The soundtrack for this route is, with no doubts “Brigante se more” by Eugenio Bennato. Listen to it before getting on your the way. It will take you a bit back in time, at the end of 1800, just to give you a glimpse of an important and discussed historical chapter: the Risorgimento. This route is recommended to those who love the TV series and video games set in another historical era, who have an irreducible nostalgia of the past, to those who believe that Southern Italy needs a moral and civil ransom. If you recognize yourself in one of these portraits, this is the right route for you.

The route starts from Corleto Perticara (PZ) and you can do it on foot (let your car have a break!).
Corleto Perticara, thanks to the work of his illustrious patriots, was the first town of Lucania able to suspend the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and to annex itself to the Kingdom of Italy. The work of Patriots was a noteworthy one, because it was completed on August 16, 1860: it means before the time in which Garibaldi himself, with the fateful “spedizione dei 1000” (expedition of 1000), landed in Calabria and went up the italian peninsula. Corleto Perticara, starting from its place names – as you can note seeing the street names rewritten with classic Calvello ceramics-, revolves around this illustrious page in history. On this day, in the Town Hall square is screened the evocative show entitled “The lights of the Risorgimento”.

Let your journey start from Via Roma, where there is the so-called “Lacava Palace”. It is not open to the public, but just take a few minutes to take a look at the plaque on its facade. Then take some steps down to Piazza Plebiscito and so in “Piazzetta del Risorgimento”, inside you will find the permanent exhibition “Paintings of civilizations”, which describes, in more detail, the heroic deeds of the Lucan patriots. Your attention must dwell particularly on the old flag, jealously kept in a glass case. It’s the one that the Lucan Patriots – and their women in particular – sewed by hand at the end of’800, the one that was flown in that magical night, shouting “Long live Italy!”.

Than move to Piazza Plebiscito, get off to Piazza Municipio, take a look at the “Portico of the flag” and let your eyes stop on the facade of the former Town Hall to read the license plates placed on the wall. Pass through Via Comitato and come up to “Senise Palace”, easily recognizable by the presence of another stone plaque. It could be time for lunch, so have a break to taste the local products in one of the typical restaurants around the town, maybe asking for “the mbill mband” or “rascatiedd”, and if you love meat, you should definitely try the local lamb. When it’s time for a Coffee, ask for “coffee of carrettera”, a particular coffee mixed with anise. For dessert, we recommend the classic “sospiro”, sweet cream covered with sugar.

Second stage of this tour all imprinted on the Renaissance, is Brindisi di Montagna (50 km from Corleto P.), where, only in the summer period, inside the “Parco della Grancia” a particular cineshow entitled “Bandit History” is staged. Here you will find on stage the other aspect of history, which is the visual representation of the banditry phenomenon, a post-unitary phenomenon in which local people, -especially harassed peasants disappointed by the flag of Savoy, with the alleged complicity of the Papacy and borbonics veterans, opposed themselves to the Kingdom of Savoy. Walk in the park, taste the typical sandwich with provolone podolico and truffles and drink excellent Aglianico wine. At dusk, let yourself be charmed by this performance in which theater, cinema and special effects are amazingly mixed with each other.

At the end of the day you will be tired, but for sure enriched with a definitely more critical view on our recent history.