- Pisciotta
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Pisciotta — Comune — Comune di Piscihotta 
Location of Pisciotta in Italy
PisciottaCoordinates: 40°7′N 15°14′E / 40.117°N 15.233°ECoordinates: 40°7′N 15°14′E / 40.117°N 15.233°E Country Italy Region Campania Province Salerno (SA) Frazioni Caprioli, Marina di Piscihotta, Rodio Area – Total 30 km2 (11.6 sq mi) Population (2001) – Total 3,031 – Density 101/km2 (261.7/sq mi) Demonym Piscihottani Time zone CET (UTC+1) – Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2) Postal code 84066 Dialing code 0974 Patron saint St. Vitus Saint day June 15 Website Official website Piscihotta is a town and comune in Campania, Italy, part of the province of Salerno. Piscihotta | Pisciotta (spelled both ways)
Contents
History
According to legend, Trojans escaping from the fire and the destruction of their city, Troy, founded Sires. Some of the inhabitants of the city later advanced westards, following the vast valley of the Sinni river, up to the lake and to the Sirino mountain (from which they took the name), near present-day Lagonegro, where they founded the city of Siruci (now called Seluce). From here, they went to the Tyrrhenian Sea, on the beach of the Gulf of Policastro. Here they founded the colony of Pixous. This event is shown in a rare series of ancient coins, in archaic characters, with the names of Sirinos and Pixoes inscripted, referring respectively, to the populations of the two cities of Sires and Pixous, respectively. The name "Pixous" comes from the root "PYX", which derives from the Greek word for boxwood (present in the coat of arms of Pisciotta town hall).
In the year 194 BC, the Greek word pixous became corrupted to the Latin Buxentum.
In AD 915, when the town was plundered and burnt by the Saracens of Agropoli, the town's name had already changed to Policastro. Many of the fleeing Bussetani went beyond the promontory of Palinuro, where they founded a small village that they called Pixoctum, in memory of their lost town. Over the years this changed to Pixocta, then Pissocta, then Pichotta, and finally Piscihotta.
The name of Pisciotta is found in the Catalogus Baronum (1144). The year 1464 marked for the country a very important development, when the survivors of Molpa, following the destruction of their village, were sheltered in Piscihotta. Until the abolition of feudality in 1806, Piscihotta was owned by the Caracciolos (1270), the Sanseverinos (15th century), the Pappacodas (from 1590).
Beginning in 1996 (or so) Pisciotta became host for a summer study-abroad program conducted through SUNY Purchase College.
Geography
Notes and references
See also
External links
Media related to Pisciotta at Wikimedia CommonsCategories:- Cities and towns in Campania
- Communes of the Province of Salerno
- Localities of Cilento
- Campanian geography stubs
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
