Ghost villages, Lakes and Castles
In this fantastic holiday in Irpinia in the name of relaxation and meditation we offer you a stay in an ancient farmhouse immersed in one of the most beautiful landscapes of this vast green area.
We are on the border between Campania and Lucania, in the lands loved by brigands in revolt against the Savoy.
We will admire the Vulture mountains with the famous lakes and the Monastery of San Michele.
It is a perfect place to enjoy the scent of cut hay and to devote yourself to meditation. But without lazing around too much … villages and landscapes await us!
There is a village, perched on a hill, which seems to have been planted on a meteorite. It is called Cairano and it is an organic village; today it has fewer than 300 inhabitants.
Vinicio Capossela dedicated a book and a film to him, “Il Paese dei Coppoloni”.
Here you can meditate in perfect silence, climbing through alleys in a path that could be defined as healing; above, on windy days, a pipe organ, unique in the world, plays.
From here you can enjoy a wide view of the Ofanto valley and the Apennine chain of the Picentini Mountains.
From the Masseria di Calitri you will leave to experience the Cheese Academy and Serrocroce, a renowned craft brewery, visiting pleasant villages surrounded by greenery: Monteverde and Aquilonia where you cross a ghost town.
It crosses into nearby Basilicata, up to Melfi, the site of the Castle of Frederick II and, a few kilometers from there, you reach the lakes of Monticchio for a boat trip or to enjoy a ride in a carriage pulled by horses.
What is included?
What is not included?
Tour Plan
Day 1 - Calitri
Arrival in the Borgo di Calitri and check-in at the reception of the farm-farmhouse “A stone's throw away”. A welcome drink is provided for guests.
We will immediately get to know Calitri, the birthplace of Vinicio Capossela, and the famous “city of ceramics”. It is a place rich in history, with a town made up of many steps, where many English people have bought a house. You will go up on the ramparts of Borgo Castello and then you will reach the panoramic point of Santa Lucia, where you can admire the postcard town. Calitri is known as the Positano of Irpinia ..
Among the alleys of Calitri, in a cave, Filomena will make us taste the famous 'Cannazze', the pasta with meat sauce typical of the Calitran party moments. You will be able to enjoy a good glass of Aglianico del Vulture wine which will well introduce the nocturnal meditations.
Day 2 - Aquilonia and Monteverde
After Breakfast at the Masseria, a short walk in the wonderful fields, clean air and relaxation.
We will touch first-hand the raw materials used to prepare beer in a renowned craft brewery; the cultivation of natural ingredients is within the company. We will go through the entire production cycle and you will taste the fruit of the work by fully breathing the places, ideas and vision that inspired the birth of Birra Serrocroce.
You can have lunch at the 'Ristorante Al Giardino', a few minutes away by car, in the center of Monteverde.
Monteverde (Av), high on the watershed between Campania and Puglia. It is a small, recently certified 'accessible' country, that is, without barriers for people with disabilities. It is classified among the most beautiful villages in Italy. You can get lost in the alleys or visit the Castle, up there and meditate on the light signals that ran between the castles at night to signal enemy incursions ...
On the way back, after passing the beautiful lake of Monteverde, you can make a stop among the ruins of the ghost town of the ancient city of Carbonara, founded on the traces of the ancient Oscan city and the scene of the famous battle of 293 BC. which saw Samnites and Romans contrasts.
An appetizing dinner awaits us at 'home', in the Masseria-farmhouse, welcomed and pampered by the owners who also produce honey, buckwheat and vegetables on their own. Opportunity to dine outdoors and then lie down on a bale of hay to look at the stars. We are in the open countryside and there are no light disturbances.
Day 3 - Cairano and Calitri
You visit the small village (300 inhabitants) along the "Archaic Path", signposted and with 10 poetic rest stops. It starts from the road of the 'wine caves', passes into the 'square-theater' and reaches the top of the "Rupe", where, if you are lucky, you can hear the pipe organ played by the wind. It is a perfect place to admire a vast panorama and to meditate on the beauty of creation.
Lunch will be tailor-made on site; we will taste at least 7 typical dishes of this ancient village. Just think that here, 3,000 years ago, the Oliveto-Cairano civilization, known as the “Foss-cultur”, was born. Important archaeological finds are on the Calvary Hill.
In the afternoon, on the way back, the "Cheese Academy" awaits us for an immersive experience on the preparation and maturation of cheeses. Tasting of the typical Calitrano caciocavallo and the renowned blue cheeses of the Di Cecca brothers. And with interesting wine pairing.
Dinner in one of the many renowned restaurants in the center of Calitri, all of excellence. Or a hot herbal tea upon returning to the Masseria, where, after the 'facts' told by Nicolina and Antonio, an evening meditation awaits us under the stars.
Day 4 - Melfi and Monticchio Lakes
You travel along state and rural roads in the footsteps of brigands in the direction of Melfi (Pz), in Basilicata. The marvelous Castle built on a hill by Frederick II, the enlightened emperor who wrote the Constitutiones here in the 13th century, awaits us. In the Museum we will be able to admire, among thousands of interesting finds, especially the tomb of Rapolla.
You can have lunch in one of the restaurants in Melfi. We recommend: -Jeans Entertainment; - Restaurant Pizzeria Da Mario; -Midnight Sun; -Miseria and Nobility Spaghetteria and Restaurant.
From Melfi, following the signs for Monticchio, you arrive at the two lakes of volcanic origin; they are a spectacle of nature, surrounded by thick vegetation. A circumlacual trekking or lying on the shores of the lake? Or a boat trip or a ride on a horse-drawn carriage? You decide. Too touristy tips? Then we advise you to go up alone near the ancient Abbey of San Michele where, from above, you can admire the spectacle of the lakes as it was seen by the hermit monks who lived here until a few decades ago.
A lavish farewell dinner from the green land of Irpinia awaits us in our Masseria-farmhouse. Opportunity to dine outdoors and then lie down on a bale of hay to look at the stars. With a glass of good Aglianico del Vulture wine.