 San Luca was founded on October 18, 1592, by the Prince Sigismund Loffredo and named after the saint of that particular day, Luke the Evangelist, who became the patron saint of the town.It was populated by refugees from the old town of Potamia, which was destroyed by landslides.San Luca became a "comune" in 1811, and was hit by floods and landslides in 1951, 1953 and December 1972.