Montalbano Jonico stands on a hill 292 meters above sea level, about 20 km from the Metapontum coastal line. Its origins seem to date back to the 3rd century BC when some Lucanians, allied with Pirro (280 A.c.), retreated up to the hill overlooking the Agri valley after the famous battle of Heraklea. The Montalbano hill, however, was frequented as early as the 4th century BC both for geographical and strategic reasons as well as for economic matters as evidenced by the numerous archaeological finds referable to this period; very important is the finding in 1732, in Montalbano territory, of the very famous Tablets of Heraclea (from the homonymous Hellenic city), two bronze plates with inscriptions written approximately during the middle of the IV century and today preserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
After the defeat of Pirro, the fortress was occupied by the Romans, but it has to be established the continuity of frequentation until early Middle Ages; a Byzantine occupation is certain.
Several hypotheses have been formulated about the origin of the toponym:
1- according to the historian Montalbano Placido Troyli, it derives from the light color of the gullies clay, typical feature of the landscape surrounding the town;
2- in 1889, Racioppi formulated a second theory explaining that the Lucanians who settled there in III century a.C. founded a fortress on the hill owned by a certain Albius and therefore named Mons Albianus;
3- the last hypothesis is inspired by an Arab matrix; the Saracens founded some settlements in the Lucanian territory (Abriola, Pietrapertosa, Castelsaraceno, Tricarico and neighboring Tursi) and this presence could have been felt also in Montalbano, leaving a testimony in the name: Al Bana, in Arabic, means "excellent place" . In Montalbano Jonico was added in 1863 to distinguish it from other homonymous municipalities of the peninsula.
The town of Montalbano is located above a marine terrace which let us have an inkling of the regression and transgression of the sea in past geological periods. In fact, walking up along the Appiett 'u mulin (beautiful and ancient mule track that connects the Gardens of the Agri valley with the Terra Vecchia, name given to the urban center), a lithological clay-sandstone- conglomerates transition from the bottom up to the top is clearly evident. This indicates a transition from a deep marine environment to a shallow beach. The entire built-up area develops on a surface slightly inclined towards the sea, confirming the last phase of withdrawal of the waters towards the current coastal line.
The whole area is formed by the Badlands that represent the product of the "slope modeling" process where the action of exogenous agents acts and therefore "models" the clay. It is certainly a harsh and suggestive landscape, consisting of deep incisions and walls with a sub-vertical profile. Within the clayey masses, underground tunnels and sinkholes are typical phenomena of underground erosion, being "pseudo-karstic" manifestations created by water erosion in the desiccation cracks. In the “Calanchi” it is possible to observe all stages of the morphogenetic evolution, typical of clays, which give to the landscape uncommon naturalistic qualities.
In fact, there are systems of badlands with thin ridges called "knife blade" which represent an initial stage of erosion, and other rounded ones called "Biancane" or "elephant's back" representing more mature erosive forms. The arrangement of the badlands gives life to spectacular shapes: herringbone, radial or comb. Unfortunately, the badlands area is home of mass movements (landslides) that threaten the stability of the historic center of Montalbano. They are mostly represented by landslides, quite common along the contact line between clay and terraced deposits. In fact, once wet, the clay acts as a "sliding pad" for the above layers.
Studies conducted for over twenty years along the western slope of the hill where Montalbano Jonico stands, have allowed us to reconstruct in detail the history of the quaternary stratigraphic-environmental evolution of what once was the bottom of a paleo-sea (Quaternary or Neozoic are two terms that indicate the most recent geological era, the one which we live, marked by various glaciations and that started about 1.8 million years ago). The research results allowed to propose the Montalbano Jonico Section as an international reference section for the stratotype of the lower-middle Pleistocene limit.
Due to this geological peculiarity and the high scientific value of the Badlands of Montalbano, the Basilicata Region in order to protect this important natural area, which can be considered a true open-air museum rich in fossils, established with a regional law, the "Badlands Regional Reserve of Montalbano Jonico". But the area of Montalbano - unique in the world for its geological and paleontological aspects - is also an unique landscape of environmental, archaeological and cultural value.
The deep incisions of the gullies that slope down to the cultivated fields, surrounded by thickets of Mediterranean scrub, pines and cypresses, draw landscapes of great suggestion, as spectacular as the geosite of "Tempa Petrolla", an isolated spur of rock that rises in a sea of clay.
The particular environment of the gullies has selected a typical vegetation that has adapted to the difficult climatic and soil conditions. The flora, therefore, is richer and more complex than commonly thought and includes authentic botanical rarities, protected by the European Union.
Even the fauna is richer than the barren landscape might reveal. Many animal species, in fact, populate the Reserve connected through small creeks (true "vegetation corridors") to the green areas of Agri and Cavone. The wide area of the Lucanian Badlands enhances the stop and the reproduction of different species of birds, so much to be recognized at European level as I.B.A. (Important Bird Area).
The historical center (Terra vecchia) of Montalbano - a natural point of arrival or departure for excursions or walks into the Reserve - maintains an interesting Roman layout, well-preserved medieval and seventeenth-century walls, several historic buildings and churches. From its belvedere it overlooks the metapontine plain and it is possible to take a glimpse of historical sites from the Hellenistic and Roman period, such as Heraclea and Anglona. The most inaccessible area of the gullies where Montalbano was built, is quite spectacular as well. A visit to the Reserve and the adjacent "Terra Vecchia" of Montalbano, therefore, offers unique, varied and highly suggestive experiences.
Various paths and tracks cross the Riserva dei Calanchi di Montalbano. Particularly interesting are some mule tracks (the historic "appiett") that from remote times connect the historic center to the irrigated land of the Val d’Agri (the so-called Gardens) or trigger on the old ways of transhumance. Due to the impervious geomorphological nature of the area, the "appiett" wind along particularly scenic and suggestive routes, which run along the Agri valley, from the Ionian sea to the mountains of the Pollino Park. Moreover some of them also cross or face geological sites of greatest interest of the Reserve, thus being splendid paths for hikers.
To the north-west of the Reserve, at the border between the territories of Montalbano, Craco and Pisticci, a curious and spectacular rock spur, called "Tempa Petrolla" (in local dialect "P’trodd") rises up over the surrounding countryside.
It is a fragment of a calciclastic flyschoid succession placed in a vertical position. It was formed by the sedimentation of calcareous turbidites, in a deep sea basin of the Tertiary era and was deformed as a result of the Apennine orogeny. The rocky fragment, completely detached from its substratum, was placed in the current position among the Plio-Pleistocene clays of the Fossa Bradanica during the last deformation phases of the Apennine range.
The regional uprising of the Bradanica Trench, the emergence from the sea and the subsequent erosion of the area have brought it to light. Although the geological motivation of the conformation of Tempa Petrolla is known, the place is particularly suggestive because the huge rocky outcrop seems to inexplicably emerge from the clay soil, almost as if it were a huge meteorite plunged into this sea of clay.
The locality was frequented by man since the Neolithic period and hosted a fortified village during the Middle Ages, due to its strategic position from the coast towards the interior. From Petrolla, in fact, the Norman tower of Craco, the Swabian castle of Pisticci, the fortifications of Montalbano and the castle of San Basilio, are all clearly visible. Petrolla is on the watershed of two valleys, Cavone and Agri: a strategic point, considered by the official cartography to be part of the Italian geodesic network. rom the top a suggestive 360° panorama is highly enjoyable.
