Padula

Padula
Comune
Comune di Padula
Panorama of Padula from the Charterhouse

Padula within the Province of Salerno
Padula
Location of Padula in Italy
Coordinates: 40°20′24″N 15°39′24″E / 40.34000°N 15.65667°E / 40.34000; 15.65667Coordinates: 40°20′24″N 15°39′24″E / 40.34000°N 15.65667°E / 40.34000; 15.65667
Country Italy
Region Campania
Province Salerno (SA)
Frazioni Ascolese, Caiazzano
Area
 • Total 66.44 km2 (25.65 sq mi)
Elevation 699 m (2,293 ft)
Population (2007)
 • Total 5,279
 • Density 79/km2 (210/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Padulesi
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code 84034, 84030
Dialing code 0975
Patron saint Saint Michael the Archangel
Website Official website

Padula (Cilentan: A Parula) is a comune in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. It is the home of the Carthusian monastery Certosa di San Lorenzo, sometimes referred to as the Certosa di Padula. As of 2011 its population was of 5,279.[1]

Geography

It is located about 100 kilometres south-east of the provincial capital of Salerno. The majority of the town is on a hillside that reaches 698 meters above sea level. The comune covers an area of 66.33 square kilometres.

History

Its existence reaches back to at least the ninth century when local people used the hilltop area for defence against the Saracens. The history of Padula as an organized village begins with the arrival in 1296 of Tommaso II Sanseverino, though the Monastery of Saint Nicola had been erected on this site earlier, in 1086. This name was chosen because of the legendary man known as Padula.

Religious Monuments and Churches

  • Padula Charterhouse
  • Church of Annunziata
  • Church of St. Michael
  • Church of St. Nicholas of Domnis
  • Convent of St. Francesco of Assisi
  • Convent of St. Augustine
  • Church of St. Clement
  • Hermitage of St. Michael to Grottelle
  • Monument to the demigod of dota Padula

Demographics

Famous residents

  • Giuseppe Petrosino - Mafia-busting policeman
  • Frank Valente - nuclear scientist
  • Andrea Cariello - sculptor

Transport

The town counts a railway station on the abandoned Sicignano-Lagonegro line, closed in 1987. It is served by the A2 motorway Salerno-Reggio Calabria, at the exit "Padula-Buonabitacolo", which is the northern end of a highway to Policastro Bussentino on the Cilentan Coast. Nearest airports are Salerno-Pontecagnano (97 km far) and Naples-Capodichino (168 km).

Festivals and Events

  • Omelette of 1,000 eggs - "Frittata delle mille uova" (10 August). Reenactment of the celebration where the Carthusian Monks created a 1,000-egg omelette for Charles V's visit to the Certosa. Special giant iron cooking "pan" erected in 1996 expressly for this purpose.
  • Festival of the Romito Madonna (first Sunday in May)
  • Feast of the Patron Saint Michael the Archangel (last Sunday in May)
  • Festival of Saint Michael of the Grottelle (third Sunday in June)
  • A week-long August festival of traditional dishes - Bistecca
  • Feast of Saint Francis (first and second Sundays of October)
  • Ritual of worship to Padula

See also

References

  1. ↑ (in Italian) Source: Istat 2011


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