Bugnara (AQ): A commune (area: 25.8 km²; alt. 580 m) in the province of L‘Aquila. Located 76 km SE of L’Aquila, it is situated to the right of the river Sagittario, on the SE side of the Conca di Sulmona. Population: 1,076 (2006e); 1,161 (1991).
Bulgarino D’Anaia: (fl. c1275). Navigator. He was an Italian pirate who preyed on Venetian shipping in the Aegean Sea.
Bulgheria (SA): A limestone massif of the southern Cilento, Campania. It has a maximum elevation of 1,224 m. and is isolated from the remainder of the Cilento, bounded by the lower valleys of the Bussento and the Mingardo.
bullock-wagons & plows: Sicilians into the 20th century were still using primitive wagon wains of the same pattern used in ancient Roman times. They also used the same type of ancient wooden plow drawn by oxen. This style was actually better for the rocky, thinly-soiled Sicily than more modern types of plows.
Buonabitacolo (SA): A commune (area: 13.39 km²; alt. 500 m) in the province of Salerno. Located 103 km SE of Salerno, it is situated near the S end of the Vallo di Diano, on the river Calore. Population: 2,825 (1991).
Buonalbergo (BN): A commune (area: 25.1 km²; alt. 250 m) in the province of Benevento.It is located 25 km NE of Benevento. Population: 1,881 (2007e); 1,884 (2006e); 2,082 (1991).
Buonanótte (CH): Former name for the commune of Montebello sul Sangro (CH).
Buongiorno, Crescenzo: (b. Bonito [AV], 1864; d. Dresden, Nov. 7, 1903). Composer. He received his training at the Conservatory at Naples and spent the early part of his career there. Eventually settling in Dresden, Germany, produced four operas (Etelka [Naples, 1887], [Prague, 1894]; Das Erntefest [Leipzig, 1896]; Das Mädchenherz [Kassel, 1901]; and Michel Angelo and Rolla [Kassel, 1903]), and a dozen operettas.
Buoni, Buono de: (b. Naples d. 1465). Painter. Considered one of the best painters of his day, he decorated many of the churches of Naples. He was the father and teacher of Silvestro de Buoni, he later studied under Solario (Zingaro). Many of his paintings are preserved in the museums and churches in Naples. Among his works is a painting in the old basilica of S. Restituta, showing that saint with the Virgin and the Archangel Michael.
Buoni, Silvestro de: (b. 1420, Naples; d. 1480). Painter. After receiving his initial training from his father, Buono be Buoni,
Buonvicino (CS): A commune (area: 30.4 km²; alt. 400 m) in the province of Cosenza. Population: 2,423 (2006e); 3,033 (1991).
Burgio (AG): A commune (area: 42.2 km²; alt. 317 m) in the province of Agrigento. Located 70 km NW of Agrigento, it is situated on a spur to the right of the river Verdura. Population: 2,923 (2007e); 2,964 (2006e); 3,562 (1991). The economy is based on the growing of olives, grain, and almonds. There is also an active ceramics industry, founded in the 16th century, and a bell-foundry.
Points of Interest: The principal monument is a medieval castle.
The Chiesa Madre has a fine Renaissance portal and houses notable statuary including a Madonna by Vincenzo Gagini.
burial confraternities: In 19th / 20th century Sicily and southern Italy, most people joined burial confraternities, or guilds. These groups were formed for the purpose of guaranteeing its members decent, even impressive, burials. All of the members of a guild would turn out for a fellow-member’s burial dressed in a medieval type of hooded robe which covered nearly the entire head and body except for the boots, eyes and mouth. In Sicily, these robes were usually pure white, while in Naples they had sky-blue, scarlet and purple additions. The guilds often had their own cemeteries and chapels.
burial and funeral customs: In Campania, it is still common to bury the deceased in a grave dug directly into the volcanic soil. The special properties of this soil dry out the corpse, and turn it into a mummy. Once the process is complete, the desiccated body is unearthed and placed into a family vault.