Located at the entrance of the Sinni valley at the foot of Mount Alpi, Latronico is a municipality in the province of Potenza, inhabited since ancient times, as attested by the finds, dating to the Bronze Age, unearthed in the nearby Caves of di Calda. In the district of Colle dei Greci, instead, remains of a settlement belonging to the Greek Enotria population have been traced.
The town's name derives from Greek and means "hidden place".
The first certain records of the village go back to the Middle Ages, when the inhabitants of the surrounding areas decided to leave their original homes and find shelter in a higher an more rural location, to defend themselves from the constant attacks of the Saracens and the Lombards. Over the centuries it was proclaimed fief and submitted the rule of Cola of Jonata, the Sanseverino, the Palmieri, the Corcione, and finally of the Jesuits.
Not to miss:
- the Basilica Pontificia Minore entitled to the Abbot Sant'Agidio, rebuilt several times over the centuries for the damage reported during the frequent earthquakes that hit the area over the centuries. Located in the main center of the town, it features s three nave plan with a transept. Inside it preserves some remarkable XIX century paintings, an alabaster statue of the saint sculptured in 1570, a XVI century Cross and a XVIII century monstrance;
- the Church of St. Nicholas, dating from the XII century and located in one of the most picturesque corners of the historical center;
- the Church of Our Lady of Grace, a nave with square Bell tower, inside preserves a beautiful Baroque altarpiece and a wooden statue of the Madonna;
- the noble palaces (Palazzo Arcieri, Palazzo Gioia and Town Hall) which all feature portals of great value;
- the Archaeological sites of Colle dei Greci (an VIII century Greek settlement), the Grotte di Calda (a series of small primitive settlements dating from the Bronze Age) and the remains of a fossil fish that dates back to the Miocene period unearthed at the foot of Mount Alp;
- the thermal mineral hot springs of the La Calda district.