Two lakes in the crater of the Vulture, with the abbey of San Michele
In the north of Basilicata, Monte Vulture is an extinct volcano, about 1,300 metres high, whose last eruptions date back about 140,000 years. Inside its ancient crater, surrounded by dense woods of beech, chestnut, oak and alder, lie the two Laghi di Monticchio, the Lago Grande and the Lago Piccolo, separated by a narrow isthmus of land, with dark green water that reflects the trees, in a landscape of great charm and peace. The woods around the lakes are home to rare species, including a beautiful moth, the Brahmaea europaea, discovered here in 1963, a living relic of ancient times, found nowhere else in Europe, which has become a symbol of the area.
On the steep slope above the Lago Piccolo, perched on the rock wall, stands the Abbey of San Michele Arcangelo, one of the most evocative places in southern Italy: a sanctuary that incorporates an ancient grotto used by Basilian monks in the eighth century, to which Benedictine and then Capuchin monks added a convent, rebuilt in the eighteenth century; it preserves an ancient church carved into the rock, with Byzantine frescoes, and offers a splendid view over the lakes. Around the lakes there are paths for walking and cycling, picnic areas, boat rentals and restaurants. The Vulture area is also famous for its mineral waters, bottled in nearby springs, and for the great red wine Aglianico del Vulture, produced on the volcanic slopes of the mountain.
Tip: walk around the Lago Piccolo and climb to the abbey; rent a rowing boat on the Lago Grande.
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