Lagonegro

Lagonegro is a medieval town in Potenza province, Basilicata, at the foot of Monte Sirino in the valley of the Noce river, roughly midway between the mountains and the Tyrrhenian coast. Its position at a junction of mountain routes has given it strategic and transport importance since the Middle Ages, and it still functions as a link point between Maratea on the Tyrrhenian coast and Lauria inland.

The town's origins are debated: it has been hypothesized as either the fortified Roman-era settlement of "Nerulum" or as derived from a Roman site called Vicus Mendicoleius. It was fortified with walls and watchtowers between the 9th and 10th centuries, of which some traces remain, including the old town gate known as the Porta di Ferro. During the Middle Ages the territory passed first under the control of nearby Lauria and later became a possession of the Sanseverino, Sforza, and Carafa families in turn.

The town is divided into two parts: the old village, perched on a promontory around the ruins of a feudal castle and home to the 10th-century Church of St. Nicholas, and a newer lower section centred on a large tree-lined square known as the Piano.

Lagonegro sits on the route between Maratea on the Tyrrhenian coast and Lauria inland, in Potenza province.

The old village, perched around the ruins of the feudal castle, and the 10th-century Church of St. Nicholas are Lagonegro's main historic sights, along with the surviving Porta di Ferro town gate.

Lagonegro links Maratea on the Tyrrhenian coast with Lauria inland, both in the same corner of Potenza province.