Castelmezzano, surrounded by a rocky landscape, has preserved its original medieval urban layout with houses built on the rock according to the ancient form of terracing and stone slabs roofs. This walking tour will take you to the discovery of the historical centre, small but suggestive for its particularity of houses founded on the rock, and for the many steps up to Piazza Emilio Caizzo. Enjoy the breathtaking view of the Lucanian Dolomites mountains.
Discover how Castelmezzano at the time of the Crusades was an important stop for the knights who went to the Holy Land. Here, you will also visit the Mother Church of Santa Maria (called dell'Olmo) made of local stone and inside a wooden statue of the Madonna with Child, a wooden Baroque altar and Holy Family of Girolamo Bresciano.
The tour will continue in the village among the palaces built by noble families such as Merlin, Parrella, Coiro, Paternò, Campagna and the great ducal palace of De Lerma, the last lords of Castelmezzano. The tour will end with a visit to the ruins of the Norman-Swabian castle and the narrow and very steep Norman staircase. The staircase was dug into the rock to lead the soldiers to a high place to watch over the fortress.