Power (Puténz (in the local dialect) has been the capital of the Basilicata region since 1806 (the region’s most populous municipality) as well as of the province of the same name.
Potenza has been renamed the vertical city, as it is actually laid out in this way. The historic centre lies at the top, and, as one descends, the remaining neighbourhoods are situated at lower altitudes. Furthermore, situated at an altitude of 819 metres above sea level (second only to Enna amongst provincial capitals in terms of altitude), its elevation also makes it the regional capital situated at the highest altitude in Italy.
Another nickname is that of the city of a hundred staircases for its network of staircases – both modern and historic – strategically positioned to link different areas of the city centre. Potenza is rivalled only by Tokyo in terms of the length of its escalators for public transport (whilst taking first place across the whole of Europe).
Yet another addition to Potenza’s list of honours – a distinction shared by very few Italian cities, namely two gold medals:
- as a city that rendered distinguished service to the national Risorgimento, in 1898
- in civil proceedings, in 1980.
Region
The city lies in the upper Basento Valley, along an Apennine ridge to the north of the Lucanian Dolomites, surrounded by mountains, some of which are very high (such as the Li Foj Mountains), which makes Potenza prone to high seismic activity.
The medieval centre is, as already mentioned, situated on high ground. The newer neighbourhoods, on the other hand, slope down almost like terraces until they reach the banks of the Basento, a river whose riverbed has been heavily altered by human activity since the second half of the 20th century.
Origin of the name
There are two main theories regarding the origin of the name.
The first refers to the historian Emmanuele Viggiano, who, in his Memoirs of the City of Potenza, It has been suggested that the name derives from the ancient Greeks. Having noticed this town situated on the banks of the river and struck by the way it was used, they gave it the same name as the river itself: Ποτὶζω (Potizo).
The term subsequently became ‘Potentia’ in Latin. At the end of this treatise, Viggiano concludes by confirming that there is no evidence of a Lucanian population in the city’s naming.
Contemporary scholars, on the other hand, maintain that Potenza was given this name when the Roman colony of Potentia was founded, given the similarity of the name to that of other colonies such as Florentia, Valentia or Faventia.
Furthermore, ‘Potentia’ is said to have an auspicious connotation, which can be translated as “The Mighty One”.
History
Ancient times
The ravages of time have left but a few remnants of this once-famous Mediterranean city of the Lucanians; yet those that do remain bear clear witness to the fact that it must have been one of the most remarkable and distinguished places in the ancient Lucanian region…
(The city’s origins are certainly ancient, but uncertain: according to some historians, as reported by Riviello, it may be of Pelasgian, Sabellian or Italo-Greek descent. The area around the town has been inhabited since the 7th century BC by the ancient indigenous people known as the Peuketiantes, whose traditions and customs were similar to those of the Iapigi and Peuceti. Between the 5th and 4th centuries BC, the Lucanians settled in the area, gradually
They established themselves as the dominant ethnic group in the region. One of the most widely accepted theories is that the city was founded by the Lucanians themselves in the 4th century BC, as evidenced by the discovery of archaeological finds from that period. This theory is supported by Roman historians, according to whom Potenza was an important centre for the Lucanians, being one of the eleven cantonal city-states of pre-Roman Lucania – five of which lay within the territory of present-day Basilicata – which together formed the federation of cities of that ancient people. Potenza would therefore also have been the Lucanian city-state closest to the federal sanctuary at Rossano, dedicated to the worship of the goddess Mefite, and to the settlements of Braida and Serra, which today form part of the municipality of Vaglio.
Whilst in the 4th century BC, during the Samnite Wars, they wavered between an alliance with the Samnites and one with the Romans, the peoples of the Potenza area, like the rest of the Lucanians, were openly hostile towards Rome’s emerging supremacy from the 3rd century BC onwards, given that during the Pyrrhic Wars they sided with Rome’s enemies. At the end of that conflict, the people of Potenza and the other Lucanian centres became allies of the Romans, retaining their customs and institutions; and, despite the victory of Rome’s enemies, they lived without any particular repercussions until the time of the Battle of Cannae, following which they switched sides to join Hannibal. After the Battle of the Metauro, during which his brother Hasdrubal Barca was defeated and killed, Hannibal withdrew to Africa, leaving the cities and peoples who had supported him—including those of Potenza itself—at Rome’s mercy. From the 2nd century BC onwards, therefore, following the Punic Wars, Lucania and the area around the city came definitively under Roman influence, and a gradual Romanisation took place, leading to an increase in the importance of the town of Potenza at the expense of the surrounding countryside. It is to this period that the foundation of the Roman colony of Potentia is thought to date; although there are no certain sources attesting to the political structure adopted by the city, it likely held the status of a civitas foederata, governed by a praefectus. Potentia inherited the role of the principal centre of worship in Lucania for the goddess Mefite, and a temple dedicated to her was therefore erected there, replacing the federal sanctuary at Rossano, which had by then fallen into disuse. Traces of this cult remained in the town’s place names until the nineteenth century, when what is now Piazza Martiri Lucani was known as Largo Dea Mefite.
The city of Potentia within Roman Lucania, according to *The Historical Atlas* by William R. Shepherd, 1911
In the 1st century BC, during the Roman Civil War fought between the factions of Marius and Sulla, Potentia, along with the other Lucanian and Samnite peoples, sided with Marius; the earliest inhabitants of Potentia therefore likely took part in the decisive Battle of Porta Collina, following which Sulla secured his final victory and took ruthless revenge on all his opponents: as for Potentia, the city’s walls were ordered to be demolished, and the land and houses seized from its inhabitants were allocated to Sulla’s veterans. History repeated itself during the subsequent Roman civil war between Octavian and Mark Antony, following which the city—which had sided with the latter—once again suffered devastation and confiscations in favour of Octavian’s veterans, who had been victorious at the Battle of Philippi. The first precise information regarding the administrative status of Potentia dates back to the late Republican period; it appears to have been a municipium assigned to the Pomptina tribe, with a regular administrative structure comprising a local senate – the ordo decurionum – as well as quadrumviri, aediles and quaestors.
During the Imperial period, Potentia remained a city with a relatively large number of imperial and municipal magistracies. In the 3rd century AD, the city’s public administration, known as the Res Publicae Potentinorum, faced a period of financial instability, and a senior imperial official was sent to deal with the situation. According to the scarce historical sources available, the city’s economy must have been based not only on agriculture and pastoralism but also on the documented presence of a guild of donkey drivers and muleteers; this has led to the hypothesis that Potentia served as a caravan hub for ancient Lucania, particularly given the city’s geographical and strategic position; during Roman rule, it was linked – through the construction of military roads – to many neighbouring centres such as Oppidum, Venusia, Anxia and Grumentum.
During the late imperial period, specifically between 280 AD and 300 AD, the Via Herculea – an important road linking Potentia with Grumentum and Venusia – was built at the behest of the emperors Diocletian and Maximian Herculeus. In late antiquity, partly thanks to the new road links built by the empire, Potentia became one of the earliest centres of the nascent Christian community in Lucania: in fact, Erculenzio of Potentia was the first Lucanian bishop of whom we have definite records, in 495, just as the church considered to be the oldest in the region – namely Potenza Cathedral – was first built between the 4th and 5th centuries, much like the church of San Michele.
Religious architecture
Religious buildings within the city walls
The historic centre of Potenza is home to numerous places of worship, most of which date back to the medieval period; some of them were likely built on the sites of earlier early Christian churches. Below is a list of the main religious buildings of historical, artistic and architectural interest located in the old part of the city.
Cathedral of St Gerard
It is the main church in the historic centre; situated in Largo Duomo, it dates back to the 13th century and was first dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption and later to Gerardo della Porta, who became the city’s patron saint. The church houses the remains of the patron saint: a silver and crystal urn containing his relics, as well as a 15th-century wooden statue of the saint. The cathedral is also thought to stand on the site of an earlier sacred building, as archaeological excavations carried out in the 1960s uncovered underground remains of fragments of a polychrome mosaic floor dating back to the 4th or 5th century. Rebuilt by a pupil of Vanvitelli at the end of the 18th century at the behest of Bishop Andrea Serrao, the cathedral underwent a radical transformation, changing from a Romanesque basilica to a building in a distinctly Neoclassical style. Notable features include the 13th-century stone façade, rebuilt between 1197 and 1220 by Bishop Bartolomeo, the marble high altar with 18th-century polychrome inlays and a 15th-century wooden crucifix, as well as a marble chapel dedicated to the Holy Father, built in the 17th century.
Church of St Michael the Archangel
Situated near the western end of Via Pretoria, it is a typical example of a Romanesque church. Its existence was first recorded in 1178, but archaeological surveys indicate that the building’s original layout, which forms part of an earlier late Roman structure, dates back to the 5th century. It features a bell tower and a three-nave layout; inside, it houses works of considerable artistic value, notably the 1612 painting of the Annunciation by Pietrafesa, a fresco of the Madonna and Child between Saints Peter and Paul by the Flemish artist Dirk Hendricksz, dating from the 16th century[85], and a 17th-century wooden crucifix.
Church of the Holy Trinity
Situated near Piazza Mario Pagano, on the way to the Duomo, it is first recorded in 1178. It was damaged by the earthquake of 1857 and was rebuilt with a different layout to the original, featuring a single nave with several chapels, a semicircular apse and a coffered ceiling.
Church and Convent of St Francis
Next to the Prefecture Building stands the church of San Francesco with its adjoining convent, built in 1274. It features a portal with carved 14th-century wooden shutters and a bell tower dating from the 15th century. Inside, there is the Renaissance-style tomb of the nobleman Paride De Grassis, as well as the remains of a 13th-century fresco depicting a Madonna in a Byzantine-inspired style and Pietrafesa’s *Pietà*.
Chapel of Blessed Bonaventura
Dedicated to the Franciscan friar Bonaventura da Potenza, who was beatified in 1775, it is situated in the alley of the same name and was originally the blessed’s birthplace. It features a limestone portal of considerable artistic merit, at the centre of which are two cherub heads surmounted by a Franciscan coat of arms. Inside, a single room divided into two small areas contains various portraits, including one by Michele Busciolano from 1907 depicting the blessed’s ecstasy.
Church of Saint Lucy
It is situated on the northern edge of the historic centre and was built before 1200; it consists of a single nave and houses a 17th-century statue of Saint Lucy, several 16th- and 17th-century paintings, and a 15th-century holy water font from the church of Santa Maria del Sepolcro.
Monastery of St Luke
It currently houses the Carabinieri barracks and is situated at the end of Via Pretoria, heading towards the Guevara Tower. Originally entrusted to the Cisternine nuns of the Benedictine order, it was the only all-female monastery in the city and was later taken over by the Poor Clares.
Church of the Santissima Annunziata in Loreto
The church dedicated to Our Lady of Loreto is situated outside the perimeter of the ancient city walls, just beyond Porta San Giovanni. It is a small building whose structure has remained unchanged over the centuries, though it has undergone numerous restorations due to the many earthquakes. Inside the church is a painting from 1824 by the Potenza-born artist Buonadonna, depicting the Annunciation.
Church of Santa Maria del Sepolcro
Situated in the Santa Maria district, just downstream from the historic centre, it was built between the 13th and 17th centuries by the Knights of the Order of the Templars on the initiative of the Count of Santa Sofia upon his return from the Third Crusade in 1191. Indeed, there are many similarities with the Mother Church of Ripacandida, which bears the same name. The Holy Sepulchre chapel was built at this location to the north of the town, right at the junction of the Via Herculea and the Via Appia, which were travelled by pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land. It houses some fine paintings, and on the right-hand wall stands the monumental Baroque altar housing the relic of the Most Precious Blood of Christ.
Church of San Rocco
This neoclassical building, situated near the old cemetery, was built on the site of the previous church dedicated to the same saint, which was destroyed in 1832. It features various statues both inside and outside, including two fine wooden sculptures depicting Saint Vitus and Saint Roch, carved in the mid-19th century by Michele Busciolano; the church also houses a Roman funerary stele, dating from between the 1st and 2nd centuries.
Church of Sant’Antonio la Macchia
A place of worship situated in the district named after the saint of the same name, within a municipal park. Dating from 1530, it was completely rebuilt in the second half of the 20th century.
