Castelmezzano - Castelmezzano

Castelmezzano is a city of Basilicata.

To know

Castelmezzano is included in the list of "The most beautiful villages in Italy" and is located in the heart of the Lucanian Dolomites. Lying against a wall of spiers and peaks, in a fantastic rock landscape, the town has preserved its original medieval urban layout. It is a concentric agglomeration of houses perched in a rocky basin according to the ancient form of terracing, with roofs in sandstone slabs. It was a Norman garrison between the 11th and 13th centuries. From that period it still preserves the remains of the suggestive castle. At the time of the Crusades it was an important stop for the refreshment and prayer of the knights headed to the Holy Land, in fact the legendary Templars have left traces of their passage.

Geographical notes

Castelmezzano, a town at 830 m above sea level, is located in the central-eastern part of Basilicata and precisely in the province of Potenza, bordering the municipalities of Pietrapertosa, Trivigno, Albano di Lucania and Anzi. It is 36 km from the regional capital Potenza.

The climate is variable. Mild in spring and hot in summer, while in autumn there are most often sudden changes in temperature. Winter is quite harsh. Towards the end of winter, there is occasional snowfall, the air is always dry, dry and the fog rarely peeps into the valley. In general, the climate can be defined as almost ideal, because severe changes in temperature are rare.

Background

The Latin root of "Castrum" in the toponym "Castelmezzano" (up to the eighteenth century referred to as "Castrimediani"), indicates a fortified place, a military settlement. The origins of Castelmezzano date back to the sixth and fifth centuries BC, when some Greek colonists arrived in the Basento valley and founded a town called Maudoro, or world of gold. In the 10th century, the invasion by the Saracens forced the inhabitants to look for a new land to live in. Legend has it that, during the escape, a shepherd named Paolino found a suitable place to move, formed by steep rocks from whose peaks the invaders could be repelled by rolling down stone boulders. During the 11th century, after the Norman conquest of the South, the fiefdom was assigned to the soldier Thomas of Limburg who was the first to promote the noble title. Then it underwent the Aragonese domination which did not bring benefits to the community, on the contrary there was an economic and social stalemate. Subsequently with the baron Giovanni Antonio De Leonardis the country experienced a certain development. Later it passed by marriage to the De Lerma who ruled the country until 1805.

In the nineteenth century Castelmezzano was touched by the phenomenon of banditry, but it was also a refuge for brigands thanks to its territorial location. At the end of the century it experienced the migratory phenomenon in fact many inhabitants left the country and moved to America.

How to orient yourself

How to get

By plane

• Arrived at the airports of Naples is Bari, the closest, continue by train or bus.

By car

• From Power you have to take the SS 407 Basentana up to the exit Albano di Lucania for Castelmezzano.
• From Melfi follow the SS 93 to the SS 407 Basentana, then go towards Metaponto until the exit Albano di Lucania
• From Naples leave the A3 SA-RC motorway until reaching the Sicignano degli Alburni, then continue on the Sicignano-Potenza motorway link up to Power. Once you arrive in Potenza continue on the SS 407 Basentana until the exit of Albano di Lucania.
• From Bari follow the signs for Matera and then the SS7 up to the entrance to the SS 407 Basentana. Go in the direction Power until the exit of Albano di Lucania.

On the train

• Get to Power with Ferrovie dello Stato (via Foggia or away Taranto) or with the trains of the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane, then continue by bus or car.

By bus

• Get to Power and continue with the Sita bus lines [1].

How to get around

Castelmezzano is a small town, so it is preferable to travel on foot to admire the beauties of nature.

What see

• 40.5301816.046551 Mother Church of Santa Maria dell'Olmo, Piazza Caizzo (In the center of the village). Built in the 12th century near an elm from which it takes its name. The entrance of the church has been moved, in ancient times it was facing East, but today only a walled wall remains with a Templar cross in the triangular architrave. During a restoration phase, a Templar patent cross was found, another presence of the Order. The facade of the church is in Romanesque style, marked by four large windows, with a long cornice decorated with bears, lions, griffins and above all roses. Inside the church there is a wooden statue in Byzantine style depicting the Madonna with Child (called dell'Olmo). There is also an altarpiece with a very small effigy of the Madonna of the morning star inside, surrounded by three frames, in the first there are some inscriptions in Latin and Greek together with the date of realization 1117. In the second frame there are on the sides two women who seem to be of Egyptian descent. On the columns there are little mysterious faces. There is a statue on the left identified with Peter the Hermit. Also inside the church there are three paintings: that of the "Souls in purgative", of the "Madonna del Carmelo", of the "Holy Family" attributed to the seventeenth-century painter Pietrafesa. In the twentieth century the church was adorned with various marble altars, thanks to the contribution of many Castelmezzanesi emigrants in the United States. 

• Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher. It dates back to the 11th century and has traces of Eastern cultures brought by Westerners during the First Crusade. At the end of the nineteenth century the archpriest Don Michele Arcangelo Volini had the first nucleus of the current municipal cemetery built. Inside you can admire the wooden statue of the Madonna dell'Ascensione on which a singular legend circulates. The statue was found by two fishermen by the sea and asked to be taken to Castelmezzano. The two arrived where the current chapel stands and the statue became heavier than it could no longer be moved. After the construction another miracle occurred: the statue was enriched by two praying sailors who resembled the two fishermen. 
• Chapel of the Annunciation. Probably built in the eighteenth century and was located in the upper part of the town. Once in this chapel the rite of the friend took place: that is, the young people about to confirm their friends and together hand in hand they went around the chapel calling themselves cronies. This chapel today is used only for the celebrations of March 25 (S.S. Annunziata). 
• Chapel of San Marco. The name of the chapel dates back to the pastoral visit of 1544 by the archbishop of Acerenza and Matera Giovanni Michele Saraceni. The structure is also called "chapel of the Madonna delle Grazie" because inside it houses a painting and a statue of the Madonna carried in procession on July 2nd. 
• Chapel of Santa Maria "Regina Coeli". It dates back to 1603 and was possibly built to house a Carmelite convent. From the pastoral archives we read that the chapel was restored thanks to the contribution of the Castelmezzanesi. 

• Norman steps. Narrow and steep carved into the rock, it leads to the highest point, where the lookout of the military garrison guarded the underlying Basento valley. 

Events and parties

• Bonfire on Holy Saturday. Saturday before Easter. The boys with old tools, troccole or winches go around the town to collect the wood to burn at night with a big fire in the town square. 
• Festival of the quail. First Sunday of May. The Madonna del Bosco is celebrated with a peasant festival of ancient origins, during which quagliata is made, that is, cheese is made between songs, games and other entertainments. 
• Castelmezzanese summer. July August. The summer program of the Municipality and of the Pro Loco "The Lucanian Dolomites" includes theatrical and musical performances, open-air cinema and festivals of typical products. 
• Multi-media night show "The Great Mother". August September. The stones speak and are able to tell many things. And starting from the signs still visible on the rocks in the area of ​​the Norman - Swabian fortress, a journey through history begins to discover the site and the history of the place.

An exciting and at the same time rich in information representation that is reconstructed right inside the site.

Here the spectators witness a multi-projection of lights, images, films and animations accompanied by original music and sound effects and the story of a voiceover that accompanies the visitor to understand the site and history.

The castle area, a place steeped in history, presents itself as the perfect place, due to its environmental and aesthetic characteristics, to host the spectacular event of sons et lumières entitled The Great Mother.

The show, of particular expressive importance, is mainly based on projections of large images. The public, placed on a 38-seat grandstand, will be able to attend a show inside a wonderful natural amphitheater, lasting about 45 minutes, in which the rock walls will support projections and high-definition films with effects. 3D, which will allow an immersion in history to discover the beauty of the site. 

• Feast of St. Anthony of Padua. 11-13 September. Arboreal rite and feast in honor of Sant'Antonio da Padova. The choice of plants for the arboreal wedding is carried out in the municipal wood. On the day before the log is transported to the village by a pair of oxen called “parecch” in the jargon, while the top is dragged on the shoulders by young devotees. After smoothing and grafting, the wedding takes place. 
• Feast of Saint Lucia. 13 December. The kennel is cooked in a cauldron in front of the Mother Church, a dish of broad beans, chickpeas, wheat and cicerchie which is then blessed and, at the end of the Mass, is distributed to all the faithful. 

What to do

• Flight of the angel. In the heart of the Lucanian Dolomites we can experience a unique emotion: the Flight of the Angel. A steel cable that connects the peaks of two countries: Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa. An adventure in contact with nature and a unique landscape.

With maximum safety, protected by special belts and hooked to a cable, for a few minutes you experience a unique emotion and the dream of flying comes true. A real adventure, unique in Italy, but also in the world for the beauty of the landscape and the maximum height of overflight.

You can fly alone or as a couple to experience this adventure with the person you love. You can choose between two stages:

1. Peschiere line: starts from Castelmezzano (departure height 1019 m) and arrives in Pietrapertosa (arrival height 888 m)
2. San Martino stage: starts from Pietrapertosa (departure height 1020 m) and arrives in Castelmezzano (arrival height 859 m), you can reach a maximum speed of 110 km / h.

What appears to the visitor during the flight is a splendid panorama that includes wide landscapes of Mediterranean scrub. 

• Route of the seven stones. This route constitutes a direct link between the towns of Pietrapertosa and Castelmezzano.

The itinerary starts from the square in front of the convent of S. Antonio, arrives near the old sports field of Pietrapertosa and continues downhill towards the purifier. From this point the bottom is paved up to the Tuvolo fountain (820 m asl), on the ditch of the same name, a short distance from the chapel of S. Martino.

From the Tuvolo fountain the path continues on a sheep track, not very evident due to the invasion of the spontaneous vegetation. It crosses once cultivated fields, small olive groves and sparse woods with majestic Cerro plants. The track continues to descend to an altitude of 600 meters above sea level, where it crosses the Caperrino stream. Here you can see, beyond a small clearing, a suggestive Roman bridge, dominated by the splendid Dolomite landscape. Still visible, then, are the remains of an old water mill beyond whose ruins the track continues on a path with a sandstone paving. Continue passing in front of the Castelmezzano cemetery and here the route connects with the SP13. The arrival in the village is anticipated by the exciting view that opens up like a terrace in front of the eyes, the right reward at the end of a pleasant walk. 

• Via ferrata Salemm. The via ferrata is an equipped path, located on the side of Castelmezzano, has a length of 1,731 meters with a difference in height of 249 meters. There are three paths:

1. The first path has as its starting point the Roman bridge up to the coupling of the via ferrata. The length of the entire route is 739 meters with a difference in height of 34 meters, the duration is about 45 minutes.
2. The second is a more demanding route with a length of 992 meters with a difference in height of 215 meters, the duration is about 2 hours.
3. The third path is the simplest suitable for everyone. It consists of a departure path that starts from the equipped bridge and arrives at the Peschiere municipal road which is located near the historic center. It is mostly flat with a length of about 180 meters, with an average duration of 15 minutes. 

Shopping

How to have fun

There are various leisure, sport and life activities in contact with nature such as walking, trekking, cycling, equestrian tourism, sport climbing on the rocks with equipped walls, hiking with equipped paths, mushroom picking in autumn.

Where to eat

Average prices

• The Hermit's Cave, C.da Calcescia, ☎ 39 0971 986314, @[email protected]. Mon-Sun 9: 00-20: 00. Farmhouse, B&B, restaurant. 
• The Mill of the Countess, Contrada Fiumara (Camastra locality), ☎ 39 0971 986099, @[email protected]. Tourist Menu € 16.00, Tasting Menu € 26.00. Farmhouse, B&B, restaurant. 
• Trattoria al vecchio scarpone, Corso Vittorio Emanuele III, ☎ 39 333 732 5640. Bar-Trattoria-Rotisserie. 
• Pizzeria and Rotisserie 2T, Via Roma N 10, ☎ 39 340 125 1875. Tue-Sun 8: 00-23: 00. 

High prices

• To the Becco della Civetta, Vico I T-Shirt 7, ☎ 39 0971 986249. 

Where stay

Average prices

• B&B Al Castello, Vico Largo del Castello, 34, ☎ 39 347 67 0853. 
• B&B "At the heart of the village", Via Michele Trivigno, 19, ☎ 39 320 85 96 246. 
• B&B Al Palazzo Ducale, Via Domenico Volini, 7, ☎ 39 347 12 17 103. 
• B&B Casa del Mago, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. 
• B&B Dal Duca, Vico De Lerma, 8, ☎ 39 329 82 51 132. 
• B&B I cinque Petali di Rosa, Via Guglielmo Marconi, 44, ☎ 39 342 59 74 822. 
• B&B The Balcony of the Dolomites, Via Regina Margherita, 73, ☎ 39 346 64 09 890. 
• B&B The ancient corner of the Dolomites, Via Guglielmo Marconi, 99, ☎ 39 339 25 11 093. 
• B&B La Bella Vista, Via San Marco, 44, ☎ 39 328 00 19 684. 
• B&B La casa di Giulietta, Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 18, ☎ 39 333 48 84 574. 
• Hotel La Locanda di Castromediano, Via Michele Volini 50 / A, ☎ 39 0971 96 62 49. 58 € / night. 
• B&B La Panoramica, Via Michele Trivigno, 19, ☎ 39 366 38 25 992. 
• B&B La perla in the Dolomites, Vico Castello, 2, ☎ 39 329 37 61 998. 
• B&B Regina Margherita, Via Regina Margherita, 9, ☎ 39 338 24 53 097. 
• B&B Seraton, Vico III Spinalva, 5, ☎ 39 366 46 92 202. 

Safety

In case of danger, it is possible to contact the Carabinieri Corps station in Pietrapertosa. In the village there are no thefts and it is possible to wander alone even at night.

How to keep in touch

Post office

• Italian post, Via C.A. Campaign, 22, ☎ 39 0971 98 62 31. 

Around

• Brindisi Mountain - The Castle of Brindisi, an ancient medieval stronghold, was a fief of the Sanseverino family in the Aragonese period. In 1478 and 1534 it welcomed colonies of Albanian refugees. In the early 1900s the castle was donated to the Municipality by the Fittipaldi heirs.
• Forest of the Grancia - In the Grancia Forest there is the historical rural and environmental park of the Basilicata where in the summer the show “La storia bandita” comes to life, that is the greatest spectacular representation of popular theater directed by Emmanuel Lavallé and has as its central figure that of Carmine Crocco (to whom the actor Michele Placido lends his voice). An authentic leap into the past, in the years of the insurgencies between 1799 and 1861, when the forests swarmed with brigands, French and Piedmontese gendarmes, farmers tired of being subjected to the oppressor of the moment. A great heroic narrative of banditry, too often dismissed as a criminal episode, in reality a rebellion against the centuries-old oppression suffered-
• Lucania Outdoor Park - Immersed in one of the most beautiful woods in the area, characterized by Turkey oaks even more than twenty meters high, is the Lucania Outdoor Park Adventure Park. It is an acrobatic park suspended in the air where you can experience, in complete freedom and immersed in nature, great emotions and fun. The park offers different routes that wind according to three levels of difficulty, also suitable for children, dotted with Tibetan bridges, walkways, stairs, cableways, Tarzan lianas, rope nets. There is also a practice course in which the elementary techniques necessary to be able to then move on to the actual courses are taught by an instructor. Adjacent to the adventure course there is also an archery field and a very well equipped picnic area ([email protected]).
• Ghost village of Campomaggiore Vecchio - The town, abandoned in 1885 following a landslide, is located 4 kilometers north-east of the new town. In the large square, the work of a student of Vanvitelli, overlook the Baronial Palace and the Church. Wide orthogonal streets branch off from here on which peasant houses stand. On the back of the building there is a rare specimen of sequoia, a conifer originally from North America imported by Count Cutinelli-Rendina.
• Gallipoli Cognato Regional Park - It is a nature reserve of rare beauty, it includes two important forests of Gallipoli and the Montepiano wood, where majestic stems of centenary oaks, fragrant lime trees, pear and wild apple trees, maples and the rare holly alternate. The park offers a dense network of well-marked trails suitable for both beginners and experienced hikers.

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Castelmezzano
• Commons contains images or other files on Castelmezzano

Draft : the article respects the standard template contains useful information for a tourist and gives brief information on the tourist destination. Header and footer are correctly filled out.