Province of Matera explained

Province of Matera
Native Name Lang:it
Settlement Type:Province
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Italy
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Basilicata
Seat Type:Capital(s)
Seat:Matera
Parts Type:Comuni
Parts Style:para
P1:31
Leader Title:President
Leader Name:Pietro Marese
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Total Km2:3447
Population Total:200581
Population As Of:September 2014
Population Density Km2:auto
Demographics Type2:GDP
Demographics2 Footnotes:[1]
Demographics2 Title1:Total
Demographics2 Info1:€3.417 billion (2015)
Demographics2 Title2:Per capita
Demographics2 Info2:€17,004 (2015)
Timezone1:CET
Utc Offset1:+1
Timezone1 Dst:CEST
Utc Offset1 Dst:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:75100
Area Code Type:Telephone prefix
Area Code:0835
Registration Plate:MT
Blank Name Sec1:ISTAT
Blank Info Sec1:077

The province of Matera (Italian: provincia di Matera; Materano: Neapolitan: provìngë dë Matàërë) is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Matera. It has an area of 3447km2 and a total population of 201,133;[2] the city of Matera has a population of 61,204. The province contains 31 comuni (: comune), listed in the list of comuni of the province of Matera). It is bordered by the province of Potenza in the west and south, the region of Calabria also to the south, the region of Apulia to the east and north, and by the Ionian Sea to the southeast.[3]

The history of settlement in the region dates back to the Palaeolithic Period and the first instance of organised settlement was in 251 BCE, when Roman Republic consul Lucius Caecilius Metellus founded the town as Matera.[3] Matera was sacked multiple times; initially by the Franks, then by Roman Emperor Louis II of Italy, and then by invading Muslims during the 10th century. Following this, the town was owned by the Capetian House of Anjou and the Crown of Aragon and was sold multiple times to successive wealthy families.[3]

Giovanni Carlo Tramontano, Count of Matera was briefly leader of the city but was despised by the residents, who saw him as tyrannical and rebelled against him, murdering Tramontano on 29 December 1514.[3] The city Matera was announced to be the capital of ancient district Lucania (Basilicata) in 1663; this status was removed from the city in 1806 and 1860. Under the Fascist rule of Italy, the title of Matera serving as the capital of Basilicata was restored in 1927.[3] The province is known for its history of "cave dwellings" known as sassi.[3]

Comuni

The main comuni (municipalities) by population are (as of January 2018):

CommunePopulation
Matera60,432
Policoro17,694
Pisticci17,602
Bernalda12,453
Montescaglioso9,877

Montescaglioso hosts the territorial abbacy of Saint Michael the Archangel, which belongs to the Benedictines.

External links

40.6667°N 52°W

Notes and References

  1. http://stats.oecd.org/ Regions and Cities > Regional Statistics > Regional Economy > Regional Gross Domestic Product (Small regions TL3)
  2. Web site: Province of Matera. Comuni-Italiani. 2 August 2015.
  3. Book: Roy Palmer Domenico. The Regions of Italy: A Reference Guide to History and Culture. 2002. Greenwood Publishing Group. 978-0-313-30733-1. 37.