Province of Potenza

The Province of Potenza (Italian: Provincia di Potenza) is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Potenza. It has an area of 6,545 km² and a total population of 387,107 (2008). There are 100 comuni (singular: comune) in the province (see Comuni of the Province of Potenza). In 272 BCE the province was conquered by the Greek army. The new rulers renamed Basilicata as Lucania. Later in the 11th century, the area bec... more

The Province of Potenza (Italian: Provincia di Potenza) is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Potenza. It has an area of 6,545 km² and a total population of 387,107 (2008). There are 100 comuni (singular: comune) in the province (see Comuni of the Province of Potenza). In 272 BCE the province was conquered by the Greek army. The new rulers renamed Basilicata as Lucania. Later in the 11th century, the area became part of the Duchy of Apulia, which was at the time ruled by the Norman French and from the 13th century part of the Kingdom of Naples. However, in reality Potenza was ruled by local warlords. In 1861 the province was unified with the rest of Italy in the newly formed Kingdom of Italy. The region has suffered from innumerable earthquakes and is still a seismically active area. The town of Potenza, the highest provincial capital above sea level in Italy, is built between two valleys. The town was mostly rebuilt after an earthquake of 1857.... less