Badolato
Encyclopedia
Badolato is a comune
and town
in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria
region of Italy
. As of 2007 Badolato had an estimated population of 3,275.
. Situated approximately 240 m above sea level, Badolato has several Byzantine churches arranged in the shape of a Latin cross, and many small alleyways characteristic of medieval towns. It is an agricultural center for the area on the Ionic side of the Calabrian mountain range, located on the north-western slopes of Mount St. Nicholas. It occupies a spur between two valleys which open out to the coastal plain below. Above the railway station is the town of Badolato Marina, situated on the SS106 Ionica state highway.
era of the Kingdom of Naples
, Badolato was controlled by local lords who took control from Pietro Ruffo, Count of Catanzaro. In 1454, Badolato became a barony held by the Toraldo family until 1596. It then passed to the Ravaschieri in 1596, to the Pinelli in 1692 and to the Pignatelli of Belmonte from 1779 to 1806. Severely damaged by the earthquakes of 1640, 1659 and 1783
, the town was also hit by the floods of 1951.
In the church of Santa Caterina there is an ornate altar and a table depicting the Madonna and Child, both from the 15th and 16th centuries. In the Chiesa dei Riformati, there is a piece of the official altar of frà Diego de' Careri, 1644, a crucifix from the same artist and major works of art from the eighteenth century. The church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, along with the adjoining convent of Friars Minor, is of Baroque design.
Increasingly tourism is becoming important with a number of the houses in the village being renovated or rebuilt as second homes of a high standard. Bed & breakfast services are operating in Badolato Superiore while in Badolato Marina a new development of second homes for the Danish market has joined the existing hotels and facilities.
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:...
and town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
region of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. As of 2007 Badolato had an estimated population of 3,275.
Territory
The village of Badolato is 30 km from Catanzaro on Calabria's Ionian coastIonian Sea
The Ionian Sea , is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea. It is bounded by southern Italy including Calabria, Sicily and the Salento peninsula to the west, southern Albania to the north, and a large number of Greek islands, including Corfu, Zante, Kephalonia, Ithaka, and...
. Situated approximately 240 m above sea level, Badolato has several Byzantine churches arranged in the shape of a Latin cross, and many small alleyways characteristic of medieval towns. It is an agricultural center for the area on the Ionic side of the Calabrian mountain range, located on the north-western slopes of Mount St. Nicholas. It occupies a spur between two valleys which open out to the coastal plain below. Above the railway station is the town of Badolato Marina, situated on the SS106 Ionica state highway.
History
During the AngevinCapetian House of Anjou
The Capetian House of Anjou, also known as the House of Anjou-Sicily and House of Anjou-Naples, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct House of Capet. Founded by Charles I of Sicily, a son of Louis VIII of France, the Capetian king first ruled the Kingdom of Sicily during the 13th century...
era of the Kingdom of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
, Badolato was controlled by local lords who took control from Pietro Ruffo, Count of Catanzaro. In 1454, Badolato became a barony held by the Toraldo family until 1596. It then passed to the Ravaschieri in 1596, to the Pinelli in 1692 and to the Pignatelli of Belmonte from 1779 to 1806. Severely damaged by the earthquakes of 1640, 1659 and 1783
1783 Calabrian earthquakes
The 1783 Calabrian earthquakes were a sequence of five strong earthquakes that hit the region of Calabria in southern Italy , the first two of which produced significant tsunamis. The epicenters form a clear alignment extending nearly 100 km from the Straits of Messina to about 18 km SSW...
, the town was also hit by the floods of 1951.
Main sights
Ruins of the perimeter walls of the Ravaschieri castle, said to date from the 17th century, still exist. The Church of Sant'Isidoro, in the village of the same name, bears traces of Byzantine frescoes. The Church of Sant'Andrea Avellino has two wooden busts of St. Andrew and St. Francis of Paola and valuable, sacred furnishings from the 17th and 18th centuries.In the church of Santa Caterina there is an ornate altar and a table depicting the Madonna and Child, both from the 15th and 16th centuries. In the Chiesa dei Riformati, there is a piece of the official altar of frà Diego de' Careri, 1644, a crucifix from the same artist and major works of art from the eighteenth century. The church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, along with the adjoining convent of Friars Minor, is of Baroque design.
Economy
Badolato is known as a centre of oil production and wine, which are largely exported. Farm also produce grain and fruit. There are many companies the business of breeding cattle, sheep and goats, as well as the processing of dairy products. Until recently some families used hand looms for the production of blankets and scarves of wool and silk, and also distilled turpentine. There are also oil mills and shirt factories.Increasingly tourism is becoming important with a number of the houses in the village being renovated or rebuilt as second homes of a high standard. Bed & breakfast services are operating in Badolato Superiore while in Badolato Marina a new development of second homes for the Danish market has joined the existing hotels and facilities.