Castelluccio Inferiore
Journey to discover Castelluccio Inferiore
Hello everyone! Today I will take you on a journey to discover Castelluccio Inferiore, a town in the province of Potenza in Basilicata. This beautiful center of the southern Lucanian Apennines is located within the Pollino National Park and has a population of about 1934 inhabitants.
Physical geography
Castelluccio Inferiore is located at an altitude of 495 meters in the Valle del Mercure, in an enchanting position in the southwestern part of the province. It borders the northwestern part of the province of Cosenza and the municipalities of Castelluccio Superiore, Laino Borgo, Viggianello, and Latronico.
Origins of the name
The name Castelluccio comes from the construction of a castle built by the noble Sanseverino family. The castle was controlled by a Lucanian Captain named Lucio in Castelluccio Superiore, hence the original name of Castel di Lucio and later the current name of Castelluccio.
History
With the suppression of feudalism, Castelluccio Inferiore acquired the administrative autonomy it had until 1813 together with Castelluccio Superiore. It is said that the town developed on the remains of the "Lucanian Thebes", built by the ancient Italic population of the Osci, and on the ruins of the ancient Samnite and Roman city of Nerulum.
During the Middle Ages, the town belonged to Admiral Ruggero di Lauria and passed to the Sanseverino family, later becoming a fief of the Barons Cicinelli-Napolitano and Palmieri. In 1570, it was acquired by the Pescara Di Diano, until the end of feudalism in 1806.
In 1813, Castelluccio Inferiore separated from Castelluccio Superiore.
Earthquake of 1998
However, the town is also known for the terrible earthquake that struck it in 1998. A seismic event of magnitude 5.6 Richter with epicenter in the municipalities of Castelluccio Inferiore and Superiore caused numerous injuries to load-bearing walls and roofs of houses, with collapses of cornices and tiles, which led to the non-habitable conditions of some of them with evacuation of occupants.
The town hall, the bell tower, and the mother church were severely damaged. The latter, which had experienced the collapse of the central vault, was reopened for worship on December 6, 2012, after 15 years of renovation.
Monuments and places of interest
But Castelluccio Inferiore is not only history and disasters. The historic center, located at the foot of the Valle del Mercure, is very suggestive and has marked medieval features, with narrow alleys and stone houses. It was the nerve center of past activities and is divided into five neighborhoods: Carrambon', Chiazz', Cumment', Rizzan', and Sant'Ann'.
In addition to the historic center, there are also archaeological sites to visit. For example, you can visit the pre-Roman archaeological zone at Campanella.
Conclusions
Here is a brief journey to discover Castelluccio Inferiore, a town rich in history and culture. If you visit Basilicata, you cannot miss this splendid corner of the southern Lucanian Apennines.
