Viggiano.
Overlooking the Agri Valley, it used to be inhabited
by Basil monks and was later walled by the Normans.
Between the XVII and the XVIII centuries, it was
one of the best known villages in Basilicata for its
woodcraft, in particular for the production of harps
and other musical instruments. In the same period
the fame of the musicians from Viggiano was spread.
People playing harp and violin used to go around villages,
not only in Italy, but also in France, Germany, England
and America.
In the village there are the remains of the feudal
Castle, while along the streets there are old fountains
and palaces having portals carved with harps and violins.
In the ‘Basilica of Santa Maria del Deposito’
(Cathedral) there is a wooden statue of the ‘Madonna
Nera’ (the Black Madonna), which on the first
Sunday in May is brought in procession to the Sanctuary
of the Sacred Mountain, 12 km away.
