Our itinerary included visits to my grandparents’ home town of Corleto Perticara and the adjacent, award-winning town of Guardia Perticara. If time permitted we planned to go to the Chestnut Festival in Rapolla.   We encountered rain, fog, and wind on a narrow, winding road over a mountain. Outside of the town of Laurenzana we reached a height of 1240 meters. Our driver, Gaetano, earned his stripes.

Corleto Perticara

When we arrived in Corleto Perticara we first saw our friend, Peppino. (See photo above, right).  He is the keeper of the cemetery and we learned he has been newly appointed as traffic coordinator at the parking lot in front of Town Hall. We also met Prospero and Angela (La Penta) Bonadies. (See photo below.)  Bonadies is my grandparents’ surname, but I do not know if I am related to Prospero and Angela.  That is Gaetano’s quest as he is a genealogist, in addition to be being a wine expert and superb driver.  Father Vincenzo, pastor of S. Maria Assunta, the local church, graciously allowed us access to marriage and baptismal records.

After two hours of research,we headed to the agriturismo, Il Repole, for lunch. The hosts, Vincenzina and Giuseppe Potenza, prepared a multi-course feast including: (1) cheese and honey, mushrooms and eggplant spread; (2) figs with speck, cheese and cured meats; (3) baked pumpkin with ricotta; (4) potato and mushrooms; (5) grilled eggplant with tomato and pepper; (6) beans with mushrooms; (7) ricotta & mushroom ravioli; (8) meat and cheese lasagna; and (9) grilled lamb chops, sausage and tomato.  With over 400 sheep, 13 pigs, and large vegetable gardens, all the food at Il Repole is made from plants and animals at the agriturismo, except the bread.  Vincenzina apologized, but the daily chores associated with the operation of an agriturismo and raising two teenage boys does not allow enough time to make bread.

Vincenzina and Giuseppe gave us a tour of the agriturismo’s 12 guest rooms.  In this remote area, they attract people looking for a respite or with an interest in hiking.  Also, the nearby oil exploration/drilling provides Il Repole with overnight guests as well as lunch and dinner guests. When we first visited Corleto Perticara five years ago, there was no outward presence of oil exploration. Since then, oil exploration has rapidly expanded.

Guardia Perticara

Guardia Perticara, a small town of about 500 people, is one of nine towns south of Naples that has been awarded the Orange Flag by Touring Club Italiano. a recognition of towns that have historical, cultural, and environmental merit of heritage and offer tourists a quality welcome. We arrived at dusk and toured a quaint center where all the buildings are made of stone. The center featured narrow, winding streets as shown in the photo at the top of this post. The staff at the café/bar was helpful in providing us directions. After a short walk around the small town, we understood why it received the Touring Club Italiano award.

Chestnut Festival – Rapolla

We arrived at the Chestnut Festival at around 9:00 pm. The festival expected to have 20,000 attendees during the two-day festival. There were many offerings of food typical of Basilicata as well as Puglia. Not surprisingly, there was music everywhere, live band and recorded. And of course there were roasted chestnuts. (See photo below.)