A Pietrapertosa the air is clear and pungent, and the sound of the bells punctuates the slow passing of the days. The alpine, or rather Dolomite, landscape almost seems to clash with the dialect spoken here, a southern dialect. We are on the peaks of "Lucanian Dolomites“, in Basilicata, about 1100 meters above sea level, in the center of Basilicata.
1 What to see in Pietrapertosa
Going along the hairpin bends that lead to the small town you reach the highest part of the mountain Greenhouse of San Martino, and from this privileged position the panorama of the vast valley of Basento it is nothing short of spectacular. A few more kilometers and after the pass here we are Pietrapertosa, One of the villages most beautiful in the province of Potenza.
The houses of the town are built with the same gray sandstone as the mountains that surround it and seem almost set in the steep slope. There are some houses, now used only for storage, which were built right into the rock face. From the homes of Pietrapertosa you can see in the distance, to the south, the rounded peaks of the "timpe", which reach almost 1500 meters in height. And beyond, with good visibility, there are other even higher mountains, ranging around 2000 m.
2 The Dolomite peaks
To the "disturbing" and jagged Dolomite peaks that loom over their town, the inhabitants of Pietrapertosa they gave imaginative and familiar names, perhaps to somehow mitigate the great sovereignty of the mountain. The best known cliffs are the black Eagle Anvil, Great Mother. Once upon a time there was also the Eagle Owl, then the rock was demolished because it could have been a danger for the village.
3 Pietrapertosa, Saracen fortress
Pietrapertosa it was a Saracen fortress. In ancient times it was called Pietraperciata and it is the highest municipality in Basilicata, with its 1088 metres. The narrow and silent alleys are crowded with wrought iron balconies and doors that hide small courtyards. The steep streets and long stairways prevented the creation of a real square in the center of the town. One was recently built towards the lower part of the town, near the convent of the Minor Observants.
4 What to do in Pietrapertosa
For some years Pietrapertosa hosts, with the nearby village of Castelmezzano, Angel Flight, an attraction that allows you to fly over the Lucanian Dolomites remaining harnessed and suspended in the air with a steel cable. It is an attraction that regularly, during the summer period, welcomes many hikers and tourists. An adrenaline-filled experience that allows you to discover the Lucanian villages that are absolutely worth a visit.
