The Lucanian Apennine.
It could be described as the third ridge in a longitudinal direction, from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Jonian. Area where the presence of man is hardly felt at all, being one of the least populated areas in Italy (61 inhabitants per square kilometre), this could be one of the reasons why it has been conserved so perfectly. In the Apennine forests make way for sunny ridges and gulleys (called ‘garambe’) with gorges that could be small canyons (Val d'Agri in the direction of Grumentum and also towards Missanello). The quiet beech forest in the Volturino (in the Viggiano wood) is quite breathtaking with the pinks and deep reds of its spring and autumn cyclamens. The dam of Pertusillo can also be considered part of the Apennine: there are many man-made works for the channelling of fluviatile water and for the prevention of floods. This dam barricades the Agri river in a barren, argillaceous (clay) landscape which suddenly changes after a few kilometres: to the north the woody, languid atmosphere typical of the English countryside; to the south a lunar scene, barren and unreal, with the view changing at every glance: it is the land of Aliano and Carlo Levi's world famous ‘Cristo si e fermato ad Eboli’ (Christ stopped at Eboli). From summer to early autumn it is possible to catch glimpses of the fisher hawk on the banks of the lake. Beyond the lake there are a kind of watershed and another beech forest, that of Moliterno, with huge trees at times reaching a metre in diameter and 30 metres in height. The smaller vegetation is also captivating with its holly, spindle, red lilies, narcissus, spurge and ferns. Mount Alpi, to the north of Latronico, is an enormous craterous area quite unusual here (more typical of Abruzzo and North-East Campania) where alabaster for ornamental marble is obtained. It is a wild area with groups of loricate pines, meadows and wild flowers.