Roman Lucania

It stretched from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto.

Therefore, to the north-west, it included the central-southern part of today’s Province of Salerno, the Cilento and Vallo di Diano area, and the Sannio Irpino; to the south, the north-eastern part of upper Calabria from Castrovillari to Sibari.

At the center, it included the whole of the present Basilicata region, whose borders were: the Sele Valley to the north-west, which separated it from Campania, the Bradano Valley to the east / south-east, which separated it from Apulia, and two rivers Lao and Crati, which to the south / south-west separated it from Bruzia. Almost all the territory of Lucania was occupied by the Apennines and to the north it was bordered by the Alburni mountains.

It included the Gulf of Policastro up to the peaks of Monte Sirino and Pollino, after which one reached the mouth of the Lao.

To the east the mountains descended into plateaus until reaching the Piana di Metaponto and the Gulf of Taranto.

Lucanian peasant cuisine and cruschi peppers

Cruschi peppers are a specialty of this land.

The peppers, after being cleaned, are dried, then ground and used in the preparation of cured meats and preserves. To dry them well, the peppers are strung in long strings and hung on the outer walls of the houses, called inserts. In some areas they are fried: this is why they are called cruschi.

Lucanian cuisine is rich in intense flavors and smells, as in the tradition of Mediterranean cuisine: it is impossible to resist the temptation to taste it or even simply to “smell it” …