The origins of the city begin in the
Early Middle Ages. However, many archaeological finds suggest that Rivello is the successor to a
Lucanian city of Sirios, predating the pre-Roman period. It is well-known that starting from the Middle ages, the city was divided into two-quarters: the upper quarter, whose inhabitants, the ''bardàv'ti
, were tied to the Latin Catholic church (San Nicola di Bari), and the lower quarter, whose inhabitants, the bardàsci'', were followers of the Greek rite parish (
Santa Maria del Poggio). References to the two ethic groups still persist today in the toponymy of the city such as "Fonte dei Lombardi" and "Piazza dei Greci". The
Lombards, who settled following the barbarian invasions, and the
Greeks, who came from the nearby
Velia after its destruction by the
Saracens. It is said that the modern name Rivello or Re-Velia derives from this. In fact, the motto of the comune is still "Iterum Velia renovata Revellum" (Once Velia, renewed as Rivello). Another possible etymological origin of the name is found in the formation of the iterative type "Re + Vallare," meaning to fortify again, from which a late Latin
revallo might have led, through the vowel shift A>E, to the form Rivello. The 18th Century was Rivello's most prosperous, leading to a strong immigration that lead to a notable population increase, as evidenced by the ecclesiastical archives. Unfortunately, the arrival of the French caused a decline due to the uncertainties of the times. Following the
Congress of Vienna and the
Bourbon Reforms, there were signs of recovery; but fate had already been sealed. With the arrival of the
Piedomontese, after the establishment of the
Kingdom of Italy, the choices of the first governments, brigandage, poverty, and lack of work forced hundreds of Rivellese (as in the entire central-southern region of Italy) to emigrate to the Americas in search for a better fortune. After
WWII, emigration resumed but this time towards
northern Italy (particularly
Lombardy), Germany, Switzerland, France, and
Belgium. This trend was especially pronounced between the late 1950s and mid-1970s. == References ==