Basilicata

On a hilltop in the southeast corner of Basilicata, sits the medieval village of Bernalda… I became intrigued by this spot in 2012. That’s when Francis Ford Coppola opened his newly-renovated 5-star Palazzo Margherita here. Coppola’s grandfather Agostino was born in Bernalda, and left in 1904, never to return. I’m grateful to have a friend who visited– Kathy McCabe, Editor of Dream of Italy newsletter, and Producer/Host of the fabulous PBS Dream of Italy TV series. She’s here to share her experience of this extraordinary place… “The town itself is like being in Italy in the 1950s,” she says. Coppola calls it “the real Italy.” The unassuming Palazzo Margherita entranceRead More →

Outside Acerenza’s historic center, grazie to Salverio Cancerllera and Antonella D’Andria, I met some of the village’s finest artisans…In a cave at Le Cantine del Grillo.. There was rich, soulful Aglianico…straight out of the barrel… Next was Il Re dei Panettoni=King of Panettone, Vincenzo Tiri, at his humble, family run bakery… Vincenzo rocked the Panettone World, twice winning the Grand Prize in Milan for this Christmas time sweetbread…a triumph for this young, 35-year old baker in a remote southern region, AND quite a surprise, as Panettone is a specialty of the north… Making Vincenzo’s parents in this family run bakery, (since 1957), very proud… Tiri’s panettone is a taste bud revelation. He’s a genius/master,Read More →

Last May, I had the great pleasure of discovering Acerenza, Basilicata…AND to meet the mayor=Sindaco Fernando Scattone! The hilltop treasure is one of a group of villages designated by I Borghi Piu Belli d’Italia=The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy, which includes small hidden places up and down the boot that have maintained their architectural, cultural, and culinary traditions over the centuries. The Roman lyric poet Horace, born near Acerenza, described this spot as “an eagle’s nest”, perched above fertile plains, olive groves, surrounded by rivers. I can walk from one end of the walled medieval village to another in about ten minutes… But it’s so pleasant toRead More →

To discover Matera is delving deep into Italy’s rich history. Deep, as in going back to the Paleolithic Age, when cave settlements began in Matera’s hillside rocks. What’s amazing is the area, in southern Basilicata, has been continuously inhabited since then–through classical Greek and Roman, medieval, baroque, and modern times, Matera’s Sassi=communities of dwellings built into the stones, grew and continue to change styles and shapes. In 1993 UNESCO recognized these Sassi as a World Heritage Site. And Matera has been named a European Capital of Culture for 2019. It’s a stunning place to experience a Golden Day. Mine began with meeting a native guide,Read More →

  Valerie Fortney-Schneider is a freelance writer with years of experience in the travel industry, and a history degree, who returned to her roots and created the company, My Bella Basilicata.  She guides travelers through the region and is also the woman to go to for genealogy research. Guests rave about the memorable vacations she creates for them, where they can go beyond finding birth or death records, to the villages where their ancestors were from, walk the streets and talk to the natives, sometimes find the houses where their grandparents lived and even distant relatives. Her writing showcases her passion for Basilicata, in various publicationsRead More →

We’ll continue our Golden Days in the southern region of Basilicata. My first visit to this beautiful under-touristed region was random. I had plans to visit my friend Tania of In Italy Tours in Calabria, and found I had a few days gap in my traveling schedule. Sitting with my laptop in Rome, musing over the train route,  inspiration came: Go To Your Pappa Land! My grandfather was born in Basilicata, on a farm in Vaglio, near Potenza, then worked in a pasticceria in Naples before boarding a ship for the American Dream. I have letters he wrote when he’d go back to visit, and a necklaceRead More →