Tricarico

Clinging to a limestone spur over the Basento valley and recognisable from afar by its tall Norman tower, Tricarico retains its ancient districts of Rabatana and Saracena, which unfold like the small but intricate labyrinths typical of Arab towns. In the 17th century, it was the home of the painter Pietro Antonio Ferro, and in 1923, the writer Rocco Scotellaro was born there, whose artistic testimony and political commitment to the rights of local farmers are still very much present and in evidence. 

The Norman tower is one of the symbols of the town, but it is only one of its artistic and monumental riches.  In the ancient heart stands the 13th-century Church of St Francis. The former convent, which has been extensively remodelled, is home to the Rocco Scotellaro Documentation Centre with a specialised library on Southern Italy and an important photographic archive with images by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Arturo Zavattini, Mario Carbone, Mario Cresci and Antonio Pagnotta.