The original name of the village was
Salvia di Lucania (also simply
Salvia), referring to the
sage plant (
Salvia officinalis). It was altered at the end of the 19th century to Savoia di Lucania after a local resident and
anarchist,
Giovanni Passannante, attempted to kill
King Umberto I of Italy on November 17, 1878. In the early 2000s it was proposed to return to the original toponym, removing the references to the
House of Savoy. Two committees have been constituted, one for the return to the toponym of Salvia, and another for the maintenance of the current name. ==Geography==