a fortified town of Naples, capital of the province of Basilicata, on the summit of a hill in a wild region of the Apennines, 85 miles E. by S. of Naples. It is for the most part meanly built, but contains several handsome buildings. The cathedral is a fine Doric edifice; and there are two other churches, an ecclesiastical college, and several monasteries. Potenza is the seat of the highest civil and criminal courts of the province. The ancient Potentia stood at a place called Murata, in the plain below the modern town. Some ruins of it have been discovered. Cloth, leather, and earthenware are manufactured in Potenza. Pop. 8900.