Lucanian Dolomites

Lucanian Dolomites

Basilicata Mountain Resources

SOCIALMENTE

INUTILE

WHEN TO GO ?

It is advisable to visit these dolomites in spring or early summer when the places are not subject to high tourist flows and not even an intense cold frost that is fortunately plated by the vertiginous rocks of the mountains.

WHY GO ?

When we hear about the Dolomites, our mind immediately focuses on the famous Alpine peaks between Veneto and Trentino Alto Adige. But Italy also boasts other magnificent Dolomites called the Little Lucanian Dolomites. It is a complex of very high rugged rocks that in these centuries some panoramic jewels were excavated there including Pietrapertosa and Castelmezzano both in the province of Potenza. With this trip you will have the opportunity to discover the authenticity of an unknown region of southern Italy overshadowed by the surrounding regions. In Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa you will have the opportunity to discover the thousand flavors of local cuisine in the most evocative villages in Italy.

MOUNTAINS

THE DOLOMITES OF BASILICATA ARE A PARTICULAR MOUNTAINOUS RELIEF WITH STEEP STAIRS AND HOUSES THAT CLIMB ON THE ROCK. THEY ARE LOCATED IN THE TERRITORY OF THE MUNICIPALITIES OF CASTELMEZZANO AND PIETRAPERTOSA, PLACES WITH A PARTICULARLY FASCINATING AND AMAZING LANDSCAPE, BOTH VILLAGES ARE CLASSIFIED AMONG THE MOST BEAUTIFUL IN ITALY FOR THEIR PECULIARITIES THAT ARE WORTH VISITING. These two villages are inhabited by 2 populations strongly linked to each other with various methods: The path of the seven stonesIt is a path that develops along an ancient peasant path of about 2 km, which connects the municipalities of Pietrapertosa and Castelmezzano, suitable today for walking. It is a path told in various stories and legends including one with witches.

The flight of the angelIl Volo dell'Angelo (Flight of the Angel) is an exciting experience in Basilicata, which consists of flying over two peaks at high speed. It is popular with thrill seekers, who find themselves suspended from a steel cable at an altitude of up to 400 meters above sea level. The departure stations for the Flight of the Angel, which offers a breathtaking view of the Lucania Dolomites, are located in the perched villages of Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa. You can do it alone or in pairs.

At the end of the flight, do not miss the opportunity to visit the small Lucanian Dolomites, with their crests that take their name from the golden eagles, from the rocks of the

Anvil

(Incudine ) of the

Big Mother

(Grande Madre) and of the

Owl

(Civetta).

Finally, the two villages enclosed in the rocks with their typical houses are also worth a visit. Among these dolomites lies the Gallipoli Cognato Park which offers a rare spectacle of vegetation consisting of trees, flowers and species that are sometimes unique in nature.

WILDERNESS A great deal of attention is given to the fauna of this place in fact they always try to safeguard biodiversity. In these places it is not uncommon to meet wild boars, wolves, foxes, badgers, porcupines, wild cats, hares, hedgehogs, dormice and squirrels, weasels and stone martens, and otters, rare-looking frogs and toads in the waterways.The denominations of the mountains, that is owl or golden eagle, already make us perceive the presence of birds such as the red kite, the buzzard, the kestrels and the peregrine falcon. There is also bird watching activity.

- Lastly, in the Gallipoli Cognato Park it is frequented by climbers from all over Europe, because the quality of the sandstone that distinguishes the area is well cemented and guarantees good adherence to those who practice sport boulders.

-

SPORT AND ACTIVITIES The Via Ferrata :

it is an equipped path to climb the

Lucanian Dolomites that allows you to reach otherwise inaccessible points and truly discover the great beauty of this place. Built according to the best standards with two routes that are respectively articulated along the rocky ridges of the Lucanian Dolomites close to Pietrapertosa and Castelmezzano. It is composed with an articulated path on canals and walkways, vertical passages and sections on display.

Guided tours and excursions ,

along a dense network

of paths created to meet the needs of the most experienced hikers or nature lovers.

Trekking

on foot and on horseback, mountain biking

and educational workshops for schools.

Bouldering or Orienteering

in fact being surrounded

by a borderless landscape and finding our own small size it will only make us want of discovering all the alleys of the villages.

Archery

climbing

on

EVENTS O

n the trail of the Arabs

U ’Masc’ On 09 and 10 August in Pietrapertosa The marriage between the Turkey oak and the

remembers its rulers with the demonstration

summit remains one of the most important events

on the trail of the Arabs.The part of the

for the community of Pietrapertosa. In front of the

oldest village opens its doors and dresses in

bell tower of the Convent of San Francesco, U

the East to let you savor dishes from the Arab

'Masc' is raised, the Maggio, coinciding with the

world, breathe essences and scents and let

feast of Sant'Antonio.In spring two trees are

yourself be carried away by oriental sounds

chosen and subsequently felled in the Montepiano wood, one will be the Bridegroom, the other the Bride. These two are dragged by big oxen, they are brought to the village and they wait for the next day to be grafted in an atmosphere of songs, banquets and dances.

and music and belly dancing.Traces of the experience of these rulers can still be found today in architecture, dialect and gastronomy. A unique and evocative way to relive one's origins, enhance and discover every corner of the ancient district perched at the foot of the castle

CULTURAL RESOURCES

In these two countries, between paths in the rock and marvelous overhangs, mysteries related to the past are hidden. Castelmezzano at the time of the Crusades was an important stop for the knights who went to the Holy Land or Jerusalem.If Castelmezzano is "Christian", Pietrapertosa has a Saracen and deeply Arab past, testified by the structure of the houses in the oldest neighborhood known as the "Arabata", by the remains of the ancient fortress built on top of the rocks and by a celebration that every year, on summer nights, brings odalisques, fakirs and distant perfumes back into the alleys of the village.Despite this ancient gap, the two countries boast a high religious heritage: the covento of San Francesco, the convent of San Francesco D'Assisi, the Mother Church of San Giacomo, the wooden statues of the Madonna dell’Olmo and Madonna dell’Ascensione. Also important is the NorwanSwabian caste of great historical importance.

DOUNIA

EL

JIHAD

FOOD

The Lucanian cuisine of these places is poor but genuine among the most renowned specialties there is the "peperone crusco" ( a type of peppers stuffed in the sun until it takes on a coral red color), the sausages almost always pork, The carboncelli mushrooms that grow between the meadows in the spring another important thing of this cuisine are wild herbs like thyme.

"There is a story of stone two thousand meters long and even more.

It’s a story of stories and visions.

Of signs imprinted along the path of the seven stones.

It says of those women, the masciare, who were anointed with the faerie oil collected in the cavity of an olive tree.

It says when they were crossing the night on the back of white dogs.

It says of Vito, the farmer, and of when, taken from the invoice of love, he danced with the witches."

"Vito danced with the witches - Mimmo Sammartino