Description

Arrival at 9.15 am in the center of Civita: a small village of about 1000 inhabitants in the Pollino National Park, 450 meters above sea level in a panoramic position on the spectacular Raganello gorges.

The small town is of Albanian origin (Arbëreshë) and was founded in the second half of 1400 by groups of Albanian families fleeing from the Turks. Civita has many beauties, among which the famous Raganello gorges, a 13 km long canyon that starts under the suggestive Devil’s Bridge.

This single-arch bridge in the shape of a donkey’s back is 260 meters above sea level and is a daring work of engineering and an excellent vantage point.

Characteristic of Civita are the chimneys, almost works of art probably built between the late seventeenth and early twentieth century.

Of great religious, cultural and artistic importance is the church of Santa Maria Assunta, where the Byzantine liturgy is celebrated in Greek and Albanian.

Civita has been able to hand down not only the Albanian language, but also the costumes, songs and dances, the memory of a land never forgotten.

At the end of the visit of the historical center, on board of an authorized off-road vehicle, we will take you to admire closely the suggestive Devil’s Bridge.

At the end, stop inside a gastronomic shop for a small tasting and lunch in one of the best restaurants of Civita.