LANDSCAPES Issue 05 2019 Free edition
Digital travel magazine about villages and slow tourism
MATERA AND BASILICATA,
beautiful with a soul
FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA,
an artistic mosaic
ALP CIMBRA,
mountain pastures and traditions
#arteborghi Different universes
The Orcia Valley, the painting of nature
Marche,
Leopardi and the “villages of the Infinite�
The Po Delta,
water labyrinth and Unesco
Calabria,
the landscapes of contemplation
The Italian saltpans,
the salt and the sun
Southern France,
a pelette of colour sceneries
www.e-borghitravel.com
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® e-borghi travel 04 www.e-borghitravel.com Publisher Salvatore Poerio direzione@3scomunicazione.com Publishing coordinator Luciana Francesca Rebonato coordinamento@e-borghi.com Art director Ivan Pisoni grafica@e-borghi.com Editorial office Simona Poerio segreteria@e-borghi.com With the collaboration of Antonella Andretta, Alessandra Boiardi, Grazia Gioè, Cinzia Meoni, Marino Pagano, Luca Sartori, Joni Scarpolini, Nicoletta Toffano, Carola Traverso Saibante Translation Beatrice Lavezzari Promotion and Advertising 3S Comunicazione – Milano Cosimo Pareschi pareschi@e-borghi.com Commercial development Maurizio Bevilacqua commerciale@e-borghi.com Editing 3S Comunicazione Corso Buenos Aires, 92, 20124 Milano info@3scomunicazione.com tel. 0287071950 – fax 0287071968 The use of our website and our on-line magazine is subject to the following terms: all rights reserved. Any section of www.e-borghi.com can’t be reproduced, recorded or broadcasted in any form or by any means, be it electronic or mechanical or through photocopies, recording or other systems without a previous written authorization by 3S Comunicazione. Although a careful check of the information that are contained in this issue has been carried out, 3S Comunicazione won’t be considered responsible for any mistakes or omissions. The opinions being given by contributors are necessarily the same as the ones given by 3S Comunicazione. Unless different directions, the individual copyrights belong to the contributors. All efforts have been made to track down the owners of the photos’ copyright in case they were not taken by our photographers. We’re apologizing in advance for possible omissions and we’re available to enter further clarifications in the next issues. © 2019 e-borghi
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eLuciana Francesca Rebonato facebook.com/lfrancesca.rebonato
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he unique and amazing landscapes are the protagonists of this issue of e-borghi travel, they are the tiles of a mosaic in balance with the nature and the human will. The main feature of the Italian landscapes is their diversity, a tapestry where the genius loci can make the difference to make a site unique with its own DNA, to frame its soul and its face on a composite picture. Our journey starts from the green velvet of the Cimbrian Alps in Trentino, a region of the Alps that discloses ancient origins then we reach Friuli-Venezia Giulia with its unexpected gifts in a generous nature. Then we move to the Po Delta featured by villages that are spread around like the confetti and a magic lagoon. Then there are the salt marshes: wind, sun, water and the production of salt, the white gold of the Mediterranean Sea. Afterwards we reach Tuscany and the Orcia Valley, a series of hills covered in vineyards, olive and chestnut trees, Medieval villages, castles, abbeys and parish churches while on the East side we suggest you to visit the “villages of the infinite” that remind of Leopardi where the landscape is the source of the inspiration for the past and the present artists. Basilicata welcomes you in the South of Italy, it’s a charming area featured by its perched villages and hardworking little towns and Matera which is the pearl of this region and the European capital of culture in 2019. You must discover these landscapes quietly by following the pace of a slow tourism to enjoy the beauty and sip it like the “landscapes of contemplation” in Calabria that tell you about the art, the nature, the villages and the traditions. Then our curiosity crossed the borders and reached the French landscapes that will impress you with their unexpected sceneries. In the meantime the nature is turned into an individual view by the human sight: Goethe wrote it in his “Italian Journey” and Georg Simmel went deeper into this view in his “Philosophy of landscape” where he wrote «the landscape is the territory of the human action which relentlessly changes it». So the Italian landscapes are always in progress in the name of unforgettable memories and feelings. Luciana Francesca Rebonato coordinatore editoriale
Summary Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Basilicata
Sassi
Alp Cimbra
Po river Delta
Orcia Valley
The emotion of a landscape
The salt ways
Calabria
The “villages of the Infinite�
Crossborder: France
landscapes within
Out of place holidays
Legends
Curiosities
Review
Cover: Sassi, Matera arkanto/Shutterstock.com
Luca Sartori
twitter.com/LucaSartoriIT
Palmanova
Friuli Venezia Giulia:
mills, furnaces and the Middle Ages on the border
Torre Trulli Stefano_Valeri/Shutterstock.com
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ountains, hills, lowlands, forests, lagoons and also art, towns and memory. There’s something for everyone in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, a border land in the North-East of Italy. It’s one of the smallest regions of Italy and one of the richest for its historical and cultural heritage. It’s spread with different landscapes that are perfectly matched with the inhabited areas and the tiny villages. These lands are crossed by several rivers and they offer unexpected surprises in a mosaic of historical findings, palaces, castles and elegant residences: a series of vibrant and
Summer views near Sappada Paola
hardworking places where history is always the protagonist. A reserved land featured by its hardworking people that have often been brought to their knees by the events but they have always been able to restart and look ahead without any fear. A unique extraordinary geographical area that has grown along the centuries and its history is told by the several castles, the strongholds, the palaces, the churches, the mills, the furnaces, the spinning mills, the caves’ lakes and the industrial archaeology that can keep the treasures of the past . www.turismofvg.it/Slow-Tour.
Molini Stalis Franca Versolato
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olcenigo is crossed by the river Livenza, the marshy nature of its surrounding area is the reason for the traditional working of reed to which the popular festival of Thest which is held every year in September is dedicated. Polcenigo is a very old village where you can see houses dating back to the 16th and the 17th century among which the noble Scolari Salice and Fullini Zaia palaces, the parish church of Saint James, the church of Santa Maria della Salute and the oratory of San Rocco where the ruins of a castle
Luigi Esposito
Polcenigo belonging to the earls that was afterwards turned into a Renaissance Venetian palace stands out. Polcenigo was a village where the stonemasons, the peasants, the basket weavers used to live and work between the 18th and the 19th century and it was also the village where many spinning mills including the factory that produced a famous brand of silk stockings was based. Water features the entire area and it offers amazing views by the sources of Gorgazzo where the colourful lush vegetation frames the clear fresh water of the rivers.
Luciano Ghersinich
Roberto Viel
Polcenigo Ferdinando Terrazni
Michele Seghieri
Mirko Tommasella
Marco Siega Vignut
Maniago
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t’s set where the lowland gives way to the highlands. Maniago, one of the Touring’s Orange Flags has been known since the Middle Ages for its cutleries. The heart of the village is Piazza Italia, the widest square in the province of Pordenone around which the inhabited centre has been developing along the years. There’s a fountain dating back to the 19th century in the middle of the square and there are some historical buildings all around among which the D’Attimis palace which is embellished by a fresco of a leone Marciano (the Lion of Saint Mark) on its front wall attributed to Pomponio Amalteo as well as the church of Immacolata and the town-hall’s loggia. From the
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square you can go up to the castle’s ruins that was probably built in the 11th century. The main landmark of Maniago is the cathedral of San Mauro in the Roman-Gothic style with a front wall with a hut shape and an elegant rose-window. Inside the cathedral there are some paintings dating back to the 17th and the 18th centuries, the wooden altars of Auregne, the fonts and the baptismal fonts attributed to the stonecutters of Meduno. The museum of the cutlery art located in the old factory of CORICAMA (the United Cutleries from Caslino and Maniago) deserves a visit since it exhibits an exciting journey through the history of the local production of cutting tools.
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eople speak the dialect from the Eastern side of Friuli down here. You can stop here to cheer your mouth in one of the restaurants you can find in this area. You can enjoy a good dish of polenta with muset, the typical sausage or you can taste the Dolce del Priore (sweet of the Prior) or Voleson, a home-made cake that was made in the Middle Ages in Valvasone and it’s still baked when the historical re-enactment is held on the second week-end of September. It’s a land of water and countryside, Valvasone exhibits its nice urban centre on the right of the Tagliamento river by an ancient crossing: the village developed around the huge castle at the beginning of the 13th century and it overlooks
the square that got its name. Inside the castle there are some interesting late Gothic and Renaissance frescos and a precious little wooden theatre dating back to the 18th century. The other landmarks of this village are the cathedral of the Very Saint Body of Christ where a monumental pipe organ is kept, it’s the only Italian example of Venetian art belonging to the 16th century, the church of Saints Peter and Paul and St. Anthony Abbot which is embellished with some precious frescos belonging to the 16th century that was once a shelter for the pilgrims, the cloister of the former monastery of Serviti and the ancient mill with its wheel Irma that used the water’s power that flew along the first city wall.
Valvasone
Paolo Frucella
Paolo Frucella
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t was initially fortified by the bishops of Concordia then it had become a possession of the Venetian Republic since the 15th century and after some centuries of violence and bloody civil wars it was hit by the draught, the famine, the cold, the invasion of locusts, the floods, the earthquakes and the pillaging. It was mention by Ippolito Nievo in his book “Confessions of an Italian” more than once, it was entered in the list of the most beautiful villages of Italy in 2004 and it was one of the first in the region. Nowadays the peaceful countryside is the main feature of this village surrounded by its walls that are almost undamaged and clearly visible. The shielded tower that uswed to protect the village and the parish church of Saint Andrew dating back to the 16h century are inetersting monuments too
Paolo Frucella
Cordovado together with the Oratory of Saint Catherine from Alessandria dating back to the 14th century and the Sanctuary of Madonna delle Grazie, a jewel of the Baroque art with an octagonal plan and decorated with many stuccoes, frescoes, bass-relieves and statues which is unique in Friuli. The Freschi-Piccolomini Palace that was built on the Medieval ruins, the Beccaris-Nonis Palace dating back to the 16th century, the Town-Hall, the ancient monks’ house, Villa Segalotti dating back to the 18th century and the Cecchini Palace where the public library is based stand out. Morsano al Tagliamento is not far from Cordovado, there were twenty-two furnaces between the 19th and the 20th century. The San Paolo furnace dating back to 1902 is the only one left and it is a symbol of these lands.
Cordovado Salvatore LiPira
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t’s the most important example of a walled town of Friuli and one of the most amazing examples of architectural restoration. It was hit by the disastrous earthquake of 1976 but it was able to rise again thanks to the people commitment and work that enabled to rebuild its original urban structure. Venzone is set at the confluence of two important valleys, Tagliamento and Canal di Ferro on the Eastern edge of Italy in the province of Udine. It is on the border with the Natural Park of the Julian Prealps, it’s surrounded by thick forests and wild animals and it shows a Medieval charm, the walls and historical monuments. It’s considered a national
Marco Fabris
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monument, it was awarded as the best village in 2017 and its Town-Hall is a beautiful example of a Gothic-Venetian palace, then there’sthe cathedral of Saint Andrews and the mysterious old Chapel of Saint Michael where the ancient mummies dating back to 1647 are kept, the first one to be taken out was called the “hunchback” and forty mummies have been taken out from the Cathedral’s tombs after that. The golden age of Venzone was the Middle Ages and this age is put on show every fourth week-end of the month when the Festival of the Pumpkin is held: the history and the culture, the food and the wine can meet everyone’s tastes.
Monica Simonelli
Massimo Beltrame
Venzone Daria Bellina
Stefano Padovan
Basilica Abbaziale
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t can be identified with the majestic Benedictine Abbey of Santa Maria in Sylvis dating back to the 8th century and the village developed around it. Sesto al Reghena belongs to the “Most beautiful villages of Italy” and it’s set in an area of mills and spinning mills. The Abbey is sided by a church, a big entrance tower which is the only one left of the seven defence towers built in the second half of the 10th century, there is also a clock-tower, the abbey residence and the parsonage and the Stalis mills are all around the village. This area is related to the history of the Abbey of
Piazza Castello Leonardo Fabis
Sesto al Reghena Sesto and the rural settlements that developed there. The constructions have a Medieval origin, they have been used up to the present time and they represent a quite intact architectural example of the milling art and its importance along the centuries either for the peasants or for the dominions that ruled that area. Another jewel of the industrial archaeology can be seen in the plain towards Pordenone in the municipality of Prata: it’s the textile mill of Centazzo, one of the first textile mills that used the steam boiler to heat the stoves and provide the needed power.
Sesto al Reghena Stefano Padovan
Fabrice Gallina
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t’s a polygonal nine-pointed star shaped fortress city built in 1593 by the Venetian Republic. It has been considered a National monument since 1960 and it was included in the Unesco’s World Heritage Sites in 2017 within the Transnational Serial Property of the “Venetian works of defence between 15th and 17th century: State from the earth – State from the Western Sea”. Moreover it was also entered in the list of “the most beautiful villages of Italy” in 2018. Palmanova must be visited by walking or by cycling around its ancient city walls (two belonging to the Venetians and one built by Napoleon) surrounding it and it can also be discovered by going through the underground tunnels that were once used by the armies for their moving. The hexagonal Piazza Grande stands out in the middle of the city, the three city di-
Palmanova stricts all converge to this square and they are connected through the doors of Cividale, Udine and Aquileia. The Duomo looks out on the square too, it is featured by a facade which is made of the white stone from Orsera and the grey stone from Aurisina. Some typical Venetian palaces deserve to be seen as well mainly the covered gallery dedicated to the Dead and the Palace of the General Superintendents. On the first week-end of September the big historical re-enactment is held, more than eight hundred people are involved wearing the Renaissance costumes (in even numbered years) or the Napoleonic costumes (in odd numbered years). The people who re-enact the historical events come from all over Europe and they carefully reconstruct the encampments, the battles, the costumes and traditions from those ancient times.
Palmanova
Cascatelle Favretto
Bandfion
Favretto
Sappada most popular local tradition is the Plodar Vosenòcht, the Carnival that involves the whole village for three Sundays and exhibits its typical Rollate mask. Sappada is also an Orange Flag of the Italian Touring Club and it is spread with several natural tracks. The little waterfalls of Mühlbach can’t be missed. They can be reached through a path that was excavated in the rocks that goes up the river of mills, the lakes Olbe, the gorge of Acquatona and the sources of the Piave river.
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he amazing show of the Dolomites is on stage in Sappada. It’s a famous Winter and Summer tourist destination and its origins go back to the Middle Ages when the patriarch of Aquileia asked a group of families from Baviera to move to that area. Actually an old German dialect is still spoken in Sappada. Besides the amazing natural heritage Sappada also boasts a particular rural architecture featured by some characteristic wooden houses that were built by using the old blockbau technique. The
Toppo
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he tiny village of Toppo is one of the most beautiful of Italy, it is a district of the municipality of Travesio and it keeps the ruins of the Medieval castle that overlooked the below settlement. It’s a beautiful type of fortified architecture of Friuli. There were eight “masi” (rural family farm-houses) in 1220 and there were twenty-five of them in the 16th century. You can start your excursion from Palazzo Toppo Wasserman that was a rural construction that became an elegant country-house in the 16th century then you can see other rural constructions made of stones that are very well kept. In the square facing the pala-
Paolo Abbate
ce you can see a palace dating back to the 17th century with an arch, it’s a beautiful Summer residence belonging to the Spilimbergo earls. You can cycle along a beautiful cycle route that goes from Toppo to Travesio where you can see one of the most important examples of Renaissance painting in the parish church of Saint Peter where two works by the Lombard artist Giovanni Antonio Pilacorte are kept: the sacristy’s door dates back to 1484 and it’s the first known work by Pilacorte and it’s a baptismal font too. Some wonderful frescoes by Giovanni Antonio de Sacchis can be seen on the walls and in the choir’s vault.
BACK TO THE SUMMARY
Luisella Gubitta
Bruno Londero
Basilicata, a green heart between the Dolomites and the Sea
Luca Sartori
twitter.com/LucaSartoriIT
Basilicata Turistica
basilicataturistica.it
Paki Cassano
instagram.com/paky_cassano/
Maratea
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asilicata is a land of mountains and sea, old villages and little towns, forests and vineyards, canyons and ancient volcanos. It’s a land that hides several secrets, it’s one of the oldest and most varied landscapes of Italy and it’s spread with perched villages and interesting little towns. From the area of Vulture-Melfese to the area around Potenza and the Lucanian Dolomites, the Pollino mountain range and the Mount Sirino, the Agri valley and the surrounding hills down to
Matera from the Murgia
the Metaponto plain along the Ionian Sea’s shores Basilicata is a mix of different landscapes. Matera is the pearl of the region, the great protagonist in the world this year. It’s the European Capital city of Culture for the year 2019 and its amazing Stones have been included in the Unesco’s heritage then there are the “gravine” (sort of canyons), the Murgia plain and the archaeological natural park of the rock churches which is one of the most appreciated tourist destinations this year.
Pollino National Park - The Raganello from the Timpa of San Lorenzo
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Aliano and the rocky inlets within a walking distance
liano is a tiny village in the surroundings of Matera perched on a loamy hill which is famous for its peculiar lunar landscape featured by the rocky inlets, the peaks created by nature that softly lay down towards the sea and create a unique natural scenery. Carlo Levi was exiled here between 1935 and 1936, he gave his help as a doctor and he was also engaged in his painting activity, he wrote his literary masterpiece “Cristo si è fermato a Eboliâ€? (Christ stopped at Eboli) which is set in this part of Lucania. The writer died in 1975
and his body was buried in this village next to the historical museum that took his name and near his house-museum. The literary park dedicated to this artist is also a place of interest since it exhibits the places where the novel was set. The cultural offer of Aliano also includes the contemporary art museum of the rural civilization. Among the main architectural emergencies of this village there is the church of Saint Louis Gonzaga dating back to the 17th century which is enriched with a baroque altar and with the walls decorated by big paintings.
Aliano
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rsina was once called Montepeloso and it was a bishopric together with Gravina di Puglia. You can breathe the art and the history in this village and the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta dating back to the 13th century is the most precious jewel of this place mainly because of its Baroque façade, the clock-tower with its mullioned windows and a precious red marble font, some paintings dating back to the 18th century and a marble statue of Saint Euphemia attributed to Mantegna. Among the religious buildings there is also the monastery of Saint
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Francis, once Frederik the II’s castle while Palazzo Lombardi, Palazzo Cantorio, a number of gates and towers are other beautiful civic buildings. Irsina is also the capital of “Bottini”, the underground tunnels that follow the movement of the underground water. The water that is found underground is put into some holding tanks and after it has been purified it is canalized up to the outdoor fountain dating back to the 18th century from which it gushes from thirteen holes. The Bottini network is unique and it represents a rural heritage of this area.
Tricarico
Grassano
Following the Malta knights’ tracks
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he early news about Tricarico dates back to the 13th century when it was a simple farmhouse. It is laid on the Sella Mortella hill and you can reach the upper part of the village by going along La Chiesa street where you can see some beautiful residences dating back to the 18th century that are equipped with some slots that were used to watch the possible coming of bandits who are seldom hidden in the surrounding forests. The Baroque main church is dedicated to Saint John Baptist and you can enjoy a beautiful
view from its square. The district of Capolegrotte is featured by deep caves that were used to store the wine and the oil, the subject of many paintings and photographs by Carlo Levi. Grassano keeps the findings of the urban settlement that was founded by the Malta’s knights in Basilicata besides other important geological, natural and architectural sites that belong to the literary park dedicated to Carlo Levi which is located near the historical centre next to the ruins of the old castle of the Malta’s Knights.
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Flying above the Lucanian Dolomites
astelmezzano and Pietrapertosa are two jewels by the Lucanian Dolomites. Castelmezzano is overlooked by the rocks of the Little Lucanian Dolomites that you can reach by going up the steep steps, the narrow streets and the several houses that sound climbing on the rocks. The inhabited areas are surrounded by a thick vegetation that includes the lime trees, the maple trees and the alder trees. The fauna is very rich too, there are the badgers, the wolves and the wild cats: it’s a natural environment where you can get lost among the tracks, the natural staircases and the little stone bridges. Pietrapertosa is the highest municipality of Basilicata at 1.088 metres of altitude. It was entirely
Castelmezzano
built on the rocks and it stretches on the main avenue that reaches the castle, an old Roman fortress overlooked by a natural arch that was once a watching post. The church of Saint James is one of the religious architectural emergencies. It was originally a Roman church with two naves, a huge clocktower and a precious wooden choir dating back to the 16th century. A steel cable connecting the two villages offers you the thrilling experience of a flight above the Lucanian Dolomites in pairs or alone. You will cover a kilometre and a half in less than a minute facing the challenge of the Angel Flight at four hundred metres of altitude between the sky and the earth.
Pietrapertosa StevanZZ/Shutterstock.com
Maratea, Tyrrhenian coast
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asilicata is one of the very few Italian regions lapped by two seas, the Ionian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea and the villages overlooking their coastline are colourful seaside resorts. Maratea is one of the most beautiful places along the Tyrrhenian coastline, it’s featured by 32 kilometres of rugged cliffs and beaches facing the deep blue water and the Mediterranean vegetation. There are different resorts, Acquafredda, Cersuta, Fiumicello and the Black Beach with its black sand and the tiny bea-
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ches that can only be reached by boat. From Metaponto to Nova Siri on the border with Calabria the Ionian coastline includes the municipalities of Bernalda, Scanzano Jonico, Policoro, Rotondella and Nova Siri. The hinterland behind Metaponto is one of the most productive area of Basilicata spread with vineyards, fruit trees and citrus groves while the coastline is a holiday area enriched with white sandy beaches and clear blue water that perfectly meet the tastes of sea sports lovers.
Lido di Policoro, Ionian coast
Bosco Pantano di Policoro Nature Reserve
Craco
Campomaggiore
Craco and Campomaggiore where time sounds still time. Although the forced exodus Craco hasn’t changed and in 2010 it was entered into the list of the places to be saved that belong to the World Monuments Fund. Campomaggiore is another ghost city, it’s the broken dream of the Earl Teodoro Rendina who aimed at turning this tiny village in the shade of the Lucanian Dolomites into “The City of Utopia”. The Master palace is set in the old square and it’s surrounded by the ruins of the ancient palaces and the peasants’ houses.
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he sun crashes into the rocky hill on which Craco stands out, it’s set around 50 kilometres from Matera in an area of Basilicata that is often chosen as a set for many Italian and foreign movies. Its historical village was depopulated in the 1060s because of a big landslide that forced the inhabitants to move down to the valley so it became a ghost-town, an attraction for tourists nowadays because it sounds that the time has been stood still and you feel like being suspended in
Campomaggiore
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ursi is crossed by two rivers, the Agri and the Sinni and it stretches upwards. It has been shaped by the loamy rocky inlets that offer an incredible natural scenery. Tursi is set in the area of the glorious Siritide, a flourishing region of the ancient Magna Grecia. From the top of its hill you can see an endless landscape from the Ionian Sea to the gulf of Taranto and all the villages along the coast up to the peaks of the Pollino National Park. It’s the city of Albino Pierro who ran for the literature Nobel Prize plenty of times to whom the village dedicated the literary park set in his native home. The ancient district of Rabatana is one of
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the most characteristic places, it is featured by an architecture that shows the influence of the Arab domination that deeply affected the culture of this area. It’s a charming handful of houses built with stones and bricks, it’s an example of a spontaneous architecture that sounds being suspended in time, it’s a sort of puzzle of different images that make a unique scenery. The ruins of the Gothic castles dating back to the 5th century deserve to be visited in Maria Santissima di Anglona square and the wonderful sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin together with other historical palaces and churches a few kilometres far deserve a stop too.
Tursi
Venosa, L’Icompiuta
Venosa and Grumento, walking around the ancient Rome tes back to the 15th century where the Archaeological National Museum is based. You can breathe the ancient Rome in Grumento Nova as well, it’s a nice Medieval village in the Agry Valley, the elephants arrived here for the first time during the fight between Hannibal and the Roman legions. It is called the little Lucanian Pompei, it is perfectly set in the surrounding natural landscape and it’s a quite interesting archaeological area where you can see the ancient findings of the Roman Aqueduct, the amphitheatre, the Thermal Baths and the Temples. Many findings are also kept in the National Archaeological Museum which is one of the most important in the South of Italy.
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enosa is considered one of the most beautiful villages of Italy, it’s an interesting historical and cultural place. It was founded by the Romans in 291 B.C. in order to keep the Ofanto valley and the Appia Road under control. It was deeply connected to Rome that considered it a “Municipium”. The great Latin poet Quinto Orazio Flacco was born here. You can’t miss a visit to the monumental area rich of important artworks like the amazing capitals, the mosaics that still witness the flourishing of the town and its beauty. The Incompiuta (unfinished) is an Abbey dating back to the 11th century, it’s a ring of walls without the roof then there is the castle of Pirro del Balzo that da-
Venosa
Archaeological area of Grumento
Venosa
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ou can breathe history in Melfi where Frederik II of Svevia was the protagonist. He was a mysterious enlightened sovereign and he enacted the “Costituzioni melfitane” (the Constitutions from Melfi) in 1231 from his stronghold. Melfi castle is huge, it is a massive construction of Norman origins dating back to the end of the 11th century and it is perched on a hill in an inhabited area that is surrounded by the walls and it’s featured by the characteristic narrow streets. The National Archaeological Museum is based in the castle, it keeps findings dating back to the 7th and the 3rd cen-
Monticchio Lake - Rionero in Vulture
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tury B.C. as well as the amazing Coffin of Rapolla coming from Asia Minor. The beautiful cathedral dating back to 1056 can’t be missed too. The land of Frederik is also the land of a famous wine, the Aglianico from Vulture which is considered one of the best red Italian wines and there are many districts in this area where this wine is produced so a visit to the historical cellars of the region is unmissable. Lagopesole is related to Frederik II and his son Manfredi too. It’s a district of Avigliano and it is overlooked by its famous castle from the top of which you can see Mount Vulture on a clear day.
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Melfi forben/Shutterstock.com
Lagopesole - Castello
Melfi Mi.Ti./Shutterstock.com
Melfi leoks/Shutterstock.com
BACK TO THE SUMMARY
Luca Sartori
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Matera, Basilicata
Sassi,
canyons and magic
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t’s a timeless spot that reminds of distant places. Long stone brickworks are spread on a wavy land covered in olive trees and all of a sudden you are on the ridge of a deep cut in the soil, a canyon leading to Matera, the magic city of stones. It overlooks one of the most famous “gravine” that feature this charming city that matches the pride of being the European capital of culture this year with a landscape that wraps visitors in a mystic dimension.
The erosion has been creating these amazing Karstic formations along the centuries, they still keep important signs of the ancient times and they have been creating unique rocky villages with their cultivated terraces that have always attracted the human presence. Carlo Levi dedicated many pages of his works to this area of Italy that has recently become a tourist attraction but there’s still a lot to be told and discovered.
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Caves, courtyards and staircases
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our visit in the city of Matera can start with a stop at the belvedere of Murgia Materana, an amazing terrace overlooking the old city that is standing on the top of the “gravina” that rises above the inhabited centre. You can enjoy the beauty and the details from the top of that panoramic terrace. Sassi, the historical centre, the whole structure dating back to the 18th century, the courtyards, the little squares, the staircases, the museums and the churches make one of the most incredible mosaics of Italy where the history is mixed with the legends and the art is
gadzius/Shutterstock.com
melted with an enchanting landscape. It’s a unique cultural landscape that was named a Unesco World Heritage Site where different elements belonging to different historical ages from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, the Baroque up to the present time come together. It’s a jubilation of details that gather in a magic scenery featured by the caves, the churches, the vegetable gardens, the courtyards, the historical buildings, the staircases, the balconies. In a few words it’s a breathless timeless landscape overlooking the “gravina”.
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Canyons and rock churches
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he “Gravine� are the Italian canyons. A mix of history, nature and traditions. An area in the Southern Italy that has been inhabited between the Palaeolithic and the Neolithic Age that left important witnesses, deep canyons and long streams. There are different natural environments, the rocky areas, the areas where the vegetation is more evident, the humid areas where
the water flows by creating the ponds and the little lakes. The nature has also welcomed the human settlements especially in Matera where people used to live in the caves that surround the canyons’ walls that are the best featuring elements of this area of Basilicata together with the Neolithic villages, the secluded deep valleys and the rocky churches.
Kirk Fisher/Shutterstock.com
Church of San Rocco in Montescaglioso Mi.Ti./Shutterstock.com
Pastures and shepherds
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he Murgia Materana is a really peculiar land. There are the farmhouses and the pastures, the breeds and the shepherds. There are few natural resources that have been perfectly used along the centuries by cultivating the terraces and the less inaccessible valleys. Difficult lands and wild valleys feature the karstic landscape where Matera is standing out. Two different canyons shape this area. The first one surrounds Matera, it was originally formed in the area of Pantano and it
ends in the municipality of Montescaglioso, it is crossed by the stream that comes from Altamura and it enters the Bradano. The second canyon is the “gravina� of Picciano which is crossed by the stream coming from Gravina di Puglia that enters the Bradano as well. The canyon surrounding Matera is a hundred meters deep, it’s less steep and more irregular than the Picciano one. They are inaccessible to people and they are featured by an amazing ecosystem.
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Emily Marie Wilson/Shutterstock.com
Orchids and bats
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he canyons exhibit a particular vegetation that puts together the rocky area and the humid ones. The Macedonian oaks, the holm oaks, the Aleppo pine trees, the maples trees and the downy oaks are the most spread species of trees together with the terebinth bushes, the prickly juniper, the lentisk, the sage, the garlic and the thyme. Then there are the orchids, the Indian figs, the cyclamen, the honeysuckle and the hawthorns.
Among the different species of animals there are many raptors like the kestrels, the short-toed eagles, the ravens, the buzzards while you can easily see the bats at night. There are the boars, the badgers, the foxes, the hedgehogs as well as the wolves and you can also see the fire-bellied toads in the humid areas as well as the italic tree frogs, the green frogs, the whip snakes, the green lizards and the Kotschy geckos.
Murgia Materana Alberto Zuppardi/Shutterstock.com
Murgia Materana Francesca Cerretani/Shutterstock.com
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Luca Sartori
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Azienda per il turismo Folgaria, Lavarone e Luserna alpecimbra.it
Strongholds, tracks and ancient tastes
Trentino-Alto Adige
Alp Cimbra:
Becco di Filadonna
Lavarone, Becco di Filadonna
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t’s an ancient border land. The Cimbrian Alps is an area of Trentino, it’s an area of the Alps that tells about its ancient origins. It’s a charming territory because of its natural heritage and because of its history as well as its villages and traditions. Folgaria, Lusèrn and Lavarone are the main tiles of a mosaic which is featured by beautiful alpine villages, one of the widest mountain pastures of Europe that can perfectly put together all the different characte-
ristics to offer many attractions and activities to the tourists from all over the world like the biking, the trekking and the alpine skiing. The Cimbrian Alps is also a place of old traditions and culture where the wonders of nature like the lake Lavarone and the Hofentol waterfalls match the local food products like the speck, the cheese, the honey and all the typical products that deserve to be tasted in the alpine huts or in the restaurants.
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Folgaria, Lavarone and Lusèrn
olgaria, Lavarone and Lusèrn are the main villages of the Cimbrian Alps. They are perfect for a Summer holiday, Folgaria is one of the oldest communities of Trentino featured by a lively historical centre where you can walk along the avenue sided by beautiful shops and locals where you can stop for a tasty break. Lavarone is a romantic village, it overlooks the lake and it was awarded with the European Blue Flag in 2017. In the past it was the favourite destination of some
Lavarone Lake
important people like the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph and the neurologist- therapist Sigmund Freud. The culture and the traditions feature the nice village of Lusèrn where the house-museum “Haus Von Prükk” stands out, it was born after the restoration of a typical ancient farmhouse dating back to the 19th century. A stop in Guardia can’t be missed, the coloured houses with their painted external walls are very characteristic as well as the huge fortified constructions on the highlands.
Folgaria Fabio Guariento/Shutterstock.com
Luserna Fort
Folgaria Piero Beggiato/Shutterstock.com
Canederli Anna q/Shutterstock.com
Vèzzena cheese
Speck Karl Allgaeuer/Shutterstock.com
Potato polenta and speck
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hese tastes are filled with history and traditions. The cheese, the speck, the honey and the beer are only a part of the many delicacies from this area. The Vèzzena cheese was particularly appreciated by the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph, it has a bitter taste and a soft texture and it’s produced in the mountain huts on the highlands. It was once used to season the soups and the “canederli” and it is now guaranteed by the Protected Denomination of Origin. There’s also the tasty speck, the salt meat, the mushrooms and the honey to which the Cimbrian Alps have even dedicated a museum then there’s the strudel and the Zelten
that can’t be forgotten. A speciality from this area is the potato polenta which is made of mushed potatoes that are filled with butter, onion and the grated cheese, it is generally served with the meat cooked in the oven, a lot of sauce or with another typical dish which is the Tonco del Pontesel, a stew of different types of meat and the sausages that were once once left on the windowsills that were called “pontesel” in the local dialect. If you fancy tasting the best from the local cuisine don’t miss a stop at the restaurant Coe in Folgaria or at the alpine hut Malga Campo of Lusèrn or at the chalet Tana Incantata of Lavarone.
Trail of the springs
Baby trekking and culture
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he Cimbrian lands are the heaven of tracks lovers, the ideal destination for all kinds of backpackers for all levels of difficulty. There’s a wide range of tracks for all difficulties that go up to the pastures, in the forests or reach the Mount Vigolana, the Pasubio and the Becco di Filadonna. There’s also a wide range of proposals for the families like the new Baby Tracks in Folgaria, Lavarone and Lusérn where the pushchairs are welcome or there are many theme tracks that offer tourists the possibility to discover the history, the culture, the na-
ture and the legends of this area: for instance you can walk along the Track of Imaginary in Lusèrn or along the trail of the Bear. In Lavarone there are the Trees’ Breathing and the Sources’ Track. In Folgaria there is the water track along the old mills and the sawmills then there’s also the Track of Wildlife and the Track of the Biotype of Echen. You can’t miss the track along the Wolf’s gorge, it’s a long trench mountain ridge excavated in the high rocks spread with slots, observation points and caves overlooking the cliffs and the slopes in front of Pasubio.
Palu Park pio3/Shutterstock.com
Forra del Lupo
Seconde Poste
Rosspach valley
The heaven of cyclists
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t doesn’t matter if you are using your own bicycle or if you are renting one, it’s the most used transport here: a big network of cycle routes feature this area of Trentino. From Lavarone along the lake’s banks to Lusèrn up to Folgaria there are plenty of cycle lanes that can match everyone’s tastes, the professional cyclists and the families. A wide network of routes enables
you to go deep into the nature and the landscapes surrounded by history and culture. The routes leading to lake Garda and the Asiago highland make the Cimbrian Alps a unique place which is also near some beautiful places outside the region. The routes of Millegrobbe, Nicolussi, Val di Gola, Passo Sommo and the Lavarone fortresses are just a few in this heaven of cyclists.
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The Po River Delta, the Unesco nature
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landscape will impress you if you are overwhelmed by feelings. The feelings can be the most diverse and the astonishment is one of the most evident. If you see the Po Delta for the first time you’ll certainly be impressed from this suspended surreal landscape. The same feeling is shared before the different landscapes and the different eco-systems of this unique area which is part of the Unesco heritage and it gives us its amazing environment rich of flora and fauna, history, culture and nature. The Po Delta includes part of the Piedmont and re-
aches Emilia Romagna constantly changing its landscapes featured by the dunes, the banks, the floodplain and the lagoons. It’s a territory to be carefully seen, it’s one of the favourite destinations of birdwatchers because of its quietness where you can linger and take your time. It’s also a place to breath and enjoy all kinds of activities. You can go on beautiful excursions, you can sail along the river, you can go horse-riding, you can go for long walks or you can go cycling and you can also enjoy a day in the sun on the beach.
Scardovari Lagoon Luca Lanfranchi/Shutterstock.com
Scardovari Lagoon Andrea Padoan/Shutterstock.com
History of nature and people
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he Polesine area isn’t famous because of famous people but it is a really charming place. Scardovari e Bonelli are two tiny villages where the history of this area is told by the characteristic coloured fishermen’s houses that sound posing for a perpetual shot. One of the widest lagoons of the Po Delta is set in this small area where they cultivate the mussels and the clams on a reclaimed humid soil like the Oasis of Ca’ Mello which is spread
with cycle routes that enables you to enjoy your relaxed slow excursions and stop each time the landscape becomes so beautiful to be peacefully tasted. The Regional Park of the Po Delta in Veneto deserves a special visit around the routes of the Golena Oasis of Panarella, protected by the WWF which is equipped for the watching of its fauna and it’s the paradise of birdwatchers surrounded by the rushes, the cane fields and the willow trees.
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Goro, Gorino and the water labyrinth
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ou can discover this area by leaving from two characteristic fishing villages , Goro e Gorino, which look out on the Sacca di Goro, one of the widest salty lagoons of the upper Adriatic Sea, a crossroad of the water coming from the sea and the water coming from the Po river, the natural habitat for the mussels and the claims so this area is also appreciated for its traditional food. In the province of Ferrara the name of the village is related to the Scannone
Scanno del Faro ROBERT67/Shutterstock.com
di Goro that is also known as the Island of Love, it’s a piece of land on the edge of which there is a place called Scanno del Faro which is set on a sand strip: it’s featured by the 22 metres high lighthouse of Go that stands out on the soil and the water. A little timeless treasure in the lagoon is the Church of San Basilio in the municipality of Ariano Polesine where the Po river meets the countryside, its beautiful Romanic front-side deserves to be seen.
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Comacchio, Tre Ponti StevanZZ/Shutterstock.com
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ater is the protagonist here, the salty water that is bordered by the cleared land. Comacchio is in the province of Ferrara, it’s featured by a unique landscape that you can discover by choosing a boat trip leaving from Stazione Foce to explore the canals and the typical fishermen’s huts. Comacchio is also known for its saltworks that are located behind Lido degli Estensi, a particularly protected part of the Re-
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Comacchio, the saltworks and the eels
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gional Park of the Po Delta that you can visit on foot provided you are accompanied by a guide. Comacchio was designed by the water, it was and Etruscan area in a very long past that became the salt trading post in the Middle Ages. You can discover more if you visit the Museum and you must taste this area’s typical products, the eel whose working and preparation is shown in the old factory Manifattura dei Marinati.
Casa delle Saline cristian ghisla/Shutterstock.com
Guard house Donnabona, Valli di Comacchio comance64/Shutterstock.com
Milano Marittima nnattalli/Shutterstock.com
Cervia, the markets and the tradition
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here are seven sea area around Comacchio that are included in the regional Park of the Po Delta of Emilia Romagna but it isn’t the only sea place along the coastline. Cervia and its district of Milano Marittima is famous for its leisure time activities and its nightlife and it’s also an area that
can be slowly discovered by cycling around. The street market that is held on Thursdays is great for shopping, you can buy the typical fabrics or you can also visit the fishing markets or Pila, famous for its fish auction that is organized on weekdays in the afternoon.
Market in Cervia claudio zaccherini/Shutterstock.com
Sunset on the Goro Lagoon Gimas/Shutterstock.com
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The Orcia  Valley,
the landscape that becomes art
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ills covered in vineyards, olive and chestnut trees, cultivated fields perfectly framed by the cypresses, tiny Medieval villages, farmhouses, castles, abbeys and parish churches as the eye can see. This is the landscape of the Orcia Valley which has become an ideal balance between the human beings and the nature since the Renaissance also thanks to the works by the painters of the school from Siena. The natural landscape of this valley crossed by the river Orcia is overlooked by the Mount Amiata
in the background and it has been redesigned in order to fulfil the ideals of the good government and the natural armony that featured the Renaissance. To better understand this point you can admire the fresco by Ambrogio Lorenzetti “Allegory of the Good Government� (1338-1339) that are kept in the Public Palace of Siena. The matching of the natural landscape with the human works gave an untouched unique historical identity to these places that have been entered into the Unesco’s heritage.
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Pienza
Going deep into a painting
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f you want to discover the Orcia valley you must start with Pienza, a village that was born between 1459 and 1462 by the will of Pope Pius II who wanted to shape the “ideal town”. You can walk along the streets that are dedicated to love, to the kiss and the fortune and you can look out on the surrounding landscape and stretch your sight up to the extinct volcano of Mount Amiata. You’ll be overwhelmed by the colours especially if you decide to cycle around or if you ride a scooter or
even if you go horse-riding to slowly enjoy this landscape. You’ll discover the Oak of Checche, a 400 years old tree also known as the tree of witches that has been awarded as the “first green monument of Italy” or you can stop and visit the lonely Chapel of Madonna di Vitaleta along the street that connects Pienza with San Quirico d’Orcia, a Medieval village that deserves the journey because of its collegiate church dating back to the 13th century.
Chapel of the Madonna of Vitaleta Matteo Pappadopoli/BorghiPic
Pienza Jag_cz/Shutterstock.com
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The slow pace, the sunset and the theatre
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he Orcia Valley also offers relaxing moments in the thermal villages like Chianciano. The water has been shaping the landscape since the Etruscan Age and the waterfalls, the streams and the natural pools have been creating some natural concretions that sound coming out from the pages of a Gothic fairy-tales book like the so-called “White Whale”, a calcareous rock near Bagni di San Filippo. The Park of Mills in Bagno Vignoni, a tiny village along the Francigena way
is particularly charming. It’s featured by a huge stone pool from which the thermal water naturally gushes and the water vapour wraps the entire village. A perfect slow day can’t finish without admiring the sunset from Monticchiello’s walls. It’s a fortified village that stands out at 500 metres of altitude and if you are lucky enough you’ll be able to attend the events that are held at the “Teatro Povero”, an important historical theatre.
Monticchiello Simona Bottone/Shutterstock.com
Radicofani Tommimarc/Shutterstock.com
Radicofani Melinda Nagy/Shutterstock.com
San Quirico d’Orcia VOJTa Herout/Shutterstock.com
Ancient and modern myths
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he legends, the stories and the traditions reach the present time and they are renewed in the streets’ names, in the legends and even in the menus. Ghino di Tacco, the out-low mentioned by Dante Alighieri in the “Divine Comedy” and by Boccaccio in the “Decameron” is strictly related to the village of Radicofani. Barbarossa met Hadrian IV and his legates in San Quirico d’Orcia. Saint Catherine, the Patron Saint of Italy who was declared the Doctor of the Church by Pope Paolo VI got the writing gift in Rocca di Tentennano, a strategic
stronghold near Castiglione d’Orcia that was the first municipality to enact a Constitutional paper around 800 years ago thanks to the Earl Tignoso from Tentennano. The Roman Abbey of Sant’Antimo was built in memory of Charles the Great who passed by Montalcino. Among the most recent myths you can’t forget Massimo Decimo Meridio in the famous movie “The Gladiator” starring Russel Crowe. These hills have been chosen as the set of their movies by other directors like Ridley Scott, Franco Zeffirelli and Bruno Bertolucci.
San Quirico d’Orcia Stefano Termanini/Shutterstock.com
Pecorino of Pienza mazarekic/Shutterstock.com
Sensory landscapes
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he landscapes of Orcia Valley can stimulate all the five senses thanks to its centuries-old traditions that have turned the local products into International excellent food products like the pecorino cheese from Pienza, made of the pasteurized milk from the sheep and seasoned in the wooden containers for at least ninety days; the pici, a type of pasta seasoned with Aglione; the extra-virgin oil from Castiglione d’Orcia and the salami from the Cinta Senese, a typical breed from the Orcia Valley. The red wines have contributed to increase the fame of the
Orcia Valley in the world thanks to the production of the Docg (designation of controlled geographic origin) Brunello di Montalcino made from Sangiovese grapes and aged in the oak barrels for at least three years and the Docg Nobile from Montepulciano made of Prugnolo Gentile grapes and aged in the oak barrels. The villages of “Doc Orcia� (designation of controlled origin) represent the route of wines that attracts the tourists and the wine lovers from all over the world through a landscape that goes up and downs the hills from Siena to be fully sipped.
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Shaiith/Shutterstock.com
BACK TO THE SUMMARY
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Carola Traverso Saibante
When you feel a landscape within yourself
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Landscapes within yourself
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ur country is beautiful everywhere but there are some landscapes that fill your sight and you can’t forget them anymore. You feel them within yourselves, their colours, their taste are unique and unforgettable. What can we say about the amazing red rocks of Arbatax in Sardinia? The granite with the colour of the fire facing the deep blue sea where you can taste the specialties from Ogliastra mainly the Culurgiones, the
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filled pasta with the shape of the spike that contains the potatoes, the pecorino cheese and the mint. Then there are the hidden views like the Lagoon of Marano around the charming village that has its name. Close to Lignano Sabbiadoro there’s a landscape of swans and silence, the fish is farmed among the cane fields and the fishermen’s wooden huts in a lagoon habitat that enable to farm the fish all the year through.
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Landscapes within yourself
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Landscapes within yourself gab90/Shutterstock.com
Snakes and flamingos, sweet and salty I
n the terraced village of Cingoli in Marche where the sun shines even when it has already gone down in the rest of the region, where the sight reaches an endless landscape from the Adriatic Sea to the Conero Mountain a snake pops up within the castle’s walls. It’s the “snake from Cingoli” a traditional Christmas sweet made of genuine products like the egg white, the almonds, the cocoa powder, the le-
mon and the sugar. Let’s go up the Adriatic Sea and reach Cervia in Emilia Romagna. Let’s stop, the world is pink like the salt and the flamingos that inhabit this Natural Reserve which is considered an important Humid Area at an International level. A landscape within the landscape: the saltpans are in the Po Delta. This raw salt is harvested with hands and it doesn’t contain the most bitter chlorides.
Landscapes within yourself Michele Vacchiano/Shutterstock.com
Landscapes within yourself Pier Giorgio Carloni/Shutterstock.com
Landscapes within yourself
Landscapes within yourself Marco Ossino/Shutterstock.com
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Black like the lava or the sheep T
he Etna Park is really overwhelming since you can feel the presence of the volcano not just through your eyes; the towns and the villages that are near the Etna share the same architectural features since they are constructed by using the lava rocks and they also share the specialties that are made by using the local products. Each village has got its typical product: the famous pistachio nuts from Bronte (they belong to the Slow Food Organization), the hazelnuts and the vineyards of Sant’Alfio, the sausages from Linguaglossa that
are worked on a oak’s log and are perfumed with the wild fennel, the fruit like the strawberries from Maletto, the DOC prickly pears, the IGP cherries, the Tabacchiera peaches not to mention that even mangos grow on the Etna! Let’s move from Sicily to Sardinia, from the volcano to the dunes: the sandy ones of Piscinas, a breathless curvy landscape. We are in Arbus where you can see the black sheep; it’s a native breed and the cheese that is made by using their milk have been aknowledged as a Traditional Agri-Food product in March 2019.
Landscapes within yourself Alessio Orru/Shutterstock.com
Landscapes within yourself
Landscapes within yourself Stefano Garau/Shutterstock.com
Landscapes within yourself
Fat marble and stringy balls L
et’s move from black to white. “White as marble”: which one? The marble from Carrara. The marble caves are a mosaic shaped by the mankind that is set in the imperial natural landscape of the Apuan Alps. Down their slopes you will find the village of Colonnata which is famous for its marble and for its IGP Protected Geographical Information) lard which is matured into the marble hollows then it is flavoured with the garlic, the pepper, the coriander, the sage, the rosemary, the cinnamon and the cloves. You must taste it on a hot
Only Fabrizio/Shutterstock.com
Federico Rostagno/Shutterstock.com
crouton and you can also add an anchovy from the near Ligurian Sea. Let’s go back to the South and reach the National Park of Upper Murgia in Puglia that aims at becoming a Biological Area. There are other typical products here: in the wilderness and by following the dinosaurs’ tracks
let’s choose the “Pallone” from Gravina, it’s a cheese with a round shape similar to caciocavallo. It’s matured in the cellars or in the tuff caves in the village that takes its name from the “gravine” that are deep cuts in the soil that look like the canyons. And your mouth will be watering!
Landscapes within yourself
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Landscapes within yourself Gravina Vadym Lavra/Shutterstock.com
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Landscapes within yourself
The salt ways ,
between the earth and the sea
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ind, sun, water. The production of salt, the white gold of the Mediterranean Sea is apparently simple but it actually implies centuries of history and techniques that have been shaping fantastic landscaped suspended between heaven and earth that are spread throughout Italy together with the surrounding sea and villages. They are featured by the huge sea water tanks that were built around the labyrinths of canals and locks that look like a chess board where the pieces are the salt pans each having its own
Marsala Roman Babakin/Shutterstock.com
function in the production process. It’s a chess board where the men and the nature have been playing and endless game that enabled the human intellect to turn a natural landscape into a functional one to produce the salt. A unique set of landscapes that connect the Po river from the North that was once considered the salt way with the South: they are sometimes natural oasis or reserves that gather the cultural and historical value of a whole geographical area that must be protected and that deserves to be known.
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Sicily, the pink flamingos and the pyramids of salt
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he salt way that connects Trapani with Marsala along thirty kilometres is a jubilation of colours and it’s surrounded by an almost hypnotic landscape: the windmills and the salt pyramids mirror in the tanks while the pink flamingos and the deep blue sea are standing in the background. In the middle there is the Natural Reserve of Trapani and Paceco, a landscape inhabited by 170 different species of birds, there are the salt pans of Nubia facing the Salt Museum and the dreamlike landscape of the lagoon of the Stagnone of
Marsala which is enclosed between the Sicilian coastline and four islands. This landscape was named a Unesco World Heritage Site and the human contribution has enabled to enhance its beauty in order to support a more eco-sustainable production. It’s an area to be discovered by going for long walks along the banks, by visiting the Infersa Windmill, by taking a salt bath on the Isola Lunga or by experiencing the salt harvesting wearing boots. You can’t miss the saltpans of Priolo on the other side of the island near Siracusa.
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Cervia, bright white gold
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ervia is “the white gold destination� thanks to its 827 hectares of reservoirs and banks (corresponding to 1200 football pitches). In this area suspended between the Earth and the Adriatic Sea and the entrance of the Po Delta there are the most Northern saltpans of Italy because of the presence of several botanical species and birds including the Knights Italy that symbolize this humid area which is important at an International level. From the centre of the village you can easily reach the Camillone salt pan which is
the only reservoir which is still run by using the traditional method whose salt production has been acknowledged by the Slow Food Organization. The ritual of the salt harvesting is repeated each year from June to September when the landscape becomes an open air museum. If you like discovering all the secrets related to the salt production you can visit the Museum located inside the Salt warehouse that exhibits the different steps of the production that are strictly related to the nearby village.
Parco della Salina, Cervia Artyart/Shutterstock.com
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Thermal Baths and sunset in Santa Margherita di Savoia
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he best moment to enjoy the landscape in Santa Margherita di Savoia near Foggia is at sunset when the colours are mirrored into the tanks and the reservoirs that are spread along 4500 hectares and the pink flamingos, the wild ducks, the herons are soaring at the same time. Pliny the Elder tells that during the Roman Age the salt was harvested in this area without any human support: the sea water enters the Lake
when the water is high then it evaporates leaving the salt as a gift. The landscape has been changing along the centuries thanks to the construction of big tanks and canals that enabled Santa Margherita di Savoia to become one of the widest salt pans in Europe. Besides the different reserve’s routes you can also relax on the long white beaches or in the thermal baths that use the salt water for their beauty treatments.
Sardinia, salt pans and archaeology
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n Sardina you must first visit the salt pans’ beach: there’s an ancient Aragon tower that reminds the time when the salt was harvested there. In the Sulcis Iglesiente the first “Salt Way of Sardinia” is going to be started, it’s a new route that perfectly suits the hikers and the cyclists’ tastes in the nature. The “salt route” will develop around Sant’Antioco by the salt pans that are spread along the coastline for 20m kilometres and it will include some trekking and cycle routes. The saltpans of
Sant’Antioco Sant’Antioco pointbreak/Shutterstock.com pointbreak/Shutterstock.com
Conti Vecchi in the lagoon of Santa Giulia in the province of Cagliari features a beautiful route among the natural tanks, the salt mountains, the ospreys and the pink flamingos. Here the salt has been produced since the 1920s and this area has been included in the FAI’s heritage that supported the restoration of the historical buildings and the organization of spaces in order to offer the visitors the chance to go back in time by cycling or by the electric train that goes through the oasis.
Saline a Sant’Antioco Elisa Locci/Shutterstock.com
Sant’Antioco Elisa Locci/Shutterstock.com
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Grazia Gioè
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Calabria: The Landscapes of Contemplation
Aspromonte Wild
Piminoro in Aspromonte Aspromonte Wild
“
… what a wonderful land! What refreshment for your soul!”, this famous quote by the Russian writer N.V. Gogol perfectly describes the sentiment that Calabria and its landscapes is unleashed in the visitors’ eyes. That’s what happened to the well-known German director Wim Wenders who was completely
lost in the beauty of the Calabrian landscapes, he called them “the landscapes of contemplation”. Actually Calabria with its thousand-year-old contrasts is for sure an extraordinary “narration” of art, nature, people, villages and traditions. An exclusive invitation to contemplation: Calabria is a state of mind.
Vallone della Madonna Aspromonte Wild
Aspromonte Wild
A Chest of Landscapes and Villages
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n Calabria the untouched landscapes and the thousand-year-old-villages are always ready to become the exclusive set and location for the movie industry which has always supported the regional tourism promotion in an area where the landscapes, the villages and cities are deeply charming, they are the landscapes of contemplation. They are immersed in the green of woods, in the beauty, surrounded by the ruins and the myste-
ries, the coast is spread with towers and traps, the plains are spotted with cedars, olive trees, citrus and bergamots and the hinterland is featured by many churches, convents, abbeys, olive mills and torrents. They all emerge in a powerful way shouting their presence to the world. The examples that follow clearly describe what Baudelaire used to say “By facing the landscape of Calabria the soul catches what the eyes cannot�
Roghudi’s Ghost Village in the Amendolea Valley Aspromonte Wild
Aspromonte Aspromonte Wild
Charterhouse of San Bruno Grazia Gioè
Grazia Gioè
The Landscapes of the Soul
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he village of Serra San Bruno, Vibo Valentia, the Sila’s landscapes and the villages have been the absolute protagonist in front of the camera since the 1930s, the emerald landscape and the mystical Certosa in the backgroud. But the harsh beauty of the Calabrian landscape with its lakes and forests, is also the background of important movies like Il lupo della Sila and Il Patto col Diavolo in which, the ancient agricultural mountain landscapes are perfectly portrayed: from Sila
Pentedattilo Aspromonte Wild
to Aspromonte Calabria has been confirmed as the land of the landscapes of the soul. Then in the Grecian Area through the villages of Pentedattilo, Chorio and Condofuri (RC) in the movie The timeless Land among the landscapes of olive trees and jasmine we can admire the elegant movements of the harvesters of Calabria while the village of San Luca (RC) – one of the few certified Italian villages that are identified as The Landscapes of the Authors – holds the scene in the movie Alvaro’s land.
Bova Grazia Gioè
Landscapes and Existential Villages
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ven famous directors like Monicelli and Pasolini chose the landscapes of Calabria as a set for their movies. “The Incredible Army of Brancaleone” and The Gospel according to St. Matthew were respectively shot in Le Castella and Cutro (KR). However the solemnity of the latter was described by Pasolini himself as a place “…where the hills seem dunes imagined by Kafka and the sunset the sail of a blood red rose”. Other more recent audio-visual
Costa Tirrenica Aspromonte Wild
productions like the movie Arbëria shot around the Villages of the arbëresche (the Albanian people of Italy) territory of Oriolo, Mormanno, Spezzano Albanese, San Giorgio Albanese and San Demetrio Corone (CS) as well as The Poor Christ by Capossela set in the famous village of Riace (RC) have contributed to the further rising of Calabria to the role of existential landscape following the fil rouge of a unique landscape contemplation.
Park Museum, MUSABA in Mammola Grazia Gioè
Strait of Messina at sunset Aspromonte Wild
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Recanati gab90/Shutterstock.com
The “villages of the Infinite� Cinzia Meoni
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S
weet hills spotted with tiny villages overlooking Mount Conero. This is Giacomo Leopardi’s birthland and this landscape has always been a source of inspiration for the past and present artists and for the tourists who fancy spending at least one week-end in search of its treasures. Recanati, Osimo, Castelfidardo, Loreto, Montelupone as well as Polverigi, Agugliano and Santa Maria Nuova are among the best-known destinations of the so-called “villages of the Infinite”, the poem by Leopardi that’s going to
celebrate its bicentenary. There are ancient villages like Osimo whose Baptistery keeps some works by Antonio Sarti where it’s impossible to get bored: there are plenty of tracks in the green, music routes (Castelfidardo is the homeland of the accordion), food and wine routes and religious tracks. Actually Corinaldo is santa Maria Goretti’s homeland while in Loreto there’s a big Sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary, according to the tradition Mary’s house was brought there by the angels.
Park of the Conero Eddy Galeotti/Shutterstock.com
Loreto Tatiana Dyuvbanova/Shutterstock.com
Chiesa di San Biagio a Montepulciano Angyalosi Beata/Shutterstock.com
Camerano Claudio Testa/Shutterstock.com
Light blue, green and red
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he Conero natural oasis is the perfect starting point to discover this landscape overlooking the clear blue sea, its wine routes and its historical villages. You could start your trip from Sirolo, a village that has been awarded with the blue flag because of its famous black stones beach that offers an amazing view on the Mount Conero. Camerano and its wine cellars is a must in the hinterland: this ancient village is the homeland of the Rosso
Conero, a Doc wine with a 52 years old history that goes back to the ages of the Benedictine monasteries. Giacomo Leopardi was one of its best fans. This wine is featured by a dark red colour and it’s made of Montepulciano wines by 85% with a little addition of Sangiovese and it’s spread on the hills from Ancona to Offagna, a village overlooked by a fortress and the setting of one of the most important Medieval festivals of this region.
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Recanati: poetry, music and art
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oetry, music and art come together in Recanati, the “old native village” by Leopardi as well as the home-village of Beniamino Gigli, the legendary tenor to whom the Civic Museum Beniamino Gigli is dedicated, it’s located in the “Sala dei Trenta” of the Persiani Theatre. Visiting Recanati implies breathing Leopardi and going deep into its lyrical mood that is tangible in this village which is plunged into the hills of Marche. The Leopardi Palace can’t be missed, it looks out on a tiny
square that is called “Il sabato del villaggio“ (The Village Saturday Night) as well as the Tower dating back to the 12th century that is called “Passero Solitario” (The Lonely Sparrow) and the Hill of the Infinite that is taken for granted. The museum dedicated to the migration from Marche deserves a visit, it’s an interactive museum based in Villa Colloredo Mels that tells about this region and its inhabitants that preferred or needed to find a better future abroad.
Paolo Trovo/Shutterstock.com
Recanati Claudio Stocco/Shutterstock.com
Osimo Stefano Tammaro/Shutterstock.com
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Camerano ataglier/Shutterstock.com
The hinterland: adventures and mystery
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he mystery, the adventure and the esoteric symbols feature the “infinite” villages’ underground soil. In Osimo and Camerano they used to dig the defensive walkways in the sandstone since they were useful and they enabled to get the water and the raw materials in case of siege but they were also secret worship places that became real underground cities. You can go through this mysterious world where history is mixed with the legends. In the village of Camerano you
can explore an entire underground city. In Osimo the “Caves of Cantinone” stretch below the indoor market and the Sanctuary of Saint Joseph from Copertino and they are open all year through. You can book your visit and you can choose three routes that are featured by some esoteric symbols: the Simonetti caves; the Riccioni caves where you can see a room with the shape of a star and the caves of Piazza Dante that can be reached through the ancient cellars of the Fregonara-Gallo Palace.
Osimo Stefano Tammaro/Shutterstock.com
Loreto didon/Shutterstock.com
Slow exploration
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ou will enjoy the landscapes that surround the “villages of the infinite” if you slowly travel across the interland roads. You can cycle, you can use the electric bike, you can walk by using the Nordic walking sticks or you can go horse-riding and you should take all the time you need to fully enjoy the colors and the scents of the surrounding natural scenery. One of the best places to slow your time down is the valley crossed by the river Musone where you can see different species of birds like the white and the grey herons
and the river storks. For the sports lovers the rural cycle tracks are a great alternative, they cover around 80 kilometres and they are offer you the chance of photographing the villages going up and down the countryside. You can leave from Camerano, follow the coastline route towards Sirolo and Numana and reach Loreto, you can relax on the Hill of the Infinite of Recanati and you can end your trip in Castelfidardo surrounded by the blaze of the accordions’ sound (virtually at least) and keep the colours of these landscapes in your eyes.
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Sirolo
Southern Fra between nature and humankind
Valensole cge2010/Shutterstock.com
ance,
Oltreconfine: Francia
Nicoletta Toffano
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Notre Dame du Roc Eugen3B/Shutterstock.com
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Gruissan Thomas Klee/Shutterstock.com
F
France of culture, of cuisine and great wines: a guarantee if you search for the history and the tastes that are always surrounded by a unique charm. The France of landscapes shaped by the nature and by human creativity is less famous. In the Southern France you can see unexpected villages that are set in amazing landscapes. You can start your discovery with leaving from the gorge of the river Verdon in the Upper Provence and reach Gruissan in Oxcitaine. The river Verdon has shaped the most impressing canyon of Europe, it stretches
for 25 kilometres with walls that are 1500 metres high surrounded by a lush vegetation. The most interesting part is between Pont du Galates and Castellane, a Medieval village that can be reached by crossing the Roman Pont du Roc which has been the only passage for centuries. A stop at the restaurant of the hôtel du Grand Levant is a must, it’s an historical restaurant with a nice outdoor space that looks out on the main square. A 200 metres high hill dominates the village and on the top of it there is the Chapel of Notre Dame du Roc.
Castellane Tiberiu Stan/Shutterstock.com
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Valensole, the plateau of lavender
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he sunny Valensole plateau is stretched between the river Verdon and the river Durance, it’s the realm of lavender that covers the whole plateau with its colours and scents from May to August. The area is spread with distilleries, eco-museums, workshops as well as the “villages de caractère”. Valensole is one of these villages whose fame is related to the production of the lavender honey that enabled it to be entered among the 100 best cities of tastes. If you want to learn about this aromatic plant the right place to go is the factory Angelvin
where some guided tours are held to see the big copper alembics at work as well as the tiny farming museum. A few kilometres away an old legend will lead you through the visit of the village of Moustiers Sainte Marie. They say that the knight of Blacas hoisted a star between the two walls that support the village to thank the Virgin Mary for letting him come back from the crusades. The star is still watching the village which is also famous for its pottery featured by the typical blue decorations that has been produced since the 17th century.
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Uhryn Larysa/Shutterstock.com
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The global garden of Domaine du Rayol
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he route goes towards the sea and reaches Rayol Canadel sur Mer, a tiny village that doesn’t care about the wordly pleasures of the nearby Saint-Tropez: a handful of houses that look out on the blue sea water and are protected by the thick vegetation. You must reach Jardin des Méditerranées to find a special view that was designed by Gilles Clémant according to his view of the global garden. It’s a seven hectares wide botanic garden overlooking the sea and it’s a great example of
Pack-Shot/Shutterstock.com
bio-diversity since it includes different environments belonging to different types of Mediterranean areas. It’s a sort of global “table of contents” of the regions of the world that are biologically similar but are also very far from each-other. At Frédéric Dhaussy’s restaurant which is set on a terrace in the core of the garden the chef offers a selection of creative dishes: it’s a kind of journey around the different cultural influence from the different Mediterranean cuisine.
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Les Baux de Provence Luboslav Tiles/Shutterstock.com
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A palette called Camargue
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t’s a mix of land and water according to the Rhone river’s mood, there are pink flamingos, horses, reed beds and tamerici. If you want to admire this landscape in all its beauty you must go to Les Baux de Provence, a village perched on a rock that contains some unique architectural treasures like the Medieval Chateau de Baux, the Church of Saint Vincent that combines Roman and Renaissance features and some interesting art galleries and museums. Les Carrières de Lumières is an exhibition centre that was made inside a bauxite quarry where exhibitions dedica-
ted to big names of painting are held each year. Van Gogh is on show now: 7.000 square metres of rocky walls that are 14 metres high are the background of some spectacular multimedia installations. Saintes Maries de la Mer is not far, it’s a little town where the history, the legends and the sacred and profane masterpieces come together. The pilgrims use to go there to visit the shrine of Santa Sara. It’s nice to get lost around its narrow streets in the evening and eat in one of the several tiny restaurants that are spread all around to the sound of the gipsy music.
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer Lenush/Shutterstock.com
Parc Regional de Camargue Uhryn Larysa/Shutterstock.com
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The white gold of Oxcitaine
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igues-Mortes is a city-museum, its fortified village dating back to the 13th century is a bright example of preservation. The Tour de Costance is the main attraction, it was a feared prison in the past, it’s 52 metres high and it still shapes the city’s skyline. From there you can stretch your sight up to the biggest salt mines of the Mediterranean Sea: 9.000 hectares of white salt pans that you can visit through a trip by an old little train or by a 4x4 vehicle. Then you can go towards the South along a route that is
featured by sweet and salt waters and you can reach Gruissan, a round-shaped village where the narrow streets are wrapped all around and the Medieval Barberousse tower stands out . The two tourist harbours of the city deserve a visit as well and also Gruissan Plage where you can see long sandy beaches as well as the characteristic district of 1300 stilt houses. Some of them belong to the fishermen, they are beautiful terraces on the sea where you can taste the fresh oysters and sip the local white wine.
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Salina di Aigues-Mortes Pixelshop/Shutterstock.com
Aigues-Mortes Alexander Demyanenko/Shutterstock.com
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Jean (Hans) Arp, Overturned Blue Shoe with Two Heels under a Black Vault, 1925 c. Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice. Jean Arp Š by SIAE 2019.
13.04 / 02.09.2019 The exhibition is organized by the Nasher Sculpture Center
With the support of Institutional Patrons EFG Lavazza
Generous support for The Nature of Arp is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia
The exhibition is made possible by
With the support of
Public Programs are made possible by Fondazione Araldi Guinetti, Vaduz
Dorsoduro 701, 30123 Venezia
guggenheim-venice.it
Nicoletta Toffano
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For information on this heading: Assoarte Promozione AttivitĂ Artistiche Maurizio Bevilacqua direzione@assoadriatica.it facebook.com/assoarte.promozioneattivitaartistiche/
Armando Orfeo Il canto delle sirene
#arteborghi
The landscapes within
#arteborghi The landscapes within
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he world’s landscapes are real or are they just an illusion? The people in the world roughly share the same view about them though each individual sense the colours, the elements, the shapes differently. Four authors that represent four different worlds describe the feeling that goes beyond the real landscapes and includes all the different features of life. Let’s start our journey through the real and the ideal with the landscapes that show the bright sky, the ideal cities,
the strict architecture: they are Armando Orfeo’s perfect outlooks (Marina di Grosseto 1964). letters, books, musical instruments, TVs to be set, paper planes floating in the windless air: they are the utopian images that impress our sight because we don’t expect the perfection, they push us to get on a meaning where we can find “little war-ships against all types of single thoughts or simple lifeboats to save us from our daily trivial habits” thus erasing our daily limits.
Armando Orfeo Affondo
Armando Orfeo Paesaggi Armonici
#arteborghi The landscapes within
Armando Orfeo L’armonia del soprasotto
#arteborghi The landscapes within
Armando Orfeo Il miraggio
Armando Orfeo Life is random
#arteborghi The landscapes within
Armando Orfeo Wonderful world
#arteborghi The landscapes within
Alberto Gallerati Dov’io t’aspetto
Everybody’s truth
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n Alberto Gallerati’s universe (Piacenza 1945) the narrative of memories enlarges the reality through a representation that goes beyond any time context. The author leads us towards the muffles landscapes that represent the characters that inhabit them, the characters who are sometimes featured by absent looks, they sound gazed, they are often portrayed within their daily activities so to describe the daily life in a critical way. Gallerati communicates by using warm colours,
fluent thin brush strokes as well as carefully shaping the objects’ and the characters’ outlines. He portrays imaginary places, people, trends and the conformism of daily life that brings the memories, the positive naivety and the fine desire to analyse their essence. His works are thus featured by a deep irony and imaginary contrasts that help the observers to plunge into a dreamlike world and enjoy a playful moment to run away from your own destiny.
Alberto Gallerati CittĂ mattutina
#arteborghi The landscapes within
Alberto Gallerati Campagna
#arteborghi The landscapes within
Alberto Gallerati Se vi andrò sarà in Rolls
Alberto Gallerati Castello oltre il muro
#arteborghi The landscapes within
Alberto Gallerati Per soli uomini
Miljenko Bengez Luce del nord
#arteborghi The landscapes within
Phantasy cities
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he landscapes are like the short stories in the balance between the dreams, the imagination and reality. This is Miljenko Bengez’s fairy world (Zagabria 1954), a peculiar landscaper who paints the lights, the architecture, the sounds, the noise, the colours in a sharp contrast with the huge grey modern cities: a positive vibrant view of the “urban environment, an oasis of piece featured by well-balanced nice spaces”. His cities
#arteborghi The landscapes within
Miljenko Bengez Ostro
are portrayed like bright complex entities where you can easily see the views of houses and clocktowers, districts, churches, little squares, pieces of sky and sea and different types of trees. It’s a world full of bright colours, architectural geometrical shapes that increases the charm of his paintings. They are the images of his birthland, Croatia where the city is considered a place to inhabit, to live and feel.
#arteborghi The landscapes within
Miljenko Bengez Paesaggio invernale
Miljenko Bengez Vento
Miljenko Bengez Viadotto
#arteborghi The landscapes within
Miljenko Bengez Mistery point
#arteborghi The landscapes within
Franco Marzilli Ballerine sul lungo Tevere
Franco Marzilli Ponte romano
Landscapes of matter
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he exhausting search for beauty leads us to Franco Marzilli’s world (Rome 1934 – Poggio Mirteto 2010). His moving from the landscapes, the still life or any other subjects hide an everlasting dissatisfaction in the pursuit of perfection. His “natural-abstract” is a typically Italian fine language: the colours are soft and sophisticated, there are chromatic changes and quick brushstrokes. A white light highlights the outli-
nes, the colours are mixed aiming at giving a vibrant, warm, voluptuous representation. Desert landscapes and Roman ones where the dancers who come on the scene are the subjects that have been featuring his painting for the last two decades. You’ll be filled with wonder facing an emotional journey where the painted subjects are the protagonists, they are painted with a sensory happiness and a visual lovely pleasure.
#arteborghi The landscapes within
Franco Marzilli Ballerina a Venezia
#arteborghi The landscapes within
Franco Marzilli Paesaggio Franco Marzilli Ballerine a piazza Navona
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Franco Marzilli Paesaggio
#arteborghi The landscapes within
Franco Marzilli Lungo Tevere
Antonella Andretta
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e c a l p out of
S Y A D HOLI Indoor places for open minds
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pen spaces don’t suit you or you are tired of “breathless” views? Visiting a museum, maybe one of the unusual ethnographic or traditional ones that are often located in nice villages or small towns could be a good alternative if you fancy spending a little time indoor so this sounds a further reason to mention them.
Triora Valeria Cantone/Shutterstock.com
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pen spaces don’t suit you or you are tired of “breathless” views? Visiting a museum, maybe one of the unusual ethnographic or traditional ones that are often located in nice villages or small towns could be a good alternative if you fancy spending a little time indoor so this sounds a further reason to mention them. If you are in Liguria on the Western coastline you don’t have to miss one of the most peculiar ones, the Ethnographic Museum of the Witchcraft of Triora (Imperia) where some papers and some spooky reconstructions of the trials and the inquisitors’ rituals that were carried
OUT OF PLACE HOLIDAYS
Indoor places for open minds
Triora Ethnographic and Witchcraft Museum Paolo Trovo/Shutterstock.com
out within the ancient walls of the village are on exhibit. According to the legends this was the gathering point of devils and witches who used to meet in a farmhouse called Cabotina that can still be visited (it’s the perfect place on Halloween!). Let’s move from the West to the East of Italy to reach the highlands of Asiago, in Cesuna, a district of 600 inhabitants in Roana (Vicenza): here you can see the incredible Museum of “cuchi”, a private collection of more than twelve thousand terra-cotta whistles coming from all over the world which are true craft masterpieces. Their whistle imita-
Roana canbedone/Shutterstock.com
Indoor places for open minds
OUT OF PLACE HOLIDAYS
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Indoor places for open minds
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te the cuckoo, they were used as a pledge of love in the past. You can buy them during the popular festival dedicated to San Marco which is held in Canove di Roana each year in April. We’ll move now from Veneto to Emilia where there are many museums dedicated to food, we have chosen the Museum of Pasta in Collecchio (Parma) which shares the courtyard of Giarola with the Museum of Tomatoes. It’s a huge group of Medieval buildings where the main offices of the Taro Park are also based as well as a restaurant where you can taste the salami, the fried cake, the tortelli (a type of pasta) with the nettle or the goose and the
Mother Church in Calimera Mi.Ti./Shutterstock.com
testaroli (a type of pasta) with truffles. The museum shows the history of pasta through the centuries. The museum dedicated to tomatoes is focused on the origin of this vegetable that first arrived in Europe from America in the 16th century and it also shows how it was widespread in the culture and in the food industry. Actually the whole Food Valley that is the area of Parma and its province is spread with museums dedicated to the local food: the Museum of Parmigiano Reggiano of Soragna is one of the most interesting as well as the museum of Culatello Ham of Zibello in Polesime Parmense and the Wine Museum in Sala Bra-
Indoor places for open minds
OUT OF PLACE HOLIDAYS
OUT OF PLACE HOLIDAYS
Indoor places for open minds
ganza. Let’s leap into Puglia now to visit the House Museum of the rural civilization and the Grika Culture which is located in Calimera (Lecce), one of the villages of the Salento area where an ancient Greek dialect is still spoken to witness the ancient presence of the Greek colonies. The museum gathers many objects belonging to the rural civilization including some photographs, the music and some papers written in the griko language which is an endangered language because of the very few people who can still speak it. Every year in August in a place called Melpignano a few kilometres from Calimera the very famous Night of Taranta is held, thousands of people dance to the tune of Pizzica, the popular music which is sung in the griko language (or in the dialect from the Salento area). Our last stop is
Sardinia where many festivals, processions and old traditions are still present: in Castelsardo (Sassari) along the narrow streets of the historical village outlooking the sea you can easily bump into the women who weave the baskets or other items like bread boxes and sieves made by using the dwarf palm fibres or the sea hay. This ancient art has been passed on through the generations and it’s exhibited at the Museum of the Mediterranean Weaving which is located in the Doria Castle that dates back to the 16th century, it deserves a visit just for the amazing view of the Asinara Gulf that is offered from the top of it. After leaving the museum you’ll be spoiled by choice along the village’s narrow streets where you’ll be able to enjoy your “aperitivo” or have dinner in the sunset.
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Indoor places for open minds
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Ivan Pisoni
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Legends of legendary... landscapes
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Legends of legendary... landscapes monticello/Shutterstock.com
The love stones of the giants from Badolato I
t’s a landscape spread with huge granite boulders that gets its origin from a particular competition that aimed at proving the value and the strength of the giant tribes of this area. In order to win the hand of the most beautiful giantess the young giants beated each-other up but afterwards the tribes’ chief invented the “competition of the rolling
stones” or “love stones” to protect the weakest ones. The biggest giants had to roll down the biggest stones from the top of the hills towards the sea. The one who threw the biggest stone and could reach the farthest corner was the winner. These competitions were held twice a year and they gave us one of the most peculiar landscapes in Italy.
The legend of Nunzia, the survivor of the birth of lake Varano T
he story goes that once where you can now see the lake Varano there was the town of Uria. Uria was ruled by King Tauro who lived in the sin and in the violence like almost all his people. The citizens were used to perpetrate abominations so God decided to punish them and the town was flooded; they all died except the beautiful Nunzia who used to live a honest life, she used to pray and she
took care of her loved mate. When the flood arrived Nunzia wanted to save her mate who was drowning and she threw him a ball of fabric and although her pure soul had been trying to convince God to stop that punishment she couldn’t save her mate’s life. She was the only survivor and it is told that sometimes during the night you can still hear her heart-breaking singing on the lake’s shores.
Legends of legendary... landscapes
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Legends of legendary... landscapes
The legend of Bora’s love B
ora was the most beautiful and the best loved among the God of the Wind’s children. During their wandering the family arrived on a highland that looked out on the sea. That place was so beautiful that Bora wanted to explore it and she got away from the group. She was very curious and she had fun at blowing the clouds away and running through the forest. When she was tired she found
a shelter in a cave where the brave Tergesteo was having a rest back from the Golden Fleece’s deed. They soon fell in love and spent three, five, seven days of deep passion in that cave. Vento was convinced her daughter had disappeared and he was helped by a dark cloud that suggested him the place where she might be hidden. When Vento entered into the cave he was furious so it turned himself
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turned Tergesteo’s blood into the red Sommaco tree which decorates this area nowadays and the Sea covered his body with shells and starfish and it became the highest hill in the area. At the hill’s footstep a little town was born, it took the name of the proud hero so Tergeste (Trieste) and Vento, moved by his daughter’s grief let her stay in that land and live those three, five, seven days with her lover again one time a year.
Legends of legendary... landscapes
into a hurricane and he killed Tergesteo. Bora was desperate after losing her lover and she started crying and her drops became sharp edges when they touched the soil. She was so desperate that she kept running and blowing. Mother nature was touched by her crying and she was worried about the future of the highland that had almost become a dry rocky area so she tried to calm her down. She was also helped by the Sky and the Sea that
Ivan Pisoni
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Did you know that...
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Francesco Bonino/Shutterstock.com
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ne of the best-loved Italian landscapes by the English people has got an English nickname. It’s the “chiantishire”, that is the Tuscan area where the very famous Chianti wine is produced.
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Did you know that... landscapes...
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he Turkish people were not the only ones to reach the Turkish staircase. The amazing landscape of one of the most beautiful Italian beaches owes its name to the arrival of the pirates who were not all Turkish as the inhabitants of that place used to think but they actually belonged to some different Arab ethnic groups
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ccording to the website travel365.it Italy can boast 2 landscapes in the list of the 20 most beautiful landscapes in Europe. These 20 landscapes are really breathless and regarding our Peninsula the Dolomites are in the sixth place and the Mount Cervino in the fifth. At the top of the chart the Moher Cliffs in Ireland stand out.
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he shortest river in the world is in the province of Verona. Its name is Aril and it’s only 175 metres long. At the end of its “long” route in the district of Cassone after crossing three bridges and a waterfall the little river enters in the Eastern side of lake Garda
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he origin of the word Cinque Terre is related to their past of seclusion from the rest of the world. In the past the five villages, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore were very far from each other, they were considered three different areas and they could be reached only by sea or along impervious paths.
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here is a real Italian village in China! It’s called Hb Italian Town Changsha and it’s dedicated to the best Italian products. It was designed and built by a group of Italian advisors, architects and craftsmen who were economically supported by a Chinese movie company. It was inaugurated a few years ago, it’s a theme park that looks like a tiny village where some famous Italian landscapes are reproduced and there are also 45 stores 24 of which are run by Italians.
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Did you know that... ilandscapes...
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Review Se mi tornassi questa sera accanto
(If you stood by me tonight) by Carmen Pellegrino
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andscapes, silence and the stories of people and families, a world that has almost disappeared or it’s still existing: the villages that are standing there, lonely, perched on the clouds or on the hills that were chosen by the ancient people to protect themselves and enjoy the beauty of their lands. This is the nature of “Se mi tornassi questa sera accanto” the novel by Carmen Pellegrino that has been issued by Giunti, it’s the second book by this writer after “Cade la terra”. They share similar stories and a similar scenery, they are featured by the same lyrical and imaginative depth. The work’s title is symbolic, an important poetical incipit from the poem “A mio padre” (to my father) by the great Alfonso Gatto from Salerno. Parents, children people who love each other or loved each other: they say this is a novel “about distance” mainly between people who have been close. How can you communicate, how can you write in the distance, who’s going to hear about you,
who’s going to read about you, who’s going to search for you? Giosuè, a quite old-fashioned name gives his letters to the river, the letters he has been writing to find her daughter who decided to be absent and silent. So there are stories that start from this point, thoughts about the relationships, about what we are and what we can leave into the other people’s eyes and memories. The landscapes are in the background as well as the river that collects all the questions and all the silence. Carmen Pellegrino is a writer from Polla (Sa), she was born in 1977 and she’s an historian too. She’s well known for a new word she has cre-
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Marino Pagano
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ated, this word is “abbandonologia” (leaving mode), it stands for a particular science that aims at recovering historical places that have disappeared into oblivion and are almost uninhabited nowadays. Beyond any possible interest for unspoilt places she’s interested in a
civil recovery that means regaining possession of the experience of places. It’s a human and “political” recovery at the same time. The landscape is not a detail in this novel, it’s the protagonist and this is not surprising if we consider that it was written by Carmen Pellegrino.
Review
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