Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa

Whenever I'm getting ready to go abroad somewhere I'll have a rental car and the freedom to move around, I sit down for at least a little while with Google Maps and click through all sorts of places around my arrival point. It often happens that, from the photos or Street View, I come across places I hadn't found earlier in the guidebook. This time was no different. I had a plane ticket booked to the city of Bari, and it was essentially clear that I wanted to see the surrounding seaside towns and Matera, but what next?

I thought it would be nice to add some interesting natural area to the trip, so on the map I clicked open the surrounding national parks. After a while of exploring, two villages jumped out at me, Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa - and it was clear where else I had to go.

From Bari I reached them by car in about 2 hours. As soon as I turned off the main road, the route began to wind terribly and climb into the hills. Both villages lie at around 700-1000 metres above sea level, so I enjoyed roughly half an hour of switchbacks before I reached Pietrapertosa. Even as I arrived in the village, beautiful views of the surrounding countryside and of several protruding rocks opened up before me. On the opposite hill, literally pressed against the rock, lay Castelmezzano.

As soon as I crossed the highest point over which the road climbs in these parts, I found myself in Pietrapertosa. This town, too, is built on the very peak of a rock, with houses crammed against its base. From the car park above the town I had a look around and set off into the little alleyways. I walked through the town for a while, reached one of its two churches, and I was already at the end of the village. It really is small, home to about 1,000 inhabitants. On the very summit above Pietrapertosa stands a fortified castle. Even though it was closed at the time and I couldn't therefore look inside, I climbed up to it along a steep path in order to get as high as possible and be able to look out over the surroundings.

Because it was the end of October, the sun was already setting after five o'clock, so I had to hurry to reach my accommodation in Castelmezzano while it was still light. Two roads lead there. One, however, was closed for technical reasons, so even though the villages are perhaps only some 2 kilometres apart as the crow flies, I had to make about a half-hour drive along the switchbacks before I got there by car, almost at dusk. In an apartment right in the very centre of the village I quickly checked in and, in the last of the daylight, set off to have a look around the rocks above the village. No sooner had I set out than it began to rain - and more and more heavily. I'd barely got above the inhabited part when, because of the darkness and the weather, I was forced to turn around and head back again. Oh well, I told myself, I'll surely make up for it all tomorrow.

I got up while it was still dawn, because clouds were rolling beautifully over the surroundings and I wanted to photograph the town in this morning atmosphere. I reached the nearby little square with the church in a few minutes; the street lighting was still on throughout the town. I set up the tripod, fitted the wide-angle lens and photographed for several minutes. The beautiful view with its perfect atmosphere prompted me to go and explore further, so in the end I walked around Castelmezzano from the lower side. In the apartment I had a good breakfast, because the hostess had even baked an apple cake, and once again I grabbed the camera and went to have a look at the closed road below the town. It led through a short tunnel and turned behind a rocky outcrop. Here too I found beautiful views of the autumn-tinted landscape. What's more, the low clouds and the sun flashing through here and there lent everything a perfect atmosphere.

On the way back I finally reached the square with the church where I'd started in the morning. And fortune really did smile on me. For about 3 minutes the interplay of sun, clouds and a beautiful view came together in an absolutely ideal combination, and that's how the opening photo of this article came about. Only very rarely do I have the feeling that everything comes together this ideally. Even though I made it to these two villages only on a quick round trip, the journey here was definitely worth it.

Tip 1: Take a walk along the little road below Castelmezzano, where beyond the tunnel yet another view of the surroundings opens up.

Tip 2: Walk up to the little church on the rock; if you have the gear, you can continue on along the via ferrata.

Tip 3: Even though these are small villages, come here for at least 2 full days so you have the chance to soak up the local atmosphere.