Apricale

DIVE INTO THE MAGIC OF APRICALE

The curtain of houses that surrounded it in its lower part constituted a kind of defensive belt in which the three gates opened to the village.

The stone houses surrounding Apricale at its bottom represent a kind of defensive barrier in which the three main gates of access to the town opened.

And it is by crossing one of them that, parked the car, you enter the village and you go through the lattice of narrow streets that constitutes the most fascinating character of the village.

Walking in winter along these semi-deserted lanes you will immerse yourself in an enchanted silence that every summer gives way to the newfound vitality of a village that, in the season, crowds with tourists and holidaymakers.

On the walls of the houses, at the intersections between the streets, you happen to come across some murals, often depicting moments of life in the fields, the work of numerous contemporary artists who, fascinated by the beauty of the village, wanted to leave a mark of their Step.

Square Vittorio Emanuele II

The heart of the village is the beautiful Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, with the fountain of Gothic origin, the stone seats, the arches under which justice was once administered, the spectacularly arranged buildings on different levels and, to the south, the open gaze on the Valley.

Here, both in summer and winter, most of the events and occasions of aggregation take place between the inhabitants of Apricale and visiting tourists.

Oratory of St. Bartholomes

Behind the square is the oratory of St. Bartholomew, a sixteenth-century building that was decorated with Baroque taste during the 18th century. Inside it contains a beautiful Renaissance polyptych depicting Madonna della Neve (among the penitents, dressed in red, the client is also painted) and an oil table showing Saint Anthony Abbot.

parrocchiale della Purificazione di Maria

On a terrace just above, the parish of the Nativity of Mary, of medieval foundation, but rebuilt in the nineteenth century, is on a terrace just above. Next to the church is the scenic fifth consisting of what remains of the stands of the “Castello della Lucertola” and the lower section of a 12th-century circular tower.

Castello della lucertola

Next to the church is the impressive lizard castle, which houses the museum dedicated to the history of the village, numerous temporary exhibitions and a beautiful hanging garden. The visit includes the mezzanine floor, with the rooms dedicated to Apricale (where you can find archaeological finds, reconstructions, photographic material, works of art and memorabilia), the upstairs salon for exhibitions and underground.

Inside the castle, you can also visit the rooms. One of these is dedicated to Countess Cristina Anna Bellomo, the Countess of Apricale, a woman of fascinating and intricate history, who seems to have come out of the pen of an imaginative novelist.