Maratea Vecchia (Castello)

"Castello" is the name by which the inhabitants indicate Maratea Vecchia, whose ruins stand on the rocky ridges of Monte San Biagio. This ancient center, uninhabited and largely in a state of neglect, was probably born in Early Middle Ages, on the ruins of a Roman settlement. The name "Castello" is not due to the presence of a fortress, but to the fact that the town was placed on top of an impregnable cliff, protected by walls, ramparts and towers. The houses of Old Maratea exhibited characteristics of "miniaturization" unknown in the rest of the territory: each compartment was about a quarter smaller than normal and had an oven and a cistern for water. However, there was no lack of palaces and larger residences, reserved for wealthy families, such as Ventapane Palace, a grandiose building of which only hexagonal loggia still remains. Iternal road system consisted of alleys and stairways; two doors allowed access to fortified town: Porta Santa Maria, located at the southern walls, and Porta dei Carpini, on the northern ones.