For the village in Tuscany, see Stigliano (Sovicille)

Stigliano (Sovicille)

Stigliano is a village in Tuscany, Italy, a frazione of the comune of Sovicille, in the province of Siena.-Ancient era:As showed by excavations of ruins of castellieri , the origins of Stigliano date to Iron Age times...

Stigliano 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 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...

 region of southern 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...

.

History

The town was founded by the Lucani

Lucani

Lučani is a town and municipality located in the Dragačevo region within the Moravica District of Serbia . The population of the town is 3,425, while population of the municipality was 20,855....

, and later was conquered by the Greek colony of Metaponto

Metaponto

Metaponto is a small town of about 1,000 people in the province of Matera, Basilicata, Italy. Administratively it is a frazione of Bernalda.-History:The town is best known for the ruins of the ancient Greek city of Metapontum...

. The name is most likely of Roman

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

 origin, stemming from the Hostilii family, who owned it. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire

Western Roman Empire

The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....

, it fell under the Lombards

Lombards

The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...

, and was part of the medieval Principality of Salerno

Principality of Salerno

The Lombard Principality of Salerno was a South Italian state, centered on the port city of Salerno, formed in 851 out of the Principality of Benevento after a decade-long civil war....

. In 1070 it was given to the bishops 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...

.

In 1274 King Charles I of Anjou gave it as a fief to Giacomo di Bosciniano. The powerful Neapolitan family of the Carafa

Carafa

Carafa is the name of a noble Neapolitan family of Italian nobles, clergy, and men of arts.* Cardinal Oliviero Carafa, , uncle of Paul IV...

 acquired it in 1289. In 1556 the whole fief passed under the Spanish Dukes the Medina, who made it capital of the Basilicata province. In 1806, after the abolition of feudalism, Stigliano went under the direct administration 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...

 and later the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, commonly known as the Two Sicilies even before formally coming into being, was the largest and wealthiest of the Italian states before Italian unification...

 and, in 1861, became part of the newly unified Kingdom of Italy.

During the Fascist era Stigliano was an exile place for Fascist dissidents.

Main sights

• Convent of St. Anthony. It has a 17th century Baroque façade with a large bell tower with an Arabic-style dome. The interior is home to 17th century paintings and of a precious wooden crucifix.
• Mother Church, dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta. IT has numerous works of art, including a 16th century polyptych attributed to Simone da Firenze, with a statue of the Madonna with paintings of Saints, Angels and Father God. The structure has a notable wooden vault with cupolas in the two aisles. Also peculiar are the 19th century carved wooden choir, the frescoed crypt
  Crypt
  In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
  
  and a statue of the Vergine Assunta donated to the church in 1522.
• The castle and remains of the walls.
• Palazzo Santo Spirito