THE WHITE ALBURNI MOUNT AND CALORE VALLEY: EMOTIONS AND SURPRISES
The valley of Calore River is really luxuriant: Calore River is a blue ribbon that streams from Cervati Mountain and goes to Sele River, in Roccadaspide. Here the river is also the setting of canoe championships. The valley is dominated by strong Alburni mountains covered by enchanting woods.
This wide area includes the towns of Albanella, Altavilla, Aquara, Bellosguardo, Campora, Capaccio, Castel San Lorenzo, Castelcivita, Controne, Corleto Monforte, Felitto, Giungano, Laurino, Magliano Vetere, Monteforte, Ottati, Petina, Piaggine, Postiglione, Roccadaspide, Roscigno, Sacco, Sant'Angelo a Fasanella, Serre, Sicignano degli Alburni, Stio, Trentinara, and Valle dell'Angelo. These places offer emotions and surprises because they are charming and picturesque; they have important folkloristic traditions, well developed handicraft, typical products, and a genuine and delicious gastronomy. The path of Calore River is immersed in a fascinating territory where nature is the queen: the transparent waters of the river (where the otter lives) cross one of the most spectacular territories of Cilento: Felitto, the land of "fusilli", the typical pasta awarded with the IGP mark, dominates the river from a rock, like a natural fortress, between overhanging rocks and thick woods. Here geomorphologic scenarios are unique: there are gorges, falls, and rocks carved by water. If you want to reach the Middle Ages bridge, you will face the most difficult part of the path, accompanied by some birds of prey that fly showing all their beauty between sky and rocks, like canyons. In Felitto you can taste the delicious 'fusilli' that have been produced since XVI century. Also a festival is dedicated to fusilli. You can also visit the Middle Ages castle with its seven towers.
The territory of Val Calore arrives to the archaeological area of Paestum: this area includes the majestic temples and the Museum, and from there you can leave for a trip that will lead you in the most inner itineraries of the territory. There are several built-up areas, with chapels and noble palaces, full of flavours, smells, and colours. Tourists will love this high-quality offer, made of culture and traditions. Agriculture has always been the most important resource and thanks to it gastronomic traditions are excellent, made of taste and genuineness. Some towns produce the Val Calore wine with DOC mark and Colline Salernitane oil with DOP mark. In Serre there is a sanctuary dedicated to Our Lady of the Olives, built between X and XI century.
Controne bean is especially appreciated thanks to its organoleptic quality and its flavour: this bean is small and round, the peel is very thin; a festival is dedicated to Controne beans, an event made of traditions and gastronomy. The ancient inns reopen; characters from the past revive, such as the Abbot and the Baron; visitors go along the ancient roads, such as Giudea, Pavone, and dell'Osso; they visit the ancient church dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Bari in which there is the wood statue of the Patron and the Papal Bull of Pope Benedict VII.
In the area of Castelcivita, famous for its caves that are underground and cover an area of more than 5 km with many rooms and galleries, there is the production of delicious chickpeas. The scenario of the caves is extraordinary, unique, and hypnotic, the perfect setting for the mythological fairy tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, one of the most touching love stories ever written by an author. The wide plains of Alburno are the perfect pasture for bovines, whose meat and milk are actually delicious. Milk is used to produce the famous local cheese, such as 'caciocavallo' and ricotta cheese. In the wide chestnut groves of Sicignano degli Alburni there is the strong Giusso Castle, that dominates the area from a rock. These chestnut groves offer high-quality fruits and the woods of Petina give the delicious wood strawberries celebrated with a festival every year. In Ottati there is the delicious fig, with its extraordinary flavour. Visiting Ottati you will also enjoy a visit to the church dedicated to the Patron, Saint Blaise: it has three naves and a frescoed vault. Roscigno Vecchia is Unesco World Heritage. It is called "XX century Pompeii" and it is like an open-air museum, with its alleys, the houses, the inns, and the stables. |
