How many times have we imagined being able to live inside houses of the hobbits of the movie "The Lord of the Rings" or of the gnomes of many fairy tales that were told to us as children. Houses and landscapes found in distant countries such as Ireland or New Zealand. But do you know that even in Italy there are houses like these? Once inhabited and used for a very specific purpose. Today the destination of that naturalistic tourism to discover enchanted places where time seems to have stopped. In the province of Potenza, in Basilicata, there is the village of three thousand inhabitants called Pietragalla. Known by all for its "Parco dei palmenti". Recently also the FAI, the Italian Environment Fund has promoted its protection to elect it "place of the heart".
What was the Parco dei palmenti for?
The millstones of Pietragalla, about 200 houses, represent a symbol of peasant civilization. Buildings that date back to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, although there are those who date them as early as the fourteenth century. They were once used for the production of wine, according to ancient traditions still known today. Over time this park has been recovered and made accessible thanks to the work of volunteers and local tourist guides. Although it is not a very large site, it is advisable to visit it with a guide who can explain all the secrets of this place.
The visits to the millstones
And in fact the palmenti can be visited to learn about ancient testimonies of traditions wineries and knowledge to be protected and handed down to new generations. Between ingenuity and art, the rock houses of Pietragalla are concrete symbols of the local architecture. Made of poor elements but which are preserved over time. Furthermore, according to recent studies it would be tuff caves, underground. Sand would have been used for the plaster, while river stones were used for the exterior. And the name of this site seems to have originated from the Latin “palmentum”. In fact, this term indicates the process of crushing and beating the grapes, and then the act of pressing and storing the wine..
Inside these structures there are tanks carved into the rock, for the fermentation of the grapes and for the pressing. So the grapes once harvested dai vineyards in the area, it was carried in the millstones. Here it was poured into the tub and pressed barefoot. The must then flowed into the tank below. On the roof an opening, used to "vent" the carbon dioxide generated by fermentation. The long manufacturing process ended after about 20 days. And so the wine was deposited inside the wooden barrels and stored in the characteristic cellars called “rutt”.
What can you visit in Pietragalla
Not only the park of the palmenti, however. In this Lucanian town you can visit the Ducal Palace, admire the landscape between bridges, arches, stairways and pointed windows. And according to the rich winemaking tradition of the place you can visit the numerous local wineries. More visits to churches, such as San Nicola, the Madonna delle Grazie, Sant'Antonio and San Cataldo. Finally, a special museum takes care of the peasant civilization.
An environment full of charm, therefore, this park, a fantastic landscape that if once it was designed to produce excellent wine, today it is all to be discovered.
Source of featured image: I palmenti by Basilicata Turistica is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
