The principal products are cereals, olive-oil, pistachios, almonds, fruits, and timber.
Points of Interest: The church of the Annunciata, founded in 1631, contains an Annunciation by Antonio Gagini. The church building foundation incorporates remains of an ancient Roman house which had previously stood there.
The Castle Maniace was originally founded in 1173 as a convent by Margaret of Navarre. Its name derives from that of the Byzantine general George Maniakes who, in 1040, won a great victory over the Saracen on the site. The castle is also the site of the grave of the Scottish poet Fiona Macleod (pseudonym for William Sharp) (1855-1905).
Brontinus of Metapontum: (dates uncertain). Pythagorean philosopher. He was one of the scholars whom Alcmaeon dedicated his works. Some sources stare that Brontinus was married to Theano, the daughter of Pythagoras.
Bronze Age: An historical/archaeological period which lasted in Sicily from c2500 BC to c900 BC.
Broschi, Carlo (called Farinelli): (b. Naples, 1705; d. Bologna, 1782). Castrato singer. He performed in London in 1734 and was honored by the king of Spain by being made a grandee and awarded a considerable pension.
Brozini, Felice: (fl. mid-19th century). Revolutionary. After the defeat at Sapri [SA] in 1857, he was arrested and died in prison.
Brùcoli (SR): A frazione (alt. 10m) in the commune of Augusta, situated on a small inlet at the S extremity of the Gulf of Catania. It is used as a center for fishing boats. The village marks the site of the ancient Greek colony of Trotillo.
Brundisii promontorium: (mod. Capo Cavallo). A promontory at the entrance of the harbor of ancient Brundisium.
Brundisium (or Brundusium; Brindisium) (mod. Brindisi): A port-city in ancient Calabria, located on a small bay on the Adriatic coast, situated between Speluncae and Baletium. It was governed by its own local kings before being captured and colonized by the Romans in 246/245 BC. Thanks to its excellent harbor, it became one of the principal ports for Rome. After becoming the eastern terminus of the Via Appia, Brundisium was the normal point of embarkation for Greece and the eastern Mediterranean. Of early foundation (pre-700 BC), the town was already in existence before the Greeks colonized southern Italy. Some ascribe its origins to Minoans from Crete, while others claim that it was founded by the Greek hero Diomedes. Brundisium was the birthplace of the poet Pacuvius and where Virgil died upon his return from Greece in 19 BC.
Brundisium Agreement: A pact made in 40 BCE among the triumvirate of Octavian, Lepidus, and Marc Antony concerning the disposition of lands in the Roman Empire. Octavian was put in charge of the West, Antony received the East and Lepidus was given Africa.
Bruno, St.: (b. Cologne, Germany, c1030; d. Calabria, Oct. 6, 1101). Monk and writer. After teaching at Reims, he founded a small monastery in the Alps, from which the order of the Carthusians began. In 1090, he was summoned to Rome by his former student, Pope Urban II, to become a counselor. After serving some years in the papal service, he retired to a Carthusian monastery he had founded (1098) in Calabria, remaining there until his death. His order eventually merged with that of the Cistercians. Feast Day: Oct. 6.
Bruno, Girodano: (b. Nola [NA], c1548; d. Rome, Feb. 17, 1600). Philosopher, priest, astronomer, astrologer, occultist. The son of a soldier named Giovanni Bruno, he is best known for his system of mnemonics. He was also an early proponent of extra-solar planets and extraterrestrial life. His radical new scientific and religious ideas eventually led to his condemnation as a heretic by the Inquisition. Refusing to recant his beliefs he was burned at the stake.
At the age of 11, Bruno went to Naples to study at the Trivium. Having become a Dominican at Rome at age 15 in 1563, he became disenchanted with many of the basic teachings of the Church, especially with those which were expected to be accepted on blind faith. In 1576, having expressed his disbelief in the doctrine of transubstantiation and skepticism in the Immaculate Conception, he was forced to flee from Italy. The next found him in Geneva. From there he went to Paris and, eventually, London. During his time in England (1583-86), he wrote some of his greatest works. In 1586, he returned to the continent and taught at the University of Wittenberg until 1588. After touring many cities in Germany, France, and Switzerland, he decided to return to Italy. The Church had not forgiven him for his defiance and he was arrested on May 22, 1592 at Naples. Brought before the Inquisition, he was eventually for guilty of heresy. When threatened with execution, Bruno held firm on his beliefs, based on logic, reason, and science. As a result, he was burned at the stake on Feb. 17, 1600. Bruno was adamant in his rejection of Church dogma. He was, however, not ready to renounce all of the basic beliefs of the church. Although he believed in the basic ideas of Copernicus he did not endorse all of the aspects of Copernican theory. He could not conceive that a perfect absolute truth existed and his own writings reveal him as being a pantheist. Bruno’s principal works include Spaccio della bestia trionfante (Expulsion of the Triumphant Beast [1584]), Della causa principio et uno [1585], Dell’infinito, universo emondi (1584), and De monade numero et figura [1591].