Ferrandina: Black Olives

The preparation of black olives from the Ferrandina area is quite complicated, but it guarantees excellent results. Olives are left to dry on wooden shelves for a week, then they are boiled in boiling water for a minute and, after dried, put in glass or terracotta vases with salt and oregano. They are stirred periodically for a week and then put in a not very hot oven for further drying. Placed in terracotta amphoras and kept cool, they can be used for a year or more. The olives thus prepared can be eaten or used in cooking for different types of recipes based on sauces, meat or fish.

Grottole

The name of the town probably comes from ‘Cryptulae’, a Latin word meaning ‘small caves’, places still used by skilful craftsmen who make clay vases. Walking through the town, it is possible to visit the mother church of the Santi Luca e Giuliano, where it is possible to admire wooden altars, the chancel and the choir in Baroque style and a XVIII century painting portraying the Virgin Mary with the Infant and the Saints. The old church of Santa Maria la Grotta, reconsecrated to St. Rocco, is noteworthy from an artistic point of view. The castle can be admired on a hill near the town. It was built by the Longobard prince Schinuflo in 851, with a square base and towers, of which only the central one is left. The production of handmade clay vases, jars and pitchers is highly developed in this area.

Vietri di Potenza

The origins of Vietri are rather ancient, so that it was thought that its name came from the Roman settlement ‘Campi Veteres’, built as a consequence of the ambush that the Lucanian Flavio set up for Tiberio Gracco. It first was a Gothic and then a Longobard stronghold. Later it became part of the Principality of Salerno and in the XVIII century was surrendered to Sangro. Later it was sold to the Caracciolo family in 1705. Inside the village, there is the Parish Church of San Nicola di Mira, characterised by a facade in Rococo style, a portal surmounted by a window in Baroque style and a bell tower in Romanesque style. In the Church, of 1660, belonging to the Convent of the Capuchins, there are several paintings by Antonio Stabile. The Church of the Annunziata has a beautiful portal of 1690, some wonderful frescos of the XVIII century, some paintings of the XVII and XVIII centuries and a very beautiful stone stoup.

Rapolla: Olive Trees

Classical mythology tells us that Minerva created the first plant of olive tree, but the real story is that this plant was spread around the South of Italy, Basilicata included, by Phoenician traders since 1500 B.C. In three different territories, homogeneous in their characteristics and in the techniques used for growing the plants and for processing their products, three high quality oils are produced. Each of them has its own typical characteristics and is produced with a very high level of technology. In Basilicata the olive tree, because of the peculiar distribution of mountains in the area, can be found almost everywhere and is actually the most widespread plant in this territory. Amongst the producers of oil, some are worth mentioning because of the wide distribution of their products, because of their high quality standards and because their product is its way unique: the Maiatica (Ferrandina), l’Ogliarola del Vulture (Melfi) and the Ogliarola del Bradano (Montescaglioso).