by Antonella Casaburi – The date of 16 December is linked to the horrible earthquake which, with two strong shocks, on the evening of 16 December 1857 with an intensity of magnitude 7.1 devastated the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and in particular Basilicata. Considered one of the most destructive earthquakes in Italian seismic history, thousands were killed (11000 according to official data, but there was also talk of 20000 victims), of which 600 in Vallo di Diano alone, with Polla and Pertosa the most affected towns. Due to the intensity ofevent's audience The extremely violent tremors also affected Cilento and the coast, where the earthquake was felt to be of the eighth degree. We have many testimonies to testify to the severity of the earthquake: many aerial photos of the calamity were taken by the photographer Alphonse Bernoud, which were then published in the major newspapers of the time. There was fear and there were numerous deaths and serious damage to buildings that night in Cilento and in the Gulf of Policastro. In Torre Orsaia two buildings and a piece of the bell tower collapsed, while a Camerota the Church of S. Maria delle Grazie suffered serious damage. Even the Church of Palinuro suffered serious damage and the disasters caused by the earthquake remained visible for a long time in Vibonati. TO bag many houses collapsed but fortunately there were no victims. In Laurino, however, there were serious injuries and one death. Pellare was among the towns least affected by the earthquake of 16 December 1857 and in memory of that tragic event, even today the inhabitants of Pellare honor San Bartolomeo Apostolo, their patron saint, on 16 December with a votive celebration for the intercession with which San Bartolomeo li protected from the calamitous event.
Antonella Casaburi
