Culture: There is an interesting annual festival held in late May. The Sagra dei Banderesi, dating from medieval times, centers on reenactments of battle between Christians and Turks. The festival wraps up with a grand feast held on the final night.
Bucci, Maurizio: (b. Sant’Angelo del Pesco [IS], Aug. 29, 1923). Diplomat. A graduate of the University of Rome, he entered the Italian diplomatic service in 1949. In 1952 he was Second Secretary of the Italian Mission to NATO. In 1955, he served as Deputy Consul-General in Paris, while, in 1958, he became First Secretary in the Italian Embassy to Luxembourg. Bucci went on to hold several other diplomatic posts in his long career: Chief of Cabinet of the Vice-President of EEC Executive Committee (1961); Counselor of the Italian Mission to the European Communities, Brussels (1963); Head of the Research and Planning Division, Economics Dept., Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1968); Ambassador of Foreign Affairs (1979-1984); Permanent Representative to the United Nations (1984-89). In Oct. 1987, he served as President of the United Nations Security Council.
Bucciano (BN): A commune (area: 7.9 km²; alt. 390 m) in the province of Benevento. Located 25 km SW of Benevento, it is situated in the valley of Isclero, on the S slope of Monte Taburno. Population: 1,968 (2007e); 1,958 (2006e); 1,817 (1991).
Buccino (anc. Vulcei, Volceium, Volcei, Volcentium, Bulcinum) (SA): A commune (area: 65.5 km²; alt. 649 m) in the province of Salerno. Located 70 km E of Salerno, it is situated in the Campanian Apennines, to the left of the river Botta. Population: 5,926 (1991). The principal agricultural products are olive-oil and wine. Local industries include irrigation pump manufacturing and marble-quarrying. The center has also been developed as a resort.
History: In ancient times Vulcei, a city of the Volcenti, stood here. Under the Romans, it became a municipium, known variously as Volcentium, Bulcinum and Volceium. The Roman historian Livy mentions the Volcentes among those peoples who revolted against Rome to join Hannibal during the 2nd Punic War. The Carthaginians placed a garrison in the town for a short time. In 209 BC, the Volcentes renewed their alliance with the Romans. Pliny the Elder included them, under the name Volcentani, among the municipalities found in the interior of Lucania. The Greek geographer Ptolemy also mentioned this people, calling them Ulci or Volci. Inscriptions found by archaeologists on the site reveal that the population of the town referred to it as Volceii or Vulceii, while they called themselves Volceiani. The ancient town flourished during Imperial Roman times, retaining its status as a municipium. During the Middle Ages, the center remained a place of some importance, and was long held as a fief by the Caracciolo di Martina family.
Points of Interest: There are remains of a medieval castle.
The convent of Sant’Antonio includes a lovely cloister utilizing columns taken from an ancient Roman temples.
A bridge spanning the river Botta dates from Roman times.
Bucinna (sometimes Bucina): An island mentioned in ancient sources. Its location is uncertain although it is often identified with Levanzo in the Egadian islands.
Bucra promontorium: (mod. Capo di Scalami). A promontory of ancient Sicily, S of Camerina.
Bufano, Beniamino (or Benevenuto) (aka Benny): (b. San Fele, Basilicata on Oct. 14, 1896; d. 1970). Italian-American sculptor. He received his training at the National Academy of Design, the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design, and the Art Students League of New York. His works were widely shown in the United States, France, Italy, Russia, and Germany. As a young man he won prestigious awards from the Art Students League at New York (1914-16) and the Whitney Museum of American Art (1917). His works are displayed in New York (the Metropolitan Museum of Art) and San Francisco (the Palace of the Legion of Honor and the Museum of Art). Among his many works are the Peace Memorial and the statue of Sun Yat-sen, both in San Francisco. He also served as the art commissioner of San Francisco.