The Arab-Norman village of the tower and the Carnival masks
On a hill in the upper valley of the Basento, in the province of Matera, Tricarico is one of the most interesting historic towns of Basilicata, which preserves the medieval structure of its districts and a unique tradition. Its old town is dominated by the tall cylindrical Norman tower, about 30 metres high, the remains of the castle, and includes two districts with an unmistakable layout, the Saracena and the Rabata, which preserve the plan of the Arab settlements of the ninth and tenth centuries, when the Saracens occupied the area for some time: a maze of narrow, winding lanes, small courtyards and dead ends, with gardens irrigated by ancient channels. The town also has a beautiful Cathedral, of Norman origin, convents and noble palaces, and was the seat of an important bishopric.
Tricarico is famous for its Carnival, one of the most ancient and original in southern Italy, linked to the world of farming and transhumance: on 17 January, the feast of Saint Anthony Abbot, protector of animals, the masked men of the village, dressed as cows and bulls, with white or black clothes covered with coloured ribbons, hats with long ribbons and large cowbells, parade in herds through the streets, led by a "cowherd", reproducing the movements of the herds during transhumance, with the deafening sound of the bells. The parades are then repeated until the end of Carnival. Tricarico is also the birthplace of the poet Rocco Scotellaro, who was mayor of the town and wrote about the life and struggles of the peasants of the South.
Tip: come on 17 January for the first parade of the masks; walk through the lanes of the Rabata and the Saracena.
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