Grassano was founded around 1000 AD. The first official document including the town's name is dated 1123, where it is reported as
castellum quod vocatur Crassanum ("castle which is called Crassanum"). In the 15th century, Grassano was officially a rural seat of the
Tricarico's Diocese. Grassano's people later asked King
Ladislaus of Naples for an independence act, and Grassano has remained an independent village since January 19, 1414.
Carlo Levi was arrested and exiled to Grassano because of his anti-fascist activities. In Grassano, Levi painted about 70 pictures and started discovering southern Italy's problems. He described his experiences in Grassano in his most famous book,
Christ Stopped at Eboli, which was published after the
Second World War in 1945. Anna Briganti, the grandmother of former New York Mayor
Bill de Blasio, originated in Grassano. By 1905 she was married and well-established in New York. Since 2002, Grassano, with
Aliano (the second place where Levi was exiled) is an active Literary Park. ==References==