills and the work of social redemption)

Equipped with great organizational skills, he worked to restore the Venosa seminary to its former glory, reorganizing it on new bases according to modern teaching and management criteria. He not limited himself only to the spiritual care of souls, but also took an interest in the material needs of the faithful of the diocese, convinced that his preaching would have been much more credible if he had taken an active part in the life and problems present in the society of the time. Within this framework of intent, he conceived and implemented the institution of the Cassa Rurale S. Felice (Rural bank, 1900) in order to meet the credit needs of the small landowners who, usually, were victims of a widespread practice, usury . The Cassa also aimed to put a stop to the growing migratory flow which was very strong in those years. In his incessant activity there were also other courageous initiatives for those times and all aimed at the social development of the environment in which he lived. He promoted forms of cooperation among young people, forms of emancipation for women, sending some of them to have work experiences in Northern Italy. He worked in many ways for social justice by participating in the debate that was taking place in Italy in those years around the Agrarian Question. However, his social commitment did not distract him from his interest in the fate of the diocese of Venosa which was in danger of being suppressed, and his direct interest in Pope Pius X was decisive.

Emanuele Virgilio: the appointment as bishop

(Emanuele Virgilio: la nomina a vescovo)

(Emanuele Virgilio: the appointment as bishop)

He was appointed bishop in May 1910 and sent to Sardinia in the Ogliastra region. With this new office he continued his tireless work of social redemption. He promoted the establishment of the Agricultural Seminary of Arzana, which soon became a place of training and a source of economic and social development for the entire area. He died in Tortolì in the province of Nuoro on January 27, 1923.

Pasquale Del Giudice: Garibaldi's commitment and training in Naples

(Pasquale Del Giudice: l’impegno garibaldino e la formazione a Napoli)

(Pasquale Del Giudice: Garibaldi's commitment and training in Naples)

Venosa 1842 - Pavia 1924. Pasquale Del Giudice was born in Venosa on February 14, 1842. After primary school he went to Naples for university studies, during which, influenced by the turmoil of the Risorgimento, he enlisted among Garibaldi's volunteers. He was aggregated to the Avezzana division, with which, between 17 and 18 October 1860 he fought in Pettorano, under the orders of Colonel Nullo, and was taken prisoner. After the parenthesis of military engagement, in 1863 he obtained a degree in law at the University of Naples, and in the city of Campania he remained a few years for legal practice at the office of the illustrious lawyer Enrico Pessina.

Pasquale Del Giudice: university teaching and publications

(Pasquale Del Giudice: l’insegnamento universitario e le pubblicazioni)

(Pasquale Del Giudice: university teaching and publications)

He began teaching university in 1871, at the young age of twenty-nine, as a professor of Philosophy of Law, at the University of Naples. In the same period he published numerous studies, including: “The industrial coalitions opposite the Italian Penal Code Project, Bologna, 1871”; and "The World on Women in the Longobard Law, Naples, 1872" (its first publication, however, dated back to 1866, and consisted of the translation of the Ahrens work on the "General Doctrine of the State"). In 1873 he won the competition for the chair of the History of Italian Law at the University of Pavia, where he remained up to the limit allowed by law (1917) and still beyond that limit as a professor emeritus. Scientific industriousness was continuous and uninterrupted; from the first study on "Vendetta in Lombard law, (1876)" and from the "Legal encyclopedia for school use" (first edition (1880) which he republished in 1896, to the monographs on the Feud and on Germanic criminal law, to the numerous communications and interventions collected in the History of the sources of law, published a few months before his death.

Pasquale Del Giudice: the main works and the prestigious assignments

(Pasquale Del Giudice: le opere principali e i prestigiosi incarichi)

(Pasquale Del Giudice: the main works and the prestigious assignments)

His main works are: "Studies in history and law" by Pasquale del Giudice, Milan, 1889; "New studies of history and law" by Pasquale Del Giudice. He was twice Rector of the University of Pavia and three times Dean of the Faculty of Law (among other things, the foundation of the Legal Institute attached to the same faculty is due to his commitment). He was a member of the Accademia del Lincei and of other Italian and foreign academies. Furthermore, he was first corresponding partner (1879) then full member (1890) and finally from 1911 to 1918 alternately Vice-president and President of the Royal Lombard Institute of Sciences and Letters. For his high academic and scientific merits he was appointed Senator of the Kingdom of Italy in 1902. In the Senate of the Kingdom of Italy, he made an effective contribution especially in matters of public and private law. Member of the most important commissions, he was president of the Commission for the reform of codes. He died, after a short illness, on April 20, 1924. Since July 1928, in the quadriportico of the jurists of the University of Pavia, there is a marble memorial dedicated to him. He was a great benefactor of his city: his bequest is in fact due to the maintenance of the educational institution to replace the ancient diocesan seminary.

Giovanni Ninni

(Giovanni Ninni)

Venosa 1861 - Naples 1922. He was born on February 27, 1861 into an ancient family from Venosa. He completed the first cycle of studies at the local elementary school, demonstrating since then a maturity higher than his age. Son of a doctor, he wanted to continue his father's noble tradition by enrolling in the faculty of medicine at the University of Naples in 1879. He graduated with honors on 1 August 1886. He wanted to become a surgeon at all costs because he was fascinated by the particular and difficult activity. In 1888 he passed the competition for an assistant position at the Surgical Clinic of the same university directed by Professor Carlo Gallozzi. His rise continued until he became an aid in the Hospital of the Incurables to then move on to the Hospital of the Pilgrims also in Naples. In 1896 he obtained free teaching in Operative Medicine, and therefore realized his first dream, that of free university teaching. In 1910 he was appointed primary surgeon in the Hospital of the Pilgrims, becoming medical director in 1913. He soon proved to be a pioneer in the field of nascent thoracic surgery, he was able to give back life to an immense group of sufferers, offering this precious work of his without asking for any reward when circumstances required it, especially if the patients came from his land.

Giovanni Ninni: scientific production

(Giovanni Ninni: la produzione scientifica)

(Giovanni Ninni: scientific production)

His scientific production, mainly of a surgical nature, consists of 47 publications resulting from his activity as a surgeon. Among them "The Compendium of Operative Medicine" was an essential tool for medical students. He was among the first to attempt the suture of the heart. He was, as a doctor, one of the protagonists of the Libyan war, and a few years earlier, in 1908, one of the health managers on the occasion of the terrible earthquake that struck Messina and Reggio Calabria. He died in Naples on April 14, 1922, a victim of duty, from an infection he contracted while injuring himself during a surgery that saved the life of a worker, an operation he did not want to interrupt. He also had intense political activity. He was several times provincial councilor, and candidate for the Chamber of Deputies on the occasion of the general political elections of 1909. A marble bust commemorates him in the cemetery of Naples, in the enclosure of illustrious men.

Vincenzo Tangorra

(Vincenzo Tangorra)

Venosa 1866 - Rome 1922. He was born in Venosa on December 10, 1866 from a modest elementary school teacher. He was educated in the Collegio Convitto Principe di Napoli in Assisi and completed his studies in the technical institutes studying surveying at the Royal Technical Institute of Melfi and accounting in Ancona where he obtained his diploma in 1886. Subsequently, not having the means to continue studying and having urgent need to provide for his sustenance and that of his family, he was hired by the General Directorate of Railway Works in Ancona (1888). In the same year, again following a public competition, he passed to the Ministry of Education, as a law enforcement officer and the following year, he was hired as deputy secretary at the Court of Auditors (in this last competition he was the first in the ranking ). He remained at the Court of Auditors for many years until October 1902 (1889 - 1902), pursuing a rapid career that led him to be first secretary. During this period he continued his studies and, in 1891, he obtained the qualification to teach Computing in technical schools. His first scientific publications are from this period: "Essay on double-entry scriptures", "Essays on economic sciences". Also during the period of service at the Court of Auditors, with the specific authorization of the Higher Council of Public Education, he was admitted, by qualifications, to the diploma exam at the Higher School of Commerce of Venice, an exam which he passed brilliantly (he was the first classified) thus obtaining the qualification to teach Economic Sciences in technical institutes (1892).

Vincenzo Tangorra: university teaching

(Vincenzo Tangorra: l’insegnamento universitario)

(Vincenzo Tangorra: university teaching)

Thanks to this further scientific recognition, he obtained a free lecturer in Political Economy at the University of Rome. Thus he taught Political Economy at the Roman university for 10 years, from 1892 to 1902, continuing to serve at the Court of Auditors. In 1897 he also obtained the free lecturer in Finance, again at the University of Rome, and in 1902 he won the competition for extraordinary professor of Finance and Financial Law at the University of Pisa (we highlight that in 1902 the Tangorra was still a law student at the University of Camerino, in whose university he obtained his degree in 1903, when he had been an extraordinary professor at the University of Pisa for seven months). In 1904 he won the full professorship in the same Tuscan university, in which, in the same year, he was also in charge of teaching State Accounting. He founded, and directed for many years, the Italian Review of Sociology, whose influence was very decisive in the Italian culture of those years.

Vincenzo Tangorra: political commitment

(Vincenzo Tangorra: l'impegno politico)

(Vincenzo Tangorra: political commitment)

Alongside the intense scientific activity briefly outlined above, Tangorra also made an active commitment in the political field. He was provincial councilor representing the district of Venosa in 1893, municipal councilor in Pisa in 1908, at the head of the opposition of a group made up of Catholics and democrats. In the first post-war period he joined the Italian Popular Party of Luigi Sturzo and was a deputy, elected in Tuscany, for two legislatures (in the elections of 1921 he was also a candidate in Basilicata, but he had little consensus). It was, finally. Minister of the Treasury in 1922, with Mussolini as President of the Council of Ministers. He died, a few months after taking office, on 23 December 1922, after being struck by illness during the meeting of the Council of Ministers on 15 December.

Vincenzo Tangorra: publications

(Vincenzo Tangorra: le pubblicazioni)

(Vincenzo Tangorra: publications)

• The economic theory on the cost of production, Rome, Augustinian Typography, 1893; • The function of the bank: note, Scanzano, Tipografia degli Olmi, 1899; • Financial Control, Rome, Italian Printing House, 1898; • Studies on the tax burden, Rome, 1897; • The problem of statistical laws based on contemporary psychology, Milan; • The Factors of Social Evolution, Rome, 1896; • The psychological method in sociology, in "Rivista di Sociologia", Palermo, 1896; • The problem of emigration, Rome, Italian Printing House, 1896; • Of the denominations of economic science, Naples, 1895; • For the theory of the wage fund, Rome, 1894; • The new theory of utility of the Italian classical economists: lecture, Rome, 1894; • Sociology and political economy, Rome, 1898; • Fiscal control in the financial administration. Research on some formal features of finance, Scanzano, Tipografia degli Olmi, 1899; • The limits of the theoretical investigation in public finance: lecture, Rome, Italian Typographical Establishment, 1902. • Critical essays of political economy, Turin, Bocca, 1901; • Mortgage taxes, Turin, Bocca, 1900; • Financial law and its current problems, Turin, Bocca, 900; • How the Italian Court of Auditors works, Bologna, 1899

Mario De Bernardi

(Mario De Bernardi)

Venosa 1893 - Rome 1959. After completing primary studies in the town, he moved to Rome. In 1911, at the age of 18, he volunteered to join the army in the Italian-Turkish War, better known as the Libyan War, and after having witnessed the first military flights he decided, once he returned home, to obtain the pilot license obtained in 1914 at the Aviano airfield. In 1916, as a second lieutenant of the Corps of the Corps of Engineers, he obtained the military pilot's license in the nascent military air force. Engaged in military operations during the Great War, he was the first Italian aviator to shoot down an enemy aircraft, for which he obtained the bronze medal for military valor. Still at the end of the conflict, in 1918, a member of the 91st Fighter Airplane Squadron commanded by Francesco Baracca, he obtained the silver medal for military valor for having shot down a total of four enemy aircraft. After the war, he took part in competitions: in 1926 he won the Schneider Cup in America; in 1927 he conquered the world speed record (479 km / h, improved in 1928 with 512 km / h), obtained for the first time with a seaplane; in 1931 he won the aerobatics competitions of the National Air Races in Cleveland, simultaneously engaged in the development and testing of new aircraft. Also in service in the Second World War, he was the first to fly a jet airplane (Caproni-Campini) in 1940-41. He died in Rome in 1959 during an exhibition in the area.

Free time

(Tempo libero)

(Free time)

Venosa is the ideal place to relax and have fun. The meeting point par excellence is the suggestive Piazza Umberto I (known as Piazza Castello), the living room of Basilicata, which with its outdoor tables is the right place to spend a pleasant evening tasting a glass of Aglianico del Vulture. Another typical entertainment of Venos evenings is to go to the cinema. Venosa can be defined as the City of Sport; in ContradaVignali, immersed in a pine forest, there is the "citadel of sport" where it is possible to practice the most varied activities: from athletics to archery, from swimming to tennis or simply entering the pine forest for a healthy run. For those who love nature there is a wonderful oak forest, in the Montalbo district, where you can walk and enjoy the view of Venosa from above. On the other hand, for those who prefer hilly landscapes scattered with vineyards, they must go to Notarchirico, the place where Aglianico del vulture is born, the excellence of "Made in Basilicata".

Your holiday in Venosa. A city to discover

(La tua vacanza a Venosa. Una Città da scoprire)

(Your holiday in Venosa. A city to discover)

We have designed 4 itineraries to allow you to discover and appreciate Venosa. Come and discover the charm of ancient Venusia with the archaeological park and the remains of the great Roman amphitheater. Or let yourself be fascinated by the beauty of the medieval village with its suggestive alleys, its splendid churches and mansion houses. The museums rich in history, and the majestic ducal castle of the Balzo. An impressive heritage within everyone's reach. Welcome to Venosa.

Stage 1: from Porta Fontana

(Tappa 1: da porta Fontana)

(Stage 1: from Porta Fontana)

Starting from the Angevin or Pilieri fountain, at the ends of which there are two stone lions from Roman ruins (the first almost intact, holds a ram's head under the paw), you enter the ancient Venosa, from the place where, up to 1842, the so-called “fountain” city gate was located. The splendid monument owes its origin to the privilege granted to the city by King Charles II of Anjou in the year 1298, with which, among other things, a body of local inspectors was established, in charge of the maintenance of the fountain as well as of the control of the aqueducts that fed it.

Stage 2: Piazza Umberto I (known as the castle square)

(Tappa 2: Piazza Umberto I (detta piazza castello))

(Stage 2: Piazza Umberto I (known as the castle square))

Continuing further on you arrive at Piazza Umberto I (known as the castle square) where the Ducal Pirro del Balzo Castle stands. At the point where the manor is located, there was previously the ancient Cathedral dedicated to St. Felix, the Saint who, according to tradition, suffered martyrdom in Venosa at the time of the Emperor Diocletian. The ancient Cathedral was demolished to make way for the fortification when, in 1443, Venosa was brought as a dowry by Maria Donata Orsini, daughter of Gabriele Orsini, Prince of Taranto, to Pirro del Balzo, son of Francesco, Duke of Andria. The construction works of the Castle, which began in the second half of the 15th century, continued for a few decades. The original appearance was far from today's: it appeared, in fact, as a fortification with a square plan, defended by a wall 3 meters thick, with cylindrical angular towers, devoid of the same bastions that were completed in the middle of the century following. Born as a defensive post, it subsequently became the residence of the feudal lord with the Gesualdo family. The original entrance was not the current one, it opened on the north - east side, and was equipped with a drawbridge. Currently, at the beginning of the access bridge, there are two lion heads from the Roman ruins: a typical and recurring ornamental element in a city that in the past made extensive use of bare material.

Next Stage 2: The interior of the castle

(Segue Tappa 2: L’interno del castello)

(Next Stage 2: The interior of the castle)

Inside the Castle, the 16th century octagonal pillared loggia overlooks the courtyard. In the same square, behind the monument of Cardinal De Luca is the Church of Purgatory or of San Filippo Neri. The Church was built by the will of the bishop Francesco Maria Neri (1678 - 1684). The characteristic of the bell tower is highlighted which forms a body with the beautiful and sober facade, all friezes, scrolls, niches and pinnacles, the work of a Roman architect, who was brought to Venosa around 1680 by Cardinal Giovanni Battista De Luca, at the auditor period of Pope Innocent XI. Inside there are beautiful twisted columns and a San Filippo painted perhaps by Maratta. Leaving the castle it is advisable to take a quick excursion towards the north - east side (via delle Fornaci).

Stage 3: towards piazza Orazio Flacco

(Tappa 3: verso piazza Orazio Flacco)

(Stage 3: towards piazza Orazio Flacco)

The small road, going down, leads to the ancient furnaces and continuing along the Reale valley leads to the ancient Romanesca fountain. Going backwards and along Corso Vittorio Emanale II you reach Piazza Orazio Flacco. Ancient garden of the Dominican convent (dating back to the 13th century), expropriated by the Municipality after the unification of Italy, houses the monument to the Latin poet Quinto Orazio Flacco (the bronze statue is nobly simple in the classic stone base surrounded by a railing whose dominant ornamental motif is the bundle of lictors alternating with the snake, symbol of eternity, around the coat of arms of Venosa), the work of the Neapolitan sculptor Achille D'Orsi, made in the second half of the nineteenth century. Not far from Piazza Orazio is the Church of San Domenico, built at the behest of Pirro del Balzo, then Duke of Venosa. It is profoundly remodeled with respect to the original design, due to the very serious damage suffered by the tragic earthquake of 1851 when it had to be rebuilt with the alms of the faithful and thanks to the generosity of Ferdinand II of Bourbon, as a memorial stone walled inside recalls. Of particular interest is the marble triptych inserted in the facade.

Stage 4: Largo Baliaggio

(Tappa 4: Largo Baliaggio)

(Stage 4: Largo Baliaggio)

A short stretch of road leads to Largo Baliaggio, whose toponym is due to the presence of the Palazzo del Balì dei Cavalieri di Malta built around the 15th century, and restored in 1500 by the Balì Frate Arcidino Gorizio Barba. The right of asylum was in force over the entire area in front of the building, which at that time was delimited by a perimeter of small columns with a metal Maltese cross at the top, connected to each other with chains. Further on is the Fountain of Messer Oto, built between 1313 and 1314, following the privilege granted by King Ruggiero with which the city was allowed to have fountains in the inhabited center. It is dominated by the imposing bulk of a stone lion of Roman origin.

Stage 5: Town Hall square, Calvini Palace and the Cathedral

(Tappa 5: piazza del Municipio, Palazzo Calvini e la Cattedrale)

(Stage 5: Town Hall square, Calvini Palace and the Cathedral)

Continuing along the Corso you arrive in Piazza del Municipio, formerly Largo Cattedrale, where the Calvini Palace and the Cathedral dedicated to St. Andrew with the bell tower and the perimeter wall face each other. Built in the second half of the 18th century, the palace, which belonged to the Calvini family, has been the seat of the Town Hall since 1876. Conversely, in 1470, the works for the construction of the cathedral began and lasted for over thirty years. It was built on the spot where the ancient parish church of San Basilio stood, in the center of a large square that housed blacksmiths' workshops and many craftsmen's shops, both demolished to make way for the sacred building to which the 42 meter high bell tower has three cubic floors and two octagonal prismatic floors, a pyramidal spire with a large metal sphere on top, surmounted by a cross with weather vane. The material for the construction was taken from the Roman Amphitheater and this explains why Latin inscriptions and funerary stones are inserted in the building (with the bishop Perbenedetti, of whom two coats of arms are known, the bells were installed in 1614 ).

Stage 5: the visit to the Cathedral

(Tappa 5: la visita alla Cattedrale)

(Stage 5: the visit to the Cathedral)

Stage 6: Fountain of San Marco and the house of Horace

(Tappa 6: Fontana di San Marco e la casa di Orazio)

(Stage 6: Fountain of San Marco and the house of Horace)

Behind the Cathedral near the Via Roma is the Fountain of San Marco whose existence is documented starting from 1500, but it is certainly older than that period. It is called San Marco because it stood in front of the church of the same name. Leaving the Town Hall and entering via Frusci after a few steps, you reach what tradition indicates as the "House of Horace". In reality, these are the thermal rooms of a patrician house, consisting of a round room that constituted the calidarium and an adjacent rectangular room. The façade shows visible few tracts of Roman structures covered with reticulated bricks.

Stage 7: Church of Rocco and Abbey of the Holy Trinity

(Tappa 7: Chiesa di Rocco e Abbazia della Santissima Trinità)

(Stage 7: Church of Rocco and Abbey of the Holy Trinity)

Going further, we leave the modern inhabited center and enter the area that once must have constituted the vital center of the Roman Venusia. In the background you can see the Church of San Rocco and further on the archaeological park and the Abbey of SS. Trinity. The first was built in 1503, when the city was struck by the plague, in honor of the saint who would later free it from that terrible disaster. Later it was rebuilt after the earthquake of 14 August 1851. The abbey of SS. Trinità, located at the far end of the city, stands where it was once the political and economic center of the city.

Next stage 7: the visit to the Abbey of the Holy Trinity. The ancient church

(Segue tappa 7: la visita all’Abbazia della Santissima Trinità. La chiesa antica)

(Next stage 7: the visit to the Abbey of the Holy Trinity. The ancient church)

The abbey is made up of three parts: the ancient church, flanked on the right by an advanced building which was once the place reserved for welcoming pilgrims (guesthouse on the ground floor, monastery on the upper floor); the unfinished church, whose perimeter walls develop behind the ancient church and continue on the same axis; and the Baptistery, probably an early Christian church with two baptismal basins, separated from this by a short space. The first interventions of construction of the ancient church, carried out on an early Christian building dating back to the V - VI century, in turn built on the ruins of a pagan temple dedicated to the god Hymen, must be dated between the end of the 900 and the beginning of the year 1000. The layout of the church is the typical early Christian one: a large central nave of 10.15 meters wide, lateral naves respectively five meters wide, and an apse on the back and crypt of the "corridor" type. The walls and pillars appear decorated with frescoes datable between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries (Madonna with Child, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Niccolò II, Angelo Benedicente, Deposition). Inside, next to the mentioned frescoes, there is the marble tomb of Aberada, wife of Roberto il Guiscardo and mother of Bohemond, hero of the first crusade and, opposite, the tomb of the Altavilla, testimony of their devotion and their particular attachment to religious building.

Stage 7 follows: the visit to the Abbey of the Holy Trinity. The unfinished temple and the baptistery

(Segue tappa 7: la visita all’Abbazia della Santissima Trinità. Il tempio incompiuto e il battistero)

(Stage 7 follows: the visit to the Abbey of the Holy Trinity. The unfinished temple and the baptistery)

The unfinished temple, whose entrance is surmounted by a semicircular arch embellished with the symbol of the Order of the Knights of Malta, is of grandiose dimensions (covering an area of 2073 square meters). The plant is a Latin cross with a very protruding transept in the arms of which two oriented apses are obtained. The interior is characterized by the presence of many stone blocks from the nearby Roman amphitheater (Latin epigraph reminiscent of the Venetian gladiatorial school of Silvio Capitone, a bas-relief depicting a head of Medusa, etc.). The crisis in which the Benedictine monastery fell immediately after the start of the extension works was certainly the cause of the interruption of the same which were never completed. In front of the entrance you can see the remains of a large curvilinear wall; it is what today remains of the Baptistery or more probably of a basilica building with two baptismal basins.

Stage 1: Church of Montalbo

(Tappa 1: Chiesa di Montalbo)

(Stage 1: Church of Montalbo)

The presence in the city of numerous churches allows us to hypothesize an alternative route based on visiting lesser known ones. It starts from the small church of Montalbo, under the title of San Benedetto, is located two kilometers from the inhabited center, and was annexed to the female monastery, whose construction dates back to around 1032. The monastery, then moved within the walls, counted up to a maximum of thirty nuns. Inside there are some ancient frescoes.

Stage 2: Church of the Madonna delle Grazie. The convent

(Tappa 2: Chiesa della Madonna delle Grazie. Il convento)

(Stage 2: Church of the Madonna delle Grazie. The convent)

Further downstream, about a kilometer away, is the Church of the Madonna delle Grazie built in 1503. The ancient location was about two hundred and fifty steps from the city walls, along the route of the ancient Via Appia. In 1591, following the extension works of the same, the convent of the minor friars of the Capuchins was founded. The convent was built under the title of San Sebastiano, according to the poor Capuchin form. There were 18 cells plus an external room used to house pilgrims. The friars of the convent lived on alms from the inhabitants of Venosa and the surrounding villages. The convent was enlarged in 1629 with the addition of 5 new cells at a cost of about 200 ducats. It was definitively abandoned in 1866 following the enactment of the rules for the suppression of religious orders. The church was richly decorated with stuccos and frescoes; in the center of the barrel vault of the central nave there was represented the "Judgment of Solomon", while in the lateral lunettes there were frescoes of the Franciscan saints and Christ the Redeemer.

Stage 2 follows: The convent after its abandonment

(Segue tappa 2: Il convento dopo l’abbandono)

(Stage 2 follows: The convent after its abandonment)

After the abandonment of the convent by the Alcantarini fathers, who took over from the Capuchins in the last period, only the worship space occupied by the church was used in the building. Starting from the early years of the twentieth century, the convent was used as a place of residence, thus undergoing alterations and modifications such as to meet the needs posed by the new intended use. Subsequently, starting from the sixties, the convent progressively undergoes a serious structural deterioration caused, mainly by its state of total abandonment and by acts of vandalism perpetrated in total indifference. With the restoration work started on the occasion of the Jubilee of 2000, the original typological system is recovered and the structural restoration of the building is carried out. However, it was not possible to recover the frescoes and stuccos that adorned the entire central nave covered by the barrel vault with lunettes. Today, after the restoration, the building is on two levels: the first consists of a chapel with a rectangular central nave, represents the oldest nucleus of the entire complex, ending with an apse area divided from the rest by a triumphant arch and, on the left, from a side aisle; the second consists of three corridors orthogonal to each other through which you enter the convent cells organized along the external and internal perimeter of the building with views inside the cloister and partly on the external elevations. The layout of the rooms is simple and the very small cells bear the signs of poverty and the weight of monastic life made up of meditation, prayer and alms. The bell tower, added at a later date, is grafted partly on the barrel vault of the church and partly on that of an underlying room of the convent.

Stage 3: Church of San Michele Arcangelo, Church of San Biagio

(Tappa 3: Chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo, Chiesa di San Biagio)

(Stage 3: Church of San Michele Arcangelo, Church of San Biagio)

Continuing along the Via Appia you reach the Church of San Michele Arcangelo. Built in 1600, it was the bishop's summer residence for a long time when Venosa was an autonomous diocese. A building is attached to it, currently being restored. Continuing towards the historic center, not far from the ducal castle is the Church of San Biagio. Dating back to the 16th century, it was probably built on the remains of a previous religious building. Despite its small size, it turns out to be one of the most significant architectural episodes in the process of redevelopment of the urban environment started in that period. Closed to worship for several decades, it offers the visitor a facade of particular interest due to the presence of sturdy semi-columns leaning against it, as well as the portal with alternating ashlars surmounted by a pediment and the numerous moldings of the frame. Particularly interesting are the lateral soft stone medallions depicting the coat of arms of Pirro del Balzo and the coat of arms of the Ludovisi princes.

Stage 4: Church of Santa Maria La Scala, Church of San Giovanni, Church of San Martino dei Greci

(Tappa 4: Chiesa di Santa Maria La Scala, Chiesa di San Giovanni, Chiesa di San Martino dei Greci)

(Stage 4: Church of Santa Maria La Scala, Church of San Giovanni, Church of San Martino dei Greci)

Not far away is the Church of Santa Maria La Scala (intra moenia) to which the cloistered female convent dedicated to San Bernardo was annexed, of which the square in front (now Piazza Giovani Ninni) represented the internal garden. In addition to the facade, it is worth noting the beautiful coffered ceiling of excellent workmanship and well preserved. Walking along a short stretch of the adjacent Corso Garibaldi, you reach the Church of San Giovanni, of which the first records date back to 1530, although it is supposed to be of more ancient origin. Probably built on a pre-existing medieval church, it appears to have been completely rebuilt in the second half of the nineteenth century, following the aforementioned earthquake of 1851. The splendid spire bell tower is worthy of note. Entering the maze of alleys and following a short stretch of road, you reach the Church of San Martino dei Greci, whose origins date back to the second half of the 13th century. In 1530 it was joined to the Chapter of the Cathedral and remained a parish until 1820. It has a portal decorated with Corinthian capitals and inside an ancient Byzantine table (now temporarily transferred to the cathedral), depicting the Madonna of Idria. The portal of the sacristy bears the insignia of the lily of France. In this ancient church there is also a beautiful painting depicting Santa Barbara, patron saint and protector of miners and gunners.

Stage 1: Civic Library, Historical Archive

(Tappa 1: Biblioteca civica, Archivio Storico)

(Stage 1: Civic Library, Historical Archive)

The cultural itinerary starts from the “Monsignor Rocco Briscese” Civic Library, located in the premises of the Pirro del Balzo Ducal Castle, whose first nucleus dates back to the second half of the 19th century. It has a book heritage of about 16,000 volumes, including about 1,000 manuscripts and ancient books (sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth century editions). The Horace Section is set up within it, with about 500 volumes and 240 microfilms donated by the Basilicata Region in 1992 on the occasion of the two thousandth anniversary of the death of the poet Quinto Orazio Flacco. It also preserves the complete collection of the laws and decrees of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, as well as the collection of the Ferdinandee pragmatics of the 18th century. In the rooms adjacent to the library is the Briscese private archive, consisting of the original documentation produced by the deceased monsignor Rocco Briscese during his life as a scholar and researcher (18 pieces equal to about 60 archival units). Finally, in the same rooms there is the Municipal Historical Archive consisting of about 400 items including folders, volumes and registers, for a total number of about 5000 archival units, with the following extreme dates 1487 - 1960. It has inventory tools and equipment means.

Stage 2: the National Archaeological Museum. The period preceding the Romanization

(Tappa 2: il Museo Archeologico Nazionale. Il periodo precedente la romanizzazione)

(Stage 2: the National Archaeological Museum. The period preceding the Romanization)

The National Archaeological Museum, inaugurated in November 1991, is located in the basement gallery between the east and south towers of the Pirro del Balzo Castle. Inside, the museum itinerary winds through a series of sections that illustrate the various stages of life of the city. ancient, starting from the period preceding the Romanization, documented by red-figure pottery and votive metarials (terracottas, bronzes including a belt) of the IV - III century. BC from the sacred area of Fontana dei Monaci di Bastia (today Banzi) and from Forentum (Lavello). This section is dominated by the funerary equipment of a child, containing the statuette of the Api bull, and the famous askos Catarinella with a funeral procession scene (late 4th - 3rd century BC).

Stage 2 follows: the National Archaeological Museum. The life of the ancient Hikaru

(Segue tappa 2: il Museo Archeologico Nazionale. La vita dell’antica Venusia)

(Stage 2 follows: the National Archaeological Museum. The life of the ancient Hikaru)

The walkways of the castle retrace the life of the ancient Venusia from the moment of its foundation, with the reconstruction of the urban layout and the most important documents of the republican phase (the architectural terracotta, the black-painted ceramic production, the ex-voto from the stipe under the amphitheater, the rich bronze coinage).

Stage 2 follows: the National Archaeological Museum. The epigraphic collection

(Segue tappa 2: il Museo Archeologico Nazionale. La raccolta epigrafica)

(Stage 2 follows: the National Archaeological Museum. The epigraphic collection)

The epigraphic collection is very significant and consistent, allowing us to retrace the most important stages in the history of the ancient center, such as the rearrangement of the colony in the 1st century BC. C., well represented by the templum augurale bantino, reconstructed in the Museum, with inscribed cippi to draw the auspices, and by a fragment of the famous Tabula bantina, with legislative texts on both sides, found near Oppido Lucano in 1967. The epigraphs , some of which are reminiscent of magistrates engaged in the reconstruction of roads or in the construction of infrastructures such as the aqueduct, are above all of a funerary nature with a considerable number of memorial cippi (funerary or commemorative stones, monument or boundary sign consisting of a column or pillar trunk ) inscriptions, arched steles, ark lids (the so-called “Lucanian ark”), funerary monuments with life-size busts and statues and rich Doric friezes, which from I a. C. until the 4th century AD. C. constitute a precious testimony of the social stratification of the city.

Stage 2 follows: the National Archaeological Museum. The sculptures and artifacts

(Segue tappa 2: il Museo Archeologico Nazionale. Le sculture e i manufatti)

(Stage 2 follows: the National Archaeological Museum. The sculptures and artifacts)

The documents of the sculpture are few, but significant, including a marble portrait of Prince Julius Claudius (early 1st century AD) and the kneeling stone telamon that decorated the theater in the late Republican age, while the various aspects of daily life can be seen through groups of artefacts (terra firma ceramics, glass, oil lamps, balsam bottles, coins) and the remains of floors and mosaic frescoes and wall frescoes.

Stage 2 follows: the National Archaeological Museum. The late ancient and early medieval period

(Segue tappa 2: il Museo Archeologico Nazionale. Il periodo tardo antico e alto medievale)

(Stage 2 follows: the National Archaeological Museum. The late ancient and early medieval period)

The last section of the museum itinerary is dedicated to the late antique and early medieval period, of which significant evidence remains in the coinage, in the Hebrew epigraphs from the catacombs and in the kits with gold and silver ornaments (earrings, rings, belt elements) from the ancient tombs Lombard (6th - 8th century AD).

Stage 2 follows: the National Archaeological Museum. The permanent exhibition "The Vulture area before the Greeks"

(Segue tappa 2: il Museo Archeologico Nazionale. La mostra permanente "L’area del Vulture prima dei Greci”)

(Stage 2 follows: the National Archaeological Museum. The permanent exhibition "The Vulture area before the Greeks")

The permanent exhibition “The Vulture area before the Greeks” has been housed in the northern bastion since 1996, dedicated to the settlement of the basin between Melfi and Venosa during Prehistory; includes evidence ranging from the Paleolithic (Loreto and Notarchirico sites) to the Bronze Age (Site Toppo Daguzzo di Rapolla)

Stage 1: the archaeological park

(Tappa 1: il parco archeologico)

(Stage 1: the archaeological park)

It starts from the Archaeological Park, consisting of the thermal facilities located in the north-eastern area of the city (between the current churches of San Rocco and SS. Trinità). They are attributable to the Trajan-Hadrian period, a period of intense building activity, especially in the public sector. Traces of the thermal environments as a whole remain: a Tepidarium with brick plates that supported the floor slab and the traces of a frigidarium that has a mosaic floor with geometric and zoomorphic motifs. There are numerous testimonies of the numerous private domus, probably dating back to the period of the colonial deduction of 43 BC, built on some furnaces of the Republican age and renovated at the beginning of the 1st century AD.

Stage 1 follows: The amphitheater

(Segue tappa 1: L’anfiteatro)

(Stage 1 follows: The amphitheater)

On the opposite side of the road that cuts the archaeological area in two stood the Amphitheater. Undoubtedly the public building that best represents and symbolizes the Roman Venosa. Its construction can be traced back to the Julio-Claudian age (republican), for the masonry parts in reticulated work, to a later phase dating back to the Trajan-Hadrianic (imperial) age for the mixed masonry. On the model of the other amphitheaters built in the Romanized world, it was presented in an elliptical shape with diameters measuring approximately m. 70 x 210. According to some calculations, these dimensions allowed an approximate capacity of 10,000 spectators. With the decline of the Roman Venusia, the amphitheater was literally dismantled piece by piece and the stolen materials were used to qualify the urban environment of the city. Some stone lions that we currently find inside the town,

Stage 2: the Jewish and early Christian catacombs

(Tappa 2: le catacombe ebraiche e paleocristiane)

(Stage 2: the Jewish and early Christian catacombs)

Near the Maddalena hill, just over a kilometer away are the Jewish Catacombs. They occupy the area of said hill and are divided into various nuclei of considerable historical and archaeological interest. A row of caves dug into the tuff and partly collapsed, heralds the presence of the Jewish and Paleochristian Catacombs. Inside there are parietal niches and in the ground. The niches (arcosolii) contain two or three tombs as well as lateral niches for children. They were discovered in 1853 (the complete documentation relating to the discovery is preserved in the historical archive) and showed indelible signs of looting and devastation. At the end of the main gallery, turning left, there are numerous epigraphs (43 from the third and fourth centuries) in letters painted in red or graphite. Of these, 15 are in Greek, 11 in Greek with Hebrew words, 7 in Latin, 6 in Latin with Hebrew words, 4 in Hebrew, and another 4 are in fragments.

Step 2 follows: notes on the Jewish community

(Segue tappa 2: note sulla comunità ebraica)

(Step 2 follows: notes on the Jewish community)

The Jewish community, whose original nucleus was probably Hellenistic, as can be seen from the epigraphs, was mostly made up of merchants and landowners. Not a few of its exponents assumed important positions in the city government. Also in Venosa the Jews concentrated economic power in their hands, holding the monopoly of the trade in grain, fabrics and wool.

Stage 2 follows: the early Christian catacomb

(Segue tappa 2: la catacomba paleocristiana)

(Stage 2 follows: the early Christian catacomb)

In 1972 another burial ground was discovered in the Maddalena hill, the Christian Catacomb of the 4th century, whose original entrance was located about 22 meters from the level of the path leading to the Jewish Catacomb. In the access corridor on that occasion 20 arcosoli (niches) were found, 10 per wall, as well as parts of oil lamps and a whole of red clay of the so-called beaded type dating back to the IV - II century BC. C. A light clay lamp was also found, which fell from a niche, of a Mediterranean type, and a sepulchral slab attributed to the year 503.

Stage 3: The Paleolithic site of Notarchirico

(Tappa 3: Il sito paleolitico di Notarchirico)

(Stage 3: The Paleolithic site of Notarchirico)

On the opposite side of the catacombs in the countryside of Venosa, about nine kilometers from the modern city, in a hilly area that extends up to the artificial caves of Loreto is the Paleolithic Site of Notarchirico, consisting of a covered museum area set up and entrusted from the Luigi Pigorini Paleolithic Institute in Rome. It can be reached by taking the Provincial Road Ofantina at the Venosa Spinazzola level crossing, and then taking the State Road 168 after the junction for Palazzo San Gervasio. The discovery of the first evidence of human presence in prehistoric times is due to the passion and scientific ability of the lawyer Pinto and Professor Briscese who, in the summer of 1929, carried out the first reconnaissance on the territory, bringing to light the first significant finds.

Step 3 follows: The Paleolithic site of Notarchirico. The findings

(Segue tappa 3: Il sito paleolitico di Notarchirico. I ritrovamenti)

(Step 3 follows: The Paleolithic site of Notarchirico. The findings)

Subsequent excavation campaigns have made it possible to find a series of fragments of prehistoric man as well as numerous remains of animals now extinct (ancient elephant, bison, wild ox, rhinoceros, deer, etc.). Among the instruments found there are the double-sided ones. A skull of Elephas anticuus was found during excavations in 1988. Research is continuing by the Special Superintendence in collaboration with the Archaeological Superintendence of Basilicata, with the University of Naples "Federico II" and with the Municipality of Venosa. In September 1985, a heavily fossilized fragmentary human femur was found attributed to an adult female individual. The femur, which probably belonged to a Homo erectus, is the oldest human remains found in Southern Italy and has some pathological aspects, studied by Professor Fornaciari, consisting of a new bone formation, perhaps the result of osteoperiostitis resulting from a deep wound in the thigh. suffered by the individual in life. The femur was studied by the laboratories of the Institute of Human Paleontology in Paris and its dating, attributed using the uranium series imbalance method, dates back to about 300,000 years ago.

Stage 4: the tomb of the consul Marco Claudio Marcello

(Tappa 4: la tomba del console Marco Claudio Marcello)

(Stage 4: the tomb of the consul Marco Claudio Marcello)

At the end of the itinerary it is possible to admire another important vestige of the past; the Tomb of the Consul Marco Claudio Marcello located along a parallel of the current Via Melfi. It is impossible to know its original state of the tomb in terms of shape and size. In 1860, a lead cinerary urn was found at the base of the tomb which, when opened, showed a low dusty layer on the bottom; what remained of the human remains of a character of the Roman person from the end of the 1st century BC - first decades of the 1st century AD. C. On this occasion, some fragments of glass, a comb and a silver ring were also found.

Cavatelli and "cime di rape" (turnip tops)

(Cavatelli e cime di rape)

(Cavatelli and "cime di rape" (turnip tops))

Homemade pasta with semolina flour, turnip tops and sautéed garlic, oil and chilli. There is also the version with the addition of crusco pepper (a type of typical Lucan pepper subjected to drying. The name "crusco pepper" is given by the unmistakable crunchiness that these peppers take when they are then fried after the drying phase)

"Capelli d'Angelo" (Angel hair) with milk sugar and cinnamon

(Capelli d'Angelo con latte zucchero e cannella)

("Capelli d'Angelo" (Angel hair) with milk sugar and cinnamon)

Very thin spaghetti type pasta. It is the dish that is traditionally prepared on Ascension Day.

"Past 'e tar' cucòzz" Penne with pumpkin sprouts

("Past' e tar' cucòzz")

("Past 'e tar' cucòzz" Penne with pumpkin sprouts)

Penne with pumpkin talli (sprouts) and peeled tomatoes

Shepherd's lamb timbale

(Brodetto di agnello alla pastora)

(Shepherd's lamb timbale)

It can be tasted in all the houses of the inhabitants of Venosa on Easter Monday. It is a timbale of lamb meat, eggs and cardoni (large thistles);

"U Cutturidd" (Sheep meat)

(U Cutturidd)

("U Cutturidd" (Sheep meat))

Sheep meat (shepherds often used meat from old and unproductive animals) flavored with oil, lard, tomatoes, onion, potatoes, chilli, parsley and seasoned caciocavallo

Cod with cruschi peppers

(Baccalà con peperoni cruschi)

(Cod with cruschi peppers)

The emblematic dish of Basilicata. Baccalà (cod) boiled with the addition of cruschi peppers (a type of typical Lucan pepper subjected to drying. The name "crusco pepper" is given by the unmistakable crunchiness that these peppers take when they are then fried after the drying phase) sautéed in extra virgin olive oil.

The "ciammarucchid": very small snails

(I ciammarucchid)

(The "ciammarucchid": very small snails)

Very small snails cooked with tomato and oregano

"Pizzicanell"

(Pizzicanell)

("Pizzicanell")

They have the shape of a rhombus, among the ingredients: cocoa, chocolate, almonds and cinnamon (hence the name)

The "Raffaiul"(baked sweets)

(I Raffaiul)

(The "Raffaiul"(baked sweets))

Baked sweets coated with a white icing (egg yolks and sugar). Until the seventies they were the typical sweets of wedding parties

Cooked grain of the dead

(Grano cotto dei morti)

(Cooked grain of the dead)

Sweet for the anniversary of November 2, day of the Dead. Pearled wheat, pomegranate grains, walnuts, cooked fig wine

The "Scarcedd" (biscuit) of Easter

(La Scarcedd (biscotto) di Pasqua)

(The "Scarcedd" (biscuit) of Easter)

Children's dessert. Large shortcrust pastry biscuit in the shape of a small basket made with simple and genuine ingredients (flour, oil and eggs). Its shape can vary: a dove is often modeled, which is one of the symbols of Easter because it represents the birth of a new life with a strong religious reference to the Resurrection of Christ, but it can also take the form of a bunny, basket, heart, donut, lamb etc. It is decorated with hard-boiled eggs incorporated in different ways according to the shape, sometimes even with the hand-painted shell, or even with chocolate eggs, silver (food) beads and multicolored sprinkles.

"Cauzinciddi" (puff filled pastry)

(Cauzinciddi)

("Cauzinciddi" (puff filled pastry))

Puff pastry filled with chickpeas and chestnuts. It is a predominantly Christmas cake

"Pettole"

(Pettole (pasta di pane fritta))

("Pettole")

Dough of flour and fried yeast dipped in boiling oil and then sweetened

Vulture DOP extra virgin olive oil

(Olio extravergine di oliva Vulture DOP)

(Vulture DOP extra virgin olive oil)

Venosa is one of the municipalities in the Vulture area where the highly prized "VULTURE DOP" Extra Virgin Olive Oil is produced, obtained from the pressing of the "Ogliarola del Vulture" olives for at least 70%; the following varieties can also compete: "Coratina", "Cima di Melfi", "Palmarola", "Provenzale", "Leccino", "Frantoio", "Cannellino", "Rotondella", not exceeding 30%, from alone or jointly. Characteristics: color: amber yellow; aroma: of tomato and artichoke; flavor: medium fruity, slightly bitter with a slight spicy note

Aglianico del Vulture: introduction

(Aglianico del Vulture: introduzione)

(Aglianico del Vulture: introduction)

Aglianico del Vulture is one of the major DOCG red wines in Italy, i.e. Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin. The wines with the certification of Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin are products subjected to extremely strict controls. The marketing of these products takes place in containers with a capacity of less than five liters which must necessarily bear a numbered state mark. This mark is absolutely synonymous with a guarantee of the origin and quality of the wine product. This certification process also guarantees a numbering of the bottles produced and therefore the safety of not tampering with them. In 2008 the famous and historic US newspaper "New York Times" lists it as the best red wine for value for money. The vine, one of the oldest in Italy, was introduced by the Greeks in the VII-VI century BC in the area of the extinct volcano Vulture. According to some historians the name Aglianico could derive from the distortion of the word Hellenic, according to others, however, from the ancient Lucanian city on the Tyrrhenian sea of Elea (Eleanico). The original name (Elleanico or Ellenico) was changed to today's Aglianico during the domination of the Aragonese during the fifteenth century, due to the double 'l' pronounced 'gl' in the Spanish phonetic usage. In the Roman period the importance of this wine is testified by a bronze coin, minted in the city of Venusia in the 4th century BC, depicting the divinity of Dionysus holding a bunch of grapes in one hand and the monogram VE. Aglianico del Vulture is mainly associated with the figure of the Latin poet Quinto Orazio Flacco. The most illustrious of the citizens of Venosa recalls in his writings his childhood in the city of Venusia and the goodness of his wines and, as a successful poet in Rome, he will often extol the virtues of the nectar of the Gods. His verse "nunc est bibendum, nunc pede libero pulsanda tellus" (Odi, I, 37, 1) has become an immortal motto for those who, after some success, raise their glass to toast. Venosa represents the heart of Aglianico del Vulture. 70% of the total production comes from the suggestive hilly vineyards; a perfect union between the fertile volcanic soil and the favorable climatic exposure. In 1957 the "Cantina di Venosa" was born; a cooperative whose members, about 400, look after the work in the vineyards and the harvest operations in an impeccable way. An excellence of "Made in Italy" recognized all over the world

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The city: origins and historical notes

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Abbey of the Holy Trinity

Jewish-Christian catacombs (3rd-4th century)

The ducal castle of Balzo (15th century)

House of Horace

Mausoleum of Consul Marcus Claudius Marcellus

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Quinto Orazio Flacco

Carlo Gesualdo

Giovan Battista De Luca

Roberto Maranta

Bartolomeo Maranta

Luigi Tansillo

Luigi La Vista

Giacomo Di Chirico

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