Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Battipaglia
Comune in Campania, Italy From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
Battipaglia (pronounced [ˌbattiˈpaʎʎa]) is a municipality (comune) in the province of Salerno, in the Campania region of southern Italy.
 | You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Italian. (January 2022) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
The town is renowned for its production of buffalo mozzarella and is one of the most productive agricultural centers in the Sele Plain. It also serves as the area’s main industrial and railway hub.
Historically, Battipaglia was colonized by both the Greeks and the Romans, along with the nearby town of Eboli, of which it remained a part until March 28, 1929. During World War II, it suffered repeated Allied air raids as part of Operation Avalanche. In the postwar period, Battipaglia experienced rapid demographic, agricultural, and industrial growth.
Remove ads
History
Summarize
Perspective
Formerly part of the ancient Greek colonies of the Magna Graecia, the municipal area was home to strategic Roman settlements during the late Republican-early Imperial times, as was typical of much of the southern Tyrrhenian coast. Archaeological excavations have brought to light several finds dating back to as early as the 3rd century BC pertaining to at least two villas. One of those was located in the vicinity of the coastline and was part of a larger thermal complex. The other was positioned further inland and likely served as a productive zone linking cereal fields in the plain to olive groves and vineyards in the hills.[3]
The town was first mentioned by its modern name in a 1080 document of the Duchy of Apulia and Calabria addressed to the local Catholic diocese. It is generally believed that the name Battipaglia is formed by the union of batti (to thresh) and paglia (straw), owing to the activity of peasants in the past. However, some scholars have hypothesized that the name could have originated from Baptipalla, indicating a place devoted to Voltumna, a chthonic Etruscan deity.[4]
The township of Battipaglia was officially established by Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies in 1858, as the Bourbon authorities designated the place as the site of an agricultural colony to house families who had survived the 1857 Basilicata earthquake. It was eventually granted the status of independent municipality by a Royal Decree on 28 March 1929 (during the Mussolini Cabinet), comprising parts of the territories which had been previously included in the nearby towns of Eboli and Montecorvino Rovella.[5]
In 1943, during World War II, the town suffered heavy bombing by the Allied air forces, resulting in 117 civilian casualties. Although most of the town had been razed to the ground,[6] in the aftermath of the conflict Battipaglia was to be rebuilt remarkably quickly, even attracting migrants from the hinterland seeking work. The town thus experienced an outstanding increase in population between 1951 and 1960, turning into a dynamic industrial area. In 1953, Battipaglia went under the media spotlight as its socialist mayor, Lorenzo Rago, was kidnapped never to be found again.[7]
In 1969, due to the scheduled shutdown of two large sugar and tobacco processing factories – both employing a significant number of locals – thousands of Battipagliesi carried out widespread riots, which subsided a few days later following the Italian government's commitment to keep both operational. The few but intense days of social unrest – which took place in the context of a wider protest movement by students and workers in Italy and several other Western countries – eventually resulted in two fatalities.[8]
Since the late 20th and early 21st century, the agricultural sector has been joined by the industrial one, several companies having established factories in the city.[9]
Remove ads
Geography
The municipality borders with Bellizzi, Eboli, Montecorvino Rovella, Olevano sul Tusciano and Pontecagnano Faiano.[10] Its hamlets (frazioni) are Aversana, Belvedere, Fasanara, Lago, Padova, San Emilio, Santa Lucia Inferiore, Spineta, Tavernola, Verdesca, and Vivai.[11]
Demographics
Population
The first migration wave, beginning in the nineteenth century, led many people to move to Battipaglia from Melfi and neighboring municipalities. During the 1960s, the local population soared due to the influx of immigrants from bordering areas (including the towns of the Monti Picentini, Campagna, the valley of the Sele and Cilento), mainly because of the job opportunities in the town's industry. Over the last three decades, the aforementioned have been joined by other groups, mainly eastern European, northern African and southern Asian expats.
Economy
Most of the town's wealth is due to the industrial, craft, and agricultural sectors.
A large number of local dairy companies produce the well-known local buffalo mozzarella (Mozzarella di bufala campana DOP), a famous form of which is called zizzona di Battipaglia (Battipaglia boob) because of its similarity to a female breast.[12]
In addition to that, Battipaglia is a production area of Carciofo di Paestum (Paestum artichoke) IGP, annurca IGP, and tomato Fiaschello.
Among the most significant companies which established factories in Battipaglia are: Bonduelle (food), Sivam (animal husbandry), Cooper Standard Automotive (car parts), Nexans (electric cables), and Deriblok (packaging).
Remove ads
Culture
Every first Sunday of July the town's center is decked to the nines for three days on the occasion of the celebrating of Our Lady of Hope (Festa della Speranza). The big town market, whose atmosphere recalls an amusement park where traders can display their wares, lasts from Saturday to Monday, usually ending with a music exhibition in the central Piazza Amendola.[13]
Education
Battipaglia houses a number of secondary schools, both public and private:
- Liceo scientifico, classico and linguistico "Enrico Medi"
- Istituto di Istruzione Superiore "Besta-Gloriosi" (istituto tecnico)
- Istituto di Istruzione Superiore "Enzo Ferrari" (istituto professionale)
- Istituto professionale per l'agricoltura Salerno
- Liceo scientifico e tecnico "Giacomo Leopardi" (private school)
- Istituto "Merini" (private school)
- Istituto "Robert Kennedy" (private school)
Media
Press
- Nero su Bianco (bi-weekly)
- Battipaglia 1929 (online news outlet)
- Battipaglia News (online news outlet)
TV and radio
- RCS75 – Radio Castelluccio (radio)
- SeiTV (TV channel)
- Sud TV (TV channel)
Remove ads
Literature
- L. Rocco Carbone, Battipaglia, 70 anni nella sua storia, Massa Editore (1999).
Notable People
- Pasquale De Sarlo (born 1999) - footballer
See also
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads