Beautiful city, here is some info and a link where you can find even more information. Absolutely worth a visit! "Founded in the fifteenth century by Federico and Isabella of Aragon, it stands out for its white houses leaning against each other almost like horror vacui which create a unique and easily recognizable panorama. "
Ferrandina (Frannínë in local dialect) is an Italian municipality of 8,337 inhabitants[1] in the province of Matera in Basilicata. The town stands on a hill at 482 m above sea level. in Val Basento, on the western bank of the Basento river of the same name, in the central-northern part of the province. The municipal house is located at an altitude of 497 m above sea level, however in the suburbs the altitude varies from 43 to 583 m above sea level[4] Due to its altitude, Ferrandina is part of the medium Matera hills. The territory of the municipality has an extension of 215.55 km2, the fourth largest in all of Basilicata. The towns neighboring the Municipality of Ferrandina are: Pomarico and Miglionico (17 km), Salandra (18 km), Pisticci (22 km), Grottole (26 km), San Mauro Forte (31 km) and Craco (33 km). It is 35 km from Matera and 77 km from the regional capital Potenza. Ferrandina's roots lie in Magna Graecia, around 1000 BC. Its name was Troilia, while its acropolis-fortress was called Obelanon (Uggiano). Troilia was built to remember and honor the destroyed city of Asia Minor, Troy. During the Roman era Troilia and Obelanon were important centers of Hellenic culture and acquired more and more prestige in the Byzantine era. With the fall of Greek rule, the Lombards and Normans took possession of the city. The name Ferrandina is due to Frederick of Aragon who in 1494 baptized it in honor of his father, King Ferrante (or Ferrando). In 1507 Ferdinand the Catholic gave it the title of "civitas". The municipal coat of arms bears six Fs: the meaning is: Fridericus Ferranti Filius Ferrandinam Fabbricare Fecit.
It was once known for the production of wool fabrics, including ferlandina or felandina, much appreciated and requested in the Kingdom of Naples and by the Dominicans, who settled in Ferrandina and created a very organized agricultural and urban centre, so much so that they built, in 1546, the dome of the Monastery of San Domenico as a symbol of power.
Ferrandina took part in the uprisings of 1820-21 and 1860. Here in March 1862 Carmine Crocco, leader of the brigands, faced and destroyed a company of the 30th Rgt. Ftr. of the Piedmontese army.
In 1921 Ferrandina was the scene of squad violence: the socialist mayor and provincial councilor Nicola Montefinese was killed.
In September 1943 Ferrandina rose up against the fascist hierarchs. The spirit of rebellion did not subside until 2 August 1945, when the farmers started a revolt to demand the removal of the fascist landowners and the assignment of the uncultivated lands. During the riots, Vincenzo Caputi was murdered, believed to be the instigator of the killing of Montefinese. For fear that the protest would spread, the town remained isolated, with electricity and telephone lines cut. Order was re-established with the dispatch, by the provisional government of anti-fascist units, of 100 carabinieri from Naples, 250 Alpine troops from the Garibaldi division and the arrival in Ferrandina, on 4 August, of minister Scelba.
In November 2003 the Ferrandino community, by organizing protests and road blocks, actively participated in the protest against the Berlusconi government's decision to build the single nuclear waste repository in Scanzano Jonico.
On 16 July 1895, Maria Barbella from Ferrandino, imprisoned in Sing-Sing prison for killing her partner, was the second woman sentenced to the electric chair in the United States of America. The sentence, however, was not carried out as she was declared incompetent at the time of the murder. For this reason, since November 2005, Ferrandina has been included among the "Cities for life - Cities against the death penalty", an awareness campaign promoted by the Community of Sant'Egidio.
Translated by Google •
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