Discover Lavello: Castle, Churches and Archaeology

Lavello between Vulture and history

Lavello is part of the Vulture area in northern Basilicata. Lavello Castle was founded during the Norman period. One of Lavello’s oldest churches is the Chiesa di San Mauro Martire. It stands where the old Pescarcllo district transitions into the Norman-Swabian district. Those who want to get to know Italy not only through its landscapes but also through preserved buildings, works of art and collections will find several different cultural points of interest here.

Archaeological themes from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age

The municipal antiquarium offers a virtual exhibition on fertility cults in the 2nd millennium BC and Lavello Hypogeum 1036. The municipal collection of the Antiquarium of Lavello comprises finds from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. In the Antiquario in the Castello di Lavello, the Antiquario displays vases from the Greek period. The visible Casa del Diavolo area, which is not fenced off, also forms part of the town’s archaeological landscape. For those interested in archaeology, Lavello’s chronological range extends from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age; the vases from the Greek period provide a later historical reference, while the virtual exhibition explores fertility cults. The range thus extends from very early periods of discovery through Greek ceramics and religious themes to an archaeological area with its own designation. For visitors interested in long periods of history, Lavello therefore offers different perspectives on the past, without limiting its archaeological themes to a single era.

The Museo civiltà contadina

The Museo civiltà contadina is divided into the sections “the farmhouse,” featuring household objects, and “fieldwork,” featuring rural tools. It also includes traditional peasant costumes as well as a collection of historically significant documents and notarial deeds. Household objects, tools and clothing are displayed here alongside written records. In the museum, the two sections lead from the household to fieldwork; costumes, documents and deeds expand the collection with clothing and written records.

Churches with frescoes and canvas paintings

The medieval Chiesa di Santa Maria del Principio features valuable frescoes on its interior walls and beneath the vault. The Chiesa di Sant’Anna preserves sacred canvas paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries. The canvas painting of the Annunciation in this church is attributed to the Lucanian painter Antonio Stabile. The Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Rose contains frescoes from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. The Chiesa di San Mauro Martire also preserves individual works: it contains the painting Madonna del Principio by Oliva di Napoli from 1847 and a work entitled Madonna delle Rose from 1613. For those interested in art, church art in Lavello ranges from frescoes and canvas paintings to individually dated works; an artist attribution is also included. During your cultural exploration of Lavello, you can therefore distinguish between medieval frescoes, sacred canvas paintings, an artist attribution and individually dated works. This diversity makes the town particularly interesting for an individually planned trip to Italy focusing on history, art and archaeology.

Discover more places via Chiaromonte, Rapone, Potenza, Francavilla In Sinni, Pescopagano, Corleto Perticara, Palazzo San Gervasio and Venosa.

To the higher-level travel overview: Potenza.