Accettura
Encyclopedia
Accettura is a town and comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...

in the province of Matera
Province of Matera
The Province of Matera is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Matera.It has an area of 3,447 km², and a total population of 203,837 . There are 31 comunes in the province . The main comunes by population are:- External links :* **...

, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata
Basilicata
Basilicata , also known as Lucania, is a region in the south of Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south, having one short southwestern coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania in the northwest and Calabria in the southwest, and a...

. It is bounded by the comuni (Municipalities
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

) of Calciano, Campomaggiore, Cirigliano, Oliveto Lucano, Pietrapertosa, San Mauro Forte and Stigliano.

Geography

The territory is half covered by forests and pastures. Around the commune there are the mountains Manche, Gallipoli, Montepiano, Vallefredda and Tempacortaglie. Accettura is 770 metres above sea level and is bordered to the north with the comunes of Campomaggiore
Campomaggiore
Campomaggiore is a town and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata....

 and Calciano
Calciano
Calciano is a town and comune in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata....

, to the east with Oliveto Lucano
Oliveto Lucano
Oliveto Lucano is a town and comune in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata....

 and San Mauro Forte
San Mauro Forte
San Mauro Forte is a town and comune in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata....

, to the south with Stigliano
Stigliano
Stigliano is a town and comune in the province of Matera, in the Basilicata region of southern Italy.-History:The town was founded by the Lucani, and later was conquered by the Greek colony of Metaponto. The name is most likely of Roman origin, stemming from the Hostilii family, who owned it...

 and Cirigliano
Cirigliano
Cirigliano is a town and comune in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata.Cirigliano is an ancient town whose origin is uncertain. It is surrounded by walls and towers. Cirigliano is a typical medieval village which still has a castle tower with an oval base and a...

, and to the west with Pietrapertosa (PZ).

Etymology

The term, according to some, is derived from the theme of the word "acceptor", which in Latin is Accipiter. For others, it stems from the symbol of the country, to accept a small plot of land etc.

History

The first official mention of Accettura in documents was by Pope Nicholas II
Pope Nicholas II
Pope Nicholas II , born Gérard de Bourgogne, Pope from 1059 to July 1061, was at the time of his election the Bishop of Florence.-Antipope Benedict X:...

 in 1060, who sent a document sent to the bishop of Tricarico
Tricarico
Tricarico is a town and comune in the province of Matera, Basilicata, southern Italy.It is home to one of the best preserved medieval historical centres in Lucania.-Origins:The origin of Tricarico is presently unknown...

, referring to it as "Achitorem".

Situated in the Appennino Lucano in the Gallipoli-Cognato Park, was founded in the 10th century after the local population had abandoned three neighbouring villages. Nowadays the population work mainly in agriculture, stock-breeding and tourism.

In the tenth century was a feudal territory of Montescaglioso
Montescaglioso
Montescaglioso is a town and comune in the Province of Matera, Basilicata, southern Italy.The economy is mostly based on agriculture, including production of renowned oil and wine, as well as traditional food....

. In 1272, the town was completely destroyed by fire. Shortly after, Charles I of Anjou ordered its reconstruction.

Throughout its history, Accettura was owned by several families: Bazzano, Della Marra, the Ponsiaco, the Carafa, and the Spinelli who held it until the late nineteenth century.

Religious buildings

  • Church of the Annunciation - a church in the Baroque style, was rebuilt on a pre-existing building. Inside, is a wooden statue of the Madonna with Jesus from about the sixteenth century and a painting of that period, depicting the same subject. Also of interest is the window of the church, dating from the fourteenth century.
  • Cathedral Church of St. Nicola - Dated to before the fifteenth century, it has undergone numerous periods of renovation. Of particular interest is the bell cast in 1611 by Gaspare di Missanello, the wooden crucifix (15th century), the wooden statues of San Antonio (16th century), San Julian, Santa Filomena, San Pasquale (mid-eighteenth century) and a canvas of Mary Magdalene
    Mary Magdalene
    Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...

     (late 18th century).
  • Church of St. Antonio - Previously was a Franciscan friary. It has preserved paintings of the seventeenth century, probably of the Pietrafesa.
  • Chapel of Saint Giovanni e Paolo, in Valdienna.
  • Chapel of Santa Maria - Dating back to the eighteenth century in Ermoli.
  • Church of St. Chiara de Gallipoli - It preserves paintings which date back to the sixteenth century.

Other buildings

  • Palaces of the noble families Amodio, Spagna and Nota.
  • Masseria Spagna and Masseria De Luca -fortified farms dated to the eighteenth century.

Natural attractions

Montepiano woods cover the territory of four communes in this region of Italy, Accettura, Cirigliano
Cirigliano
Cirigliano is a town and comune in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata.Cirigliano is an ancient town whose origin is uncertain. It is surrounded by walls and towers. Cirigliano is a typical medieval village which still has a castle tower with an oval base and a...

, Stigliano
Stigliano
Stigliano is a town and comune in the province of Matera, in the Basilicata region of southern Italy.-History:The town was founded by the Lucani, and later was conquered by the Greek colony of Metaponto. The name is most likely of Roman origin, stemming from the Hostilii family, who owned it...

 and Pietrapertosa
Pietrapertosa
Pietrapertosa is a town and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the comuni of Accettura, Albano di Lucania, Campomaggiore, Castelmezzano, Cirigliano, Corleto Perticara, Gorgoglione and Laurenzana....

. Inside were found numerous remains of fortifications, some of them as old as the third of fourth century BC.
  • Gallipoli-Cognato Forest Reserve - a nature reserve which is located in the archaeological area of Monte Croccia, which has preserved remains of walls dating to the sixth and seventh centuries BC.
  • Serra Rosa. There are ruins of a castle and other medieval buildings.


The Museo dei culti arborei is also located in Accettura and houses an exhibition of paintings, collections of photographs and video of the May festival in Accettura held every year, and tools typical of farming and forestry in the area. The museum offers texts and information on the anthropological and social rituals and the ancient traditions associated with the "cult of beautiful trees" of this area.

Economy

The economy is mainly based on livestock and cereal crops (affecting 73% of cultivated land).

The industrial sector is composed mainly of construction or manufacturing companies and is noted for its production of bricks and tiles, produced traditionally in an old furnace. There are also food companies and a service sector, which relies primarily on retail sales of furniture and food.

Tourism is not well developed. However, there are numerous hotels and restaurants.

Notable people

  • Sebastiano Paradiso, painter and sculptor
  • Concetta Carestia Lanciaux
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