Pomarico

Pomarico (Greek: Pomerikon) is a small town of 4500 inhabitants in Southern Italy, in the region Basilicata. It is about 30 kilometres (19 mi) from Matera, the capital of the province to which Pomarico belongs. History The town was founded about 850 AD by Greeks. An old castle was built but only few ruins of it remain. Main sights The Marquess Palace, built in the 18th century, and still standing in the centre of the town. The Main Church dedicated to St. Michael, also built in that period. It has a baroque façade and contains a beautiful wooden statue of St. Michael (1400), as well as paintings of Pietro Antonio Ferro and Andrea Vaccaro. The church of St. Anthony of Padua (18th century). It lies by a former convent, that was transformed into the City Hall. Notable people The most known citizens of Pomarico were Niccolò Fiorentino (lawyer and patriot during the Neapolitan Revolution, 1799) and Francesco Caggiani (awarded with a gold medal during the World War I). The elementary school in the city is named in honor of Caggiani. Franco Selvaggi, member of the 1982 Italy side that won the World Cup, was from Pomarico. Giuseppe Gargano, immigrant to New York returned and donated first ambulance for the city. Antonio Bonavista (1967–2011) was a brilliant Art teacher, a fervent Historian, an experienced Politician. An enthusiastic scholar of Antonio Vivaldi (an Italian Baroque composer), he discovered Pomarican origins of the composer's mother, Camilla Calicchio, who was from Pomarico. External links (Official site) http://www.pomarico.org http://www.basilicata.cc/lucania/pomarico