What to do around Rionero
The Vulture, on your doorstep
THE MONTICCHIO LAKES
Two volcanic lakes in the craters of Monte Vulture, surrounded by woods. On the hillside above Lago Piccolo, the Abbey of San Michele houses the Natural History Museum; the reserve below is home to the Brahmaea europaea, the moth featured in our logo, first discovered in these very woods in 1963.
Take your time on the circular trail; pedal boats are available on the lake. Twelve kilometres from the house.
ALL WITHIN HALF AN HOUR'S DRIVE
Frederick II's castles, villages and waterfalls: the Vulture area is easy to explore on day trips from Rionero, one place at a time. These are the places we recommend to our guests.
Monte Vulture
The dormant volcano that gives the whole area its name: 1,326 metres high, with chestnut and beech woods and waymarked trails to the summit. In autumn, the woods blaze with colour across the craters; this is the heart of the Vulture Regional Natural Park.
Barile and the Sheshë
The village is home to an Arbëresh community, which arrived from Albania in the fifteenth century. The Sheshë is the Arbëresh quarter of Barile, with wine cellars carved into the tuff: in its Urban Wine Cellar Park, 128 caves have held Aglianico for centuries, and you can explore them along a walkway through the rocks.
Melfi
The Norman-Swabian castle of Melfi towers over the town: this is where Frederick II issued the Constitutions of Melfi in 1231. Within its walls is the National Archaeological Museum of the Melfese; just below stands the cathedral with its Norman bell tower.
Venosa
Horace's birthplace, listed among Italy's most beautiful villages: the Roman archaeological park of Venosa, the Jewish catacombs, the Aragonese castle and the Incompiuta — the Abbey of the Holy Trinity, left open to the sky and never completed.
Castel Lagopesole
Frederick II's last castle, begun in 1242: the emperor's hunting residence, perched on the hill overlooking the Vitalba valley. It is the most majestic of Basilicata's Swabian castles.
The waterfalls of San Fele
The waterfalls of the Bradano stream, known locally as "U Uattënnierë", after the old fulling mill that harnessed the force of the water. Several woodland trails range from 300 metres to 4.5 kilometres: put on your walking boots and set off.
Palazzo Fortunato and the Museum of Brigandage
Giustino Fortunato's eighteenth-century palazzo, with its library and museum devoted to the culture of Aglianico. A short distance away, in the former Bourbon prison, the Museum of Brigandage tells the story of Carmine Crocco, the brigand born in Rionero.
La Zattera dei Monaci
A wooden and steel raft that will cross Lago Grande without an engine, sails or oars: it moves by being pulled along a cable from one shore to the other. Its name, meaning the Monks' Raft, pays tribute to the abbey's monks. It will connect the village trail with the archaeological excavations at Sant'Ippolito.
Il Volo della Bramea
Visitors will fly suspended from a steel cable along the route of the old Vulture cable car, which has been out of service since the 1980s: the ride takes its name from the moth found in our woods. The lower station on Lago Piccolo will also become the Cable Car Museum, while the first pylon will become a panoramic terrace.
THE WINES OF THE VULTURE
Aglianico del Vulture, Basilicata's great red wine, grows on the mountain's volcanic soils: it was the region's first DOC and, in its Superiore version, is Basilicata's only DOCG — aged for at least three years, or five for the Riserva. The same grapes also produce rosé and sparkling wines; whites include Malvasia and Moscato. It is no coincidence that the Vulture was named Città Italiana del Vino 2026 (Italian Wine City 2026).
Wineries welcome visitors by appointment for tours and tastings among barrels and caves carved into the tuff. These are the producers to know, from Rionero to the surrounding towns.
