Bernalda

Bernalda
Comune
Comune di Bernalda
Castle of Bernalda
Bernalda Location of Bernalda in Italy
Coordinates: 40°25′N 16°41′E / 40.417°N 16.683°ECoordinates: 40°25′N 16°41′E / 40.417°N 16.683°E
Country	Italy
Region	Basilicata
Province	Matera (MT)
Frazioni	Metaponto, Serra Marina, Spineto
Government
• Mayor	Domenico Raffaele Tataranno from 26/05/2014
Area
• Total	126 km^2 (49 sq mi)
Elevation	127 m (417 ft)
Population (September 2008)
• Total	12,175
• Density	97/km^2 (250/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Bernaldesi
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	75012
Dialing code	0835
Patron saint	St. Bernardino of Siena
Saint day	20 May, 23 August
Website	Official website

Bernalda is a town and comune in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. The frazione of Metaponto is the site of the ancient city of Metapontum.

Until the 15th century, it was called Camarda. It is home to a castle built in the 15th century during the Aragonese rule in the Kingdom of Naples.

The patron Saint of Bernalda is Saint Bernardino of Siena. The celebration of Saint Bernardino is on 20 May and on 23 August.

Main sights

• Mother Church: was built in the 1530s by Bernardino de Bernaudo. Originally the church was very small with only one nave. During the XVII, the church was built up with a second nave. In the church there were: a cemetery for priests under the choir, and a second cemetery, near the baptisimal font, for children who died within the seventh year of life . The church was refurbished in the 1950s, 1960s and 2000s.
• Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: this church is very ancient and it was subject to at least two or three refurbishiments and amplifications, before reaching the actual dimensions. In 1678 the church is only endowed with an altar with the image of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel painted on the wall. In the second half of the 19th century, it was enlarged to accommodate the statues and a big wooden 17th-century crucifix.
• Convent Church: The Convent of St. Antonio from Padova, with the attached church, was founded in 1616. At the time of the titling of the church, two factions arranged among the observants: a part that wanted to dedicate the church to the Immaculate, the other one to St. Antonio from Padova. The fate chose St. Antonio. The current front of the church was built in the 19th century. After the Italian unification many properties, often of historical importance and owned by the Ecclesiastical Fund, became state assets. So that the monks made over their convent to the Municipal offices. In the right nave is located the 19th-century crucifix.

Other sights

Castle of Bernalda

• The castle was probably built by the Normans, in the 11th century and restored by the Aragonese, during their domination, where it was enlarged, fortified and protected by a moat and a drawbridge. On the west side there is a thin square tower considered more ancient than the other towers of round shape. The façade of the Castle that overlooks the Mother Church is the result of a later restoration.

Palaces

• Palazzo Margherita (Bernalda)
• Palazzo Fischetti
• Palazzo Lacava
• Palazzo Guida
• Palazzo Appio

Notable people

• Francis Ford Coppola, American film director
• Nicolas Cage (born Nicholas Kim Coppola), American actor, nephew of Francis Ford Coppola
• Talia Shire, American actress, sister of Francis Ford Coppola
• Sofia Coppola, American film director, daughter of Francis Ford Coppola

Twin towns – sister cities

Bernalda is twinned with:

• L'Aquila, Italy
• Siena, Italy
• Massa Marittima, Italy
• Mirabella Eclano, Italy

External links

• Back to Bernalda by Francis Ford Coppola, T (International Herald Tribune Style Magazine), 8 December 2012

• Coppola talks about Bernalda, The New York Times, 9 March 2009

• Inside the lavish Italian palazzo owned by Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola, Daily Mail, 23 April 2014