Rich in history and legend, the town of Forenza, located in the province of Potenza, is surrounded by woods and landscapes that thrill those who visit them.
Located in the heart of Vulture, Forenza stands on a hill in the Bradano valley, north of the Lucanian Apennines.
The hill on which it is located dominates the entire valley and is called “Balcony of Puglia”, because from there you can admire both Mount Vulture and the Tavoliere delle Puglie and the Gargano.
The history and architecture of Forenza
As soon as you enter the town, the things that immediately catch your eye are: various architectures of the buildings, dating back to the different construction periods that have affected the country.
The oldest part It develops under the plateau, on which the medieval city developed, delimited by the walls and on the hillside, outside the walls, where the are present 17th and 18th century settlements.
Forenza inherited the name of the ancient Roman Forentum, a Samnite colony, which fell under Roman rule at the hands of Fabius Maximus, the “Delayer”.
At the time, the colony was located on a road that connected Venusia to Bantia and Acheruntia which were not able to defend themselves from external attacks, so the inhabitants of Forentum decided to build another settlement on a nearby hill which corresponds to today's Forenza.
The Dominions and the Mystery of the Templars
The small town, throughout its history, has first suffered the Byzantine domination and then that Lombard, the period in which the castle was built which was located in Piazza Regina Margherita, of which, however, nothing remains.
Later it became a fiefdom of theNorman Empire and finally entrusted first to Prince Giovanni Caracciolo, then to the Habsburgs and finally it was sold to the Doria family, the lords of Melfi.
The history of Forenza, however, is shrouded in a aura of mystery as, according to the theory of the historian Mario Moiraghi, would give birth to Ugo De Pagani (1118), founder of the Order of the Templars, establishing the origin of the chivalric order in Basilicata and not in France.
In his honor every August 16th in Forenza the reenactment “The Legend of the Templars, Ugo dei Pagani and the challenge of myth AD 1118”.
The Giardino dei Semplici
Along the irregular and narrow streets, in a hidden corner of the town, it is possible to admire the suggestive works of the native multifaceted artist Mario Brienza.
His latest achievement “The Garden of the Simple”, is a reminder of Franciscan simplicity and the holy founder of the Order.
A collective dialogue of souls and minds on art, history and future, from which, as in a garden, awareness and humility sprout, as feelings that elevate and free the soul in search of an interior and metaphysical paradise.
The artist has created a forest of spiritual and tangible gardens, which aim at the disarming beauty of humility and simplicity, crossing the boundaries of mere perception and invites us to open our minds.
This corner full of art and colors is the result of an initiative aimed at enhance the historic center of Forenza and is achieved through the recycling of objects and other materials , works that enliven and enhance characteristic corners of the urban context of Forenza, a true artistic jewel in the heart of the Lucanian village.
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