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Italian Regions Basilicata Province Matera Comune Ferrandina

Ferrandina

Province of Matera, Region Basilicata, Italy

The town lies in the valley along the right bank of the Basento river, among hills widely cultivated with olive trees giving high-quality extravirgin olive oil, vineyards, fruit orchards and cereal fileds. In the past it was renowned as a textile production center, and the flourishing wool and cotton trade. The area is notable also for natural gas, with a remarkable development after the establishment of extraction industries in the 1960's.

Info:

Altitude: mt a.s.l -- Population: ca. 9,300 inhabitants -- Zip/postal code: 75013 -- Phone Area Code: 0835

See a map of Ferrandina

HISTORY: The territory was inhabited since the Iron Age, as shown by excavations under the floors of the houses in Ferrandina. At the end of the 15th century, after an earthquake had devastated the neighbouring hamlets, a new village was built which was dedicated to King Ferrante of Aragon (from whom the town took its name) by his son Federico.

What to see:

the Uggiano castle, 5 km northweat of Ferrrandina, also called Ferrandina Vecchia, an abandoned medieval settlement still to be excavated and studied.
the Aragonese Palazzo Centorio
the monasteries of San Domenico and Santa Chiara
the picturesque houses of the old center, unfortunately seriously damaged by the 1980 earthquake.