Grassano

Grassano is a town and comune in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is located between the Bradano and Basento rivers, at an elevation ranging from about 150 to 576 metres (492 to 1,890 ft) above the sea level. The town proper is 43 kilometres (27 mi) from Matera and 59 kilometres (37 mi) from the regional capital, Potenza. History Grassano was founded around 1000 AD, the first official document including the town's name is dated 1123 and was known as "castellum quod vocatur Crassanum". In the 15th century, Grassano was officially a rural seat of the Tricarico's Diocese. Grassano's people later asked King Ladislaus of Naples for an independence act, and Grassano has remained an independent village since January 19, 1414. Carlo Levi was arrested and exiled to Grassano because of his anti-fascist activities. In Grassano, Levi painted about 70 pictures and started discovering Southern Italy's problems. After the war, he wrote his most famous book, Christ Stopped at Eboli. Anna Briganti, the grandmother of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio originated in Grassano. By 1905 she was married and well-established in New York. Since 2002, Grassano, with Aliano (the second place where Levi was exiled) is an active Literary Park. References