Aliano
Discovering Aliano, the town of Carlo Levi
Aliano, also known as Gagliànë in the local dialect, is a picturesque Italian municipality in the province of Matera, Basilicata. With a population of 889 inhabitants, it is famous for being the setting of Carlo Levi's renowned novel, "Christ Stopped at Eboli."
Physical geography
Located on a clay hill at an altitude of 555 meters above sea level, Aliano overlooks the Agri Valley and the Sauro River, situated in the central-western part of the province on the border with the central-eastern part of the Potenza province. Its territory is characterized by typical badlands, slopes created by the erosion of clay rocks with little vegetation cover. The municipality borders Stigliano, Gorgoglione, Sant'Arcangelo, Roccanova, and Missanello and is part of the Collina Materana mountain community.
History
The village has an ancient history dating back to antiquity, when the territory was an important trading center between the Etruscan, Greek, and Enotrian civilizations, thanks to the proximity of the Agri and Sinni rivers. A necropolis dating back to the VIII and VII centuries BC, containing a thousand tombs and many artifacts, attests to the existence of a settlement in the area. Some sources speak of a village of shepherds already developed at the time of Pyrrhus, in 280 BC. However, the first official documents in which Aliano is mentioned date back to 1060, when a papal bull assigned control of the village to the bishop of the Diocese of Tricarico. During the Middle Ages, Aliano was a fiefdom of various families, including the Sanseverino, Carafa, and Colonna.
Carlo Levi
In recent history, the figure of the writer Carlo Levi stands out in Aliano, who set his celebrated novel, "Christ Stopped at Eboli," here during the period of confinement imposed on him by the fascist regime in 1935-1936. Levi lived first in Grassano and then in Aliano, where he had the opportunity to know the reality of those lands and their people. During his confinement in Aliano, Levi practiced his profession as a doctor for free, directly discovering the poor conditions of the local peasants.
Territory and tourist attractions
The territory of Aliano is characterized by the famous badlands, clay rocks with strange shapes created by wind and water erosion. Along the road that leads to Aliano, there are the ruins of an ancient castle, a witness to the village's medieval past. In the 1960s, the Italian government launched a major project to build a large dam on a tributary of the Agri River, canceling much of the cultivable land in Aliano's territory and forcing many inhabitants to leave their town.
Today, Aliano has recovered thanks to the commitment of its inhabitants and is promoted as a tourist destination thanks to its membership in the National Association of Oil Cities. Its gastronomic specialties include olive oil, bread baked in a wood-fired oven, and cheeses. The surrounding territory is ideal for trekking and birdwatching enthusiasts, thanks to its rich birdlife.
Conclusions
Aliano is a small municipality in Basilicata of great cultural and historical value thanks to the presence of Carlo Levi and the ancient history of its land. The pristine nature surrounding it and its gastronomic specialties make it an interesting tourist destination for those seeking relaxation and contact with nature.
