This Tiny Italian Village in Basilicata Is Linked to the Knights Templar

Basilicata is an authentic region rich in history, culture, villages and towns on a human scale, where woods and mountains look out over two seas. One of its most fascinating destinations is Forenza, a village with a thousand faces, ready to captivate every traveller visiting the Lucanian region.

This place stands out for its ancient history, deeply linked to the legend of the Knights Templar; legends tell of ancient Crusader knights who left indelible traces within the village walls. Forenza also captivates with its iconic street art and celebration of local rural culture.

It also offers adventure amidst unspoilt landscapes and the adrenaline rush of two-wheeled stunts. An immersive journey through narrow streets, picturesque views and unique experiences: pack your bags and set off straight away to discover Forenza!

The town of Forenza, perched on a hilltop to the south-east of Mount Vulture, has retained the spirit of a true medieval village, a bastion of Basilicata’s agricultural and pastoral culture. When visiting Forenza, one is struck by its charm, with its stone-paved alleyways, stairways, arches, arcades and low-rise houses bearing witness to a past that lives on in this gem of Lucanian tourism.

As you stroll, you can admire the historic ‘Case’: Casa Oppido, Casa Canfora and Casa Tufaroli. The beating heart of the village is Piazza Regina Margherita, featuring the war memorial designed by Achille D’Orsi. From here, you catch a glimpse of the tower of the Church of San Nicola.

In this article, we will discover:

• History of the village: A millennia-old identity rooted in the Middle Ages and an ancient historical and legendary heritage linked to the Knights Templar.

• The alleyways of the historic centre: A characteristic mosaic of stone-paved streets, arches and picturesque views.

• Traditional houses: Historic buildings that tell the story of the village’s evolution.

• The most important monuments: The parish church of San Nicola, the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Stella, and the Most Holy Crucifix of Forenza.

• The ‘Bosco Grande’: A vast and unspoilt natural heritage surrounding the area.

• Things to do in Forenza: Nature walks, cultural itineraries, speed and stunts on two wheels.

But Forenza still has much, much more to offer its visitors, especially those who love to get lost by exploring even the smallest hidden corner, perhaps in search of amazing views to photograph. And this is where street art comes into play, a real attraction within the attraction that, recently, has contributed to the value enhancement of lucanian towns.

Like gems of pure beauty set in a three-dimensional mosaic, alleys, arches and loggias in Forenza are indeed very rich in original works of street art created by local artists, even by using recycled materials such as plastic objects and pieces of glass and ceramics, an initiative born of local ingenuity and creativity with a strong ecological value that gives new life to the village, in a perspective of constant transformation.

The artistic installations that you can admire strolling around Forenza - in particular we recommend Via dell’Anima (Soul’s Alley) with its poetic ceramics, Via delle Radici (Roots Alley) that celebrates the retro beauty of photography, and the wonderful mosaic-gallery of Via Appia - represent intimate expressions, stories of real life, simple and pure art attacks by the artists of Basilicata in a continuous dialogue that unites past, present and future.

Continuing with the exploration of Forenza it’s impossible to miss a visit to the Countryside House, a real house-museum symbol of the rural culture of the territory that hosts one of the most interesting and complete ethnographic collections in Basilicata.

Inside the house-museum, quite a living photograph of the homes of farmers of the village even less than one century ago, the domestic environment of the period is perfectly reconstructed with an exhibition of original furnishings, tools and decorations.

A sort of space-time portal, therefore, testimony of the lucanian rural world carved in the history of this land and its people, a dimension still as vivid as tangible for both citizens and tourists.

In the Middle Ages, Forenza was one of the most chivalrous villages in the world, inextricably linked to the myth and allure of the Knights Templar. According to certain historical sources, upon the arrival of the Normans in southern Italy after 1000, Forenza became a fiefdom of the French-origin House of Pagani.

This is the family to which the legendary Hugo de Paganis belonged, recognised by many scholars as the founder and first Grand Master of the Order established to defend pilgrims and the sacred sites of Christianity.

This theory is supported by further historical evidence attesting to a strong presence of the Knights of the Cross in Basilicata, specifically in the territory of Forenza, at the stronghold near the hamlet of San Martino.

The legend of the Templars in Forenza, after almost a millennium, is still deeply felt and celebrated as a source of local pride during the so-called ‘Agosto Forenzese’, the summer festival that weaves together culture, history, music, performances, and sport, bringing locals and visitors alike together.

Every year, on 16 August, the festival’s highlight is dedicated to the legend of Hugo de Paganis and the Knights Templar, featuring a sumptuous historical procession of hundreds of characters and participants in exquisite period costumes. An unmissable event to relive this mystery.

Forenza is home to one of the region’s most important shrines and one of Basilicata’s most fascinating pilgrimage destinations. This is the Convent of Santa Maria della Stella and the Church of the Most Holy Crucifix, a religious complex run by Franciscan friars situated just outside the town centre, open for worship since the 17th century and now a welcoming refuge for spiritual travellers.

The Convent houses masterpieces such as:

• The painting of ‘Santa Maria della Stella’ (by Federici), set above a carved altar.

• The marvellous oak crucifix (by Fra Angelo da Pietrafitta, 17th century), famous for its intense expressiveness.

• Remarkable paintings by Borremans, such as ‘The Flagellation’ and ‘The Crowning with Thorns’, are behind the high altar.

• Works in the art gallery, such as ‘The Wedding at Cana’ (Federici) and ‘The Communion of the Apostles’ (Guarino).

In addition to the Convent, in the rural area of Forenza, you can visit two other sites of religious significance:

• The picturesque little church of Santa Maria degli Armeni, a fascinating ruin that preserves traces of an ancient medieval settlement and the remains of the ‘palmenti’, tuff basins used for processing grapes.

• The Reddito degli Angeli district, home to a complex of caves and the ruins of the medieval church of San Biagio.

West of Forenza, the landscape is dominated by the majestic Bosco Grande, a heart of lush and wild nature that attracts especially hikers and foliage and botany enthusiasts. With over 4,000 hectares of surface, Bosco Grande is one of the largest forest heritages in Basilicata, where oaks, symbol of longevity, find fertile ground.

Although the forest is extremely varied and fascinating throughout the year, the arrival of spring inevitably represents the most spectacular time to take a walk through the silence and greenery in the shadow of the oaks, with a rich undergrowth of bright colors, such as those of daffodils, snowdrops, and orchids.

In autumn, the paths of Bosco Grande are populated by hunters of mushrooms and truffles.

The territory of the forest is also dotted with rural fountains, iconic natural and cultural resources of the Town of Forenza, symbol of an ancient countryside civilization that has always lived in close touch with the surrounding nature.

A natural landscape that, thus, today shares some space with modernity: around Forenza in fact stands the first wind farm in Basilicata, a sustainability project where new and very tall “mills”, facing the sky, gently caress the lucanian hills transforming the breath of the wind into energy.

For lovers of two wheels and in particular of the adrenaline-filled motocross, among the hills to the south between Forenza and Bosco Grande there is the unmissable Cross Racetrack, a dirt track full of curves and natural slopes for exciting races and breathtaking stunts.

All this, pampered by the wind of the Apennines, by the colors and scents of the immense greenery surrounding the territory of a village that, despite its heavy historical and cultural identity rooted in the Middle Ages, today can still surprise and satisfy the most demanding tourists with small, big jewels of modernity to be experienced.

Forenza is located more than 800 meters above sea level in the hills of the Lucanian Apennines, in North Basilicata and more precisely in the province of Potenza.

The most convenient way to reach Forenza, and in general to travel on the road in Basilicata, is by car. It is possible to get to Forenza by car leaving from Naples and Bari by undertaking the A16 highway with exit at Candela, direction Melfi, continuing towards Lavello following all the signs up to destination.

Starting from the capital of Apulia, main tourist hub for visiting Basilicata, you can also opt for the A14 highway with exit at Cerignola, direction Lavello, then continuing up to your destination.

Traveling from Potenza it is advisable to go for the SS658 highway, while from Matera you can drive along the SS655 highway.

In a land so deeply bound to its territory, its cultural identity, its history and its traditions, Forenza is undoubtedly the best village that perfectly embodies all the authentic values of lucanity, taking on the role of that thin thread that skillfully unites past with future, tradition with innovation, memories - celebrated through art - with the intentions, absolutely real and not visionary, to start a new fantastic chapter of rediscovery of unique places and emotions, just like Basilicata.

And if for many, including Italians, over time this beautiful southern region has become "only" synonymous with Matera, maybe it’s time to pack your bags and get ready for a new, beautiful Italian adventure discovering a wonderful hidden gem. Forenza awaits you!