The V I P in Basilicata Pythagoras The

The V. I. P. in Basilicata

Pythagoras The Ionian Greek philosopher and mathematitian, born in Samos, moved to Magna Grecia, to Croton first and then to Metapontum where he died. He is best known for the Pythagorean Theorem, but he was also a scientist, a philosopher and a mystic. He put music in relation to maths and he believed in metempychosis that is reincarnation of the soul again and again in the bodies of humans, animals and plants in order to get immortality.

Quintus Horatius Flaccus Horace was born in Venosa He became the leading Roman lyric poet during the age of Augustus. Following the influence of the Epicurean and Stoic theories, he wrote his most famous lines: “Carpe diem , quam minimun credula postero” that is : ”Enjoy the day, putting as little trust as possible in the next day”.

Frederick II, Stupor mundi Man of extraordinary culture, political ability and energy, Frederick ( 1194 -1250) was called “ wonder of the world” because he had a really astonishing personality. He established in his reign a modern centrally governed kingdom; he promulgated a new legal code “the Constitutions of Melfi” ; he wrote the first treatise on falconry; he built many wonderful castles; he founded the first University of Europe in Naples in 1224; he spoke six languages fluently : Latin, Greek, Sicilian, German, French and Arabic and was patron of science and arts , especially poetry , as a matter of fact the sonnet was created at his court.

Melfi castle, where the first modern constitution was promulgated

ISABELLA MORRA Isabella Morra ( 1520 -1545) was an Italian poetess whose 10 sonnets and 3 lyrics became famous during the XXth century. She was one of the 9 children of the Baron of Valsinni where she spent her short and sad life, longing for livelier cultural contacts. Secretely she started a literary relationship with the Spanish poet Diego Sandoval de Castro, Baron of the close village Nova Siri. When her brothers descovered this realtionship, which was basically epistolary, they killed first Isabella and then Diego, who was already married. Her crying ghost can be seen and heard at full moon nights, haunting the castle

VALSINNI: ISABELLA’S CASTLE

CARMINE CROCCO Initially Carmine Crocco (1830 -1905) was a Bourbon soldier but then he supported Garibaldi. After the unification of Italy under the Savoy Dynasty ( 1861), Crocco became the leader of an army of 2000 outlaws, the brigands, who used the guerrilla to try to restore the Bourbon King in the South of Italy. The Brigands were forced to live in the woods and Crocco was a successful soldier, but one of his lieutenants betrayed him in 1872. So he was arrested and sentenced at death, then the sentence was commuted into labour work on Santo Stefano isalnd, wher he wrote his memories. In summertime there is a wonderful show in the wood near Potenza to describe Crocco’s life.

ROCCO PAPALEO Rocco Papaleo is an Italian actor, singer and film director who went to Rome to study Maths at University, but he preferred a theatre school. First he worked in theatre but then he started working for the cinema and T V, becoming a comedian who made the typical Lucan dialect popular for the first time in Italy. His popularity increased with the movie he shot “Basilicata coast to coast” which made him and his native land so famous that he was asked to present the most important Italian TV event in 2012: Sanremo festival.