Overview
The Castle of Valsinni is one of the best-preserved castles in Basilicata. It stands in the park between the Sinni river and Mount Coppolo (970 m), from whose summit the young Isabella awaited the return of her father: "From a high mountain where the sea can be seen, Often do I, thy daughter Isabella, hope that any wood strewn in the water might bring me news of thee, father".
The historian Benedetto Croce del Castello wrote "[...] striking in its architecture and imposing in its fullness of form, classical in the fugue of its battlements and arrow loops [...]".
The Greek poet Archilochus, on the other hand, tells us that at the confluence of the Sinni and Sarmento rivers, Hercules killed the nine-headed snake, the hydra, and it is said that Pyrrhus' army and elephants were killed in the floodwaters. High up on Mount Coppolo, you can still see the walls of an ancient 4th-century city, which some scholars believe is the remains of the Greek fortified city Lagaria, which according to legend was built by Epeus, built according to the legend by Epeius, who constructed the Trojan Horse. Here, you can also visit the "Mother Church of Mary of the Assumption" with its 16th-century frescoes and crucifix, and walk through the gafi, the vaulted passages linking the narrow streets of the village.
