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# 80 JUNE 20 , 2016
# 80 june 20 , 2016
tress is a must, with its steep, narrow stairs carved
into the rock that lead to
the highest point, where
the lookout of the military
garrison watched over the
Basento valley below. To
climb these fifty steps with
hawks circling overhead is
a near-mystical experience.
The name
Castrum Medianum, i.e. “castle in the middle,” was the
name of the Norman fortress
The product
ges corresponding to diflocated midway between
The sausage, a particular- ferent times of the year.
the castles of Pietrapertosa
ly flavorful salami that is
and Brindisi Montagna.
prepared in various staWalking through the historic center one is struck
by the unreal presence of
rock incorporated in the
buildings, the countless
steep stairs that intertwine and invite you to climb
to the peaks above and
enjoy the fabulous scenery of the “Lucanian Dolomites,” whose rugged,
craggy appearance likens
them to the mountains of
the eastern Alps (although here they are of a different rock type, a compact
sandstone).
A magnificent scene awaits those arriving at the village, which appears suddenly – as in a coup de
théâtre – set like an amphitheater in the rocky wall,
right after emerging from
a tunnel dug through the
rock, after passing through a spectacular gorge.
The rock is always there:
porticos cut into it connect
narrow streets and tiny
squares, once a place for
meeting and socializing.
sciano.
Also worth seeing are the
Chapel of Santa Maria, the
rupestrian Church of the
Madonna dell’Ascensione
carved out from the rock,
with an adjoining pre-Napoleonic cemetery, and
the various palazzi of the
village’s various noble families: the Merlino, Parrella, Coiro, Paternò, and
Campagna
residences,
and the vast Ducal Palace
of the De Lerma family,
the last lords of Castelmezzano.
The Mother Church of Santa Maria, built on the main
square in the 13th century
using local stone, has a
14th-century wooden statue of the Madonna and
Child of Olmo, a Baroque
wooden altar and a Holy Lastly, a visit to the ruins of
Family by Girolamo Bre- the Norman-Suevian for-
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WE THE ITALIANS | 19
www.wetheitalians.com
www.wetheitalians.com