Palazzo Bavasso

Palazzo Bavasso is located in the small town of Lungro, a centre of the Arbëreshë community, a people whose events are shrouded in history and legend and who have been able to maintain and enhance their cultural identity across the centuries. Lungro was founded by a community of Albanians who arrived in Italy in the second half of the 15th century following national hero Giorgio Castriota, commonly known as Skanderbeg, and fleeing to escape the invading Ottoman Turks. The town is situated in the heart of the Pollino National Park, mentioned by Pliny the Elder in his ‘Naturalis Historia’ due to its extensive and significant salt mines, one of the largest and most important in Europe.

The main façade of Palazzo Bavasso overlooks a large part of the plain of Sibari, from where it is possible to observe the magnificent Gulf of Corigliano Calabro and the hills that gradually rise towards the Sila Greca mountain range, offering visitors an extraordinarily wide-ranging panorama. The palazzo is one of the most imposing buildings in the village and faces the St. Nicholas of Myra Cathedral, which is considered to be the most important Byzantine Catholic basilica in Italy. It is the seat of the Eparchy, and inside it is possible to admire all the many splendours of its Eastern influences.

The region offers a wealth of unique and almost unknown natural and cultural offerings to be explored, which have been brilliantly described by many great foreign and Italian writers and journalists, such as Norman Douglas, Ignazio Silone and Guido Piovene, to name but a few.

The rooms on the ground floor house machinery for producing olive oil using cold-pressing methods: granite millstones crush the olives and stainless-steel presses produce the must, then the oil is extracted with a centrifugal separator.

The history of Palazzo Bavasso
In the second half of the 19th century, when luxury goods became accessible to the middle classes as a result of the industrial revolution, wealthy businessmen and brothers Vincenzo and Costantino Bavasso began to establish business relationships beyond the confines of the region, trading with silk manufacturers in Lombardy and major Sicilian wine producers.

The most interesting trade relations, however, were those that Vincenzo and Costantino entertained with the Americas, where many of their compatriots had already begun to emigrate. This lucrative activity enabled them to commission one of the most renowned architects from Naples to design a residence that was located in a dominant position in the town and would therefore be a suitable reflection of their economic and social status.

The main façade, designed in the Neo-classical style which was all the rage in the Neapolitan capital at the time, became the symbolic focal point of the small Arbëreshë community. The interior of the palazzo offers a captivating journey through time. The multi-coloured polished cement floors imbue the rooms with refined elegance, which ‘Donna Olga Dramis’, a noblewoman from San Giorgio Albanese and Vincenzo’s wife, embellished with Art Nouveau furnishings. These elements are further complemented by the distinctive light that, at certain times of the day, creates a mesmerising blend of the old and the antique, evoking a nostalgic atmosphere of times gone by.

Facilities and services at Palazzo Bavasso
Since September 2020, Palazzo Bavasso has been home to the cultural association bearing the same name, dedicated to promoting the Arbëreshë culture’s rich traditions. The association focuses on preserving its language, music, literature, religion and art through collaborations between individuals, organisations and partnerships. The founding members envision the association as a lasting research hub and a centre for cultural experiences that will benefit the entire region.

One of the most important initiatives currently underway is the permanent exhibition of Carlo Levi‘s preparatory sketches for his work “Cristo si è fermato a Eboli” (‘Christ Stopped at Eboli’). The lithograph sketches were donated to the association by maestro Francesco Esposito, with whom the writer enjoyed a long period of artistic collaboration and deep friendship.

In addition, the rooms on the second floor of this historical residence are used for cultural events such as book presentations and conferences, as well as haute couture fashion shows.

The palazzo hosts tastings of typical local products and, in particular, tastings of the wines and oil produced directly from the Bavasso family’s agricultural activities are organised periodically.

Tours of the oil mill and the wine cellar are also arranged, along with excursions in the family’s vineyards. Restoration work is planned in the near future, both to maintain the palazzo and to adapt some of its spaces for tourist accommodation.