What Italian town changed its name from Bad Wind Place to Good Wind Place?

Datsmeharse

Benevento, the capital city of the eponymous province in Campania, and formerly known to the Romans as Beneventum, was originally named Maloenton or Malowent by the Samnites who controlled the city prior to Roman conquest. The Romans, who translated the Samnites' Oscan-language word "Maloenton" into "Maleventum", believed it meant "site of bad wind". (Latin Mal=bad Vent=wind) Changing the "Mal" to "Bene" in Latin takes it from "bad" to "good" and can be considered without reference to have been a play on words to the Romans: certainly after conquering it they had no reason to think the area as "bad" anymore. However, the Oscan root "Mal" actually refers to apples, and "vent" might have a more standardized roots as meaning "place" of market instead of wind, so the original name might have been more a reference to a center for orchard markets. http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Benevento http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benevento,_Italy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscan Sep 17 09, 9:26 PM