It is a town in the province of Potenza, situated in the middle valley of the Sinni, clinging to the slopes of the mountain Manca, in an area rich of spectacular calanchi (badlands). The earliest records date back to 1125, when the village was mentioned with the name of "Castro Castrorum". According to some historians the origins date back to the V-VI century, when, after repeat Barbarian raids, the inhabitants of the countryside decided to shelter here, where once stood a former Roman military camp, calling it "Castrum Novum, to which was added in 1863, the name of St. Andrew, in honor of Andrea Avellino, a Theatine monk, born in Castronuovo and canonized in 1721.
No to miss:
- the Church of Santa Maria of the Snow, which has very ancient origins. It features a IX century portal in marble and several paintings dating from the XVI and the XVIII centuries, a baptismal font made of wood and hard stone and a coffered wooden ceiling with paintings of St. Andrew;
- the Chapel of Santa Maria delle Grazie (1600);
- the Chapel of St. Andrew (1700), built on the site where once stood the Saint's home;
- the Chapel of St. Philip, today privately owned, it features a Baroque façade and late Gothic rose window;
- Palazzo Speziale, with a superb courtyard;
- A typical medieval house, located in Via Rossini.