Battipaglia


Battipaglia is a municipality in the province of Salerno, in the Campania region of southern Italy.
The town is renowned for its production of buffalo mozzarella and is one of the most productive agricultural centers in the Sele Plain. It also serves as the area’s main industrial and railway hub.
Historically, Battipaglia was colonized by both the Greeks and the Romans, along with the nearby town of Eboli, of which it remained a part until March 28, 1929. During World War II, it suffered repeated Allied air raids as part of Operation Avalanche. In the postwar period, Battipaglia experienced rapid demographic, agricultural, and industrial growth.

History

Formerly part of the ancient Greek colonies of the Magna Graecia, the municipal area was home to strategic Roman settlements during the late Republican-early Imperial times, as was typical of much of the southern Tyrrhenian coast. Archaeological excavations have brought to light several finds dating back to as early as the 3rd century BC pertaining to at least two villas. One of those was located in the vicinity of the coastline and was part of a larger thermal complex. The other was positioned further inland and likely served as a productive zone linking cereal fields in the plain to olive groves and vineyards in the hills.
The town was first mentioned by its modern name in a 1080 document of the Duchy of Apulia and Calabria addressed to the local Catholic diocese. It is generally believed that the name Battipaglia is formed by the union of batti and paglia, owing to the activity of peasants in the past. However, some scholars have hypothesized that the name could have originated from Baptipalla, indicating a place devoted to Voltumna, a chthonic Etruscan deity.
The township of Battipaglia was officially established by Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies in 1858, as the Bourbon authorities designated the place as the site of an agricultural colony to house families who had survived the 1857 Basilicata earthquake. It was eventually granted the status of independent municipality by a Royal Decree on 28 March 1929, comprising parts of the territories which had been previously included in the nearby towns of Eboli and Montecorvino Rovella.
In 1943, during World War II, the town suffered heavy bombing by the Allied air forces, resulting in 117 civilian casualties. Although most of the town had been razed to the ground, in the aftermath of the conflict Battipaglia was to be rebuilt remarkably quickly, even attracting migrants from the hinterland seeking work. The town thus experienced an outstanding increase in population between 1951 and 1960, turning into a dynamic industrial area. In 1953, Battipaglia went under the media spotlight as its socialist mayor, Lorenzo Rago, was kidnapped never to be found again.
In 1969, due to the scheduled shutdown of two large sugar and tobacco processing factories – both employing a significant number of locals – thousands of Battipagliesi carried out widespread riots, which subsided a few days later following the Italian government's commitment to keep both operational. The few but intense days of social unrest – which took place in the context of a wider protest movement by students and workers in Italy and several other Western countries – eventually resulted in two fatalities.
Since the late 20th and early 21st century, the agricultural sector has been joined by the industrial one, several companies having established factories in the city.

Geography

The municipality borders with Bellizzi, Eboli, Montecorvino Rovella, Olevano sul Tusciano and Pontecagnano Faiano. Its hamlets are Aversana, Belvedere, Fasanara, Lago, Padova, San Emilio, Santa Lucia Inferiore, Spineta, Tavernola, Verdesca, and Vivai.

Demographics


Colors=
id:lightgrey value:gray
id:darkgrey value:gray
id:sfondo value:rgb
id:barra value:rgb
ImageSize = width:490 height:400
PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30
DateFormat = x.y
Period = from:0 till:55000
TimeAxis = orientation:vertical
AlignBars = justify
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:5000 start:0
ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:1000 start:0
BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo
BarData=
bar:1861 text:1861
bar:1871 text:1871
bar:1881 text:1881
bar:1901 text:1901
bar:1911 text:1911
bar:1921 text:1921
bar:1931 text:1931
bar:1936 text:1936
bar:1951 text:1951
bar:1961 text:1961
bar:1971 text:1971
bar:1981 text:1981
bar:1991 text:1991
bar:2001 text:2001
bar:2011 text:2011
PlotData=
color:barra width:20 align:left
bar:1861 from:0 till:2869
bar:1871 from:0 till:2920
bar:1881 from:0 till:3545
bar:1901 from:0 till:3877
bar:1911 from:0 till:3976
bar:1921 from:0 till:4164
bar:1931 from:0 till:7997
bar:1936 from:0 till:9436
bar:1951 from:0 till:16896
bar:1961 from:0 till:25992
bar:1971 from:0 till:33277
bar:1981 from:0 till:40797
bar:1991 from:0 till:47139
bar:2001 from:0 till:50359
bar:2011 from:0 till:50464
PlotData=
bar:1861 at: 2869 fontsize:S text:2,869 shift:
bar:1871 at: 2920 fontsize:S text:2,920 shift:
bar:1881 at: 3545 fontsize:S text:3,545 shift:
bar:1901 at: 3877 fontsize:S text:3,877 shift:
bar:1911 at: 3976 fontsize:S text:3,976 shift:
bar:1921 at: 4164 fontsize:S text:4,164 shift:
bar:1931 at: 7997 fontsize:S text:7,997 shift:
bar:1936 at: 9436 fontsize:S text:9,436 shift:
bar:1951 at: 16896 fontsize:S text:16,896 shift:
bar:1961 at: 25992 fontsize:S text:25,992 shift:
bar:1971 at: 33277 fontsize:S text:33,277 shift:
bar:1981 at: 40797 fontsize:S text:40,797 shift:
bar:1991 at: 47139 fontsize:S text:47,139 shift:
bar:2001 at: 50359 fontsize:S text:50,359 shift:
bar:2011 at: 50464 fontsize:S text:50,464 shift:
TextData=
fontsize:S pos:
text:Source ISTAT

Population

The first migration wave, beginning in the nineteenth century, led many people to move to Battipaglia from Melfi and neighboring municipalities. During the 1960s, the local population soared due to the influx of immigrants from bordering areas, mainly because of the job opportunities in the town's industry. Over the last three decades, the aforementioned have been joined by other groups, mainly eastern European, northern African and southern Asian expats.

Economy

Most of the town's wealth is due to the industrial, craft, and agricultural sectors.
A large number of local dairy companies produce the well-known local buffalo mozzarella, a famous form of which is called zizzona di Battipaglia because of its similarity to a female breast.
In addition to that, Battipaglia is a production area of Carciofo di Paestum IGP, annurca IGP, and tomato Fiaschello.
Among the most significant companies which established factories in Battipaglia are: Bonduelle, Sivam, Cooper Standard Automotive, Nexans, and Deriblok.

Culture

Every first Sunday of July the town's center is decked to the nines for three days on the occasion of the celebrating of Our Lady of Hope. The big town market, whose atmosphere recalls an amusement park where traders can display their wares, lasts from Saturday to Monday, usually ending with a music exhibition in the central Piazza Amendola.

Education

Battipaglia houses a number of secondary schools, both public and private:

Media

Press

  • Nero su Bianco
  • Battipaglia 1929
  • Battipaglia News

TV and radio

  • RCS75 – Radio Castelluccio
  • SeiTV
  • Sud TV

Literature

  • L. Rocco Carbone, Battipaglia, 70 anni nella sua storia, Massa Editore.