Grottole
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Grottole | |
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Comune di Grottole | |
UTC+2 (CEST) | |
Postal code | 75010 |
Dialing code | 0835 |
Patron saint | Saint Roch |
Saint day | 16 August |
Website | Official website |
Grottole (Lucano: Jròttl') is a town and comune in the province of Matera, in the region of Basilicata in southern Italy.
Geography
The village of Grottole extends along a crest in a territory rich in waters: the Basento and Bradano rivers, the Basentello and Bilioso torrents and the smaller streams Cupolo, Rovivo and Acquaviva.
As with most old towns of the area, Grottole was strategically built on a mountain, standing 481 meters above sea level. At this altitude, the town was less susceptible to attack and also insects.
History
Human presence dates back to very ancient times, as testified by the many prehistoric caves below the present town: its Latin name was in fact Cryptulae, meaning "small grottos" in
The territory was inhabited by the
Records of the year 1010 show Grottole as a town with 13,000 inhabitants, but plagues and wars reduced the number to a little over 4,000 in 1133. Later records mentions about 1300 people in 1493, and 2010 in 1783.
After the explosive demographic growth of the 19th century, there was another drop in the population because of emigration; the current population is around 2,100.
References
- ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- Istat.