Situated to the south-east of Monte Vulture, Rionero is ensconced in a rich and welcoming landscape of vineyards, olive groves and dense woods. Here, the fertility of the soil and its favourable aspect have allowed the development of viticulture, the highest expression of which is Aglianico Del Vulture, and of chestnut groves.
According to some, its name derives from 'Rivo Nigro', the spring that emerged from the black-coloured pozzolanic tuff that ran through the village, dividing it into two parts, with two hills, facing each other. Rionero was also affected by the migration of fleeing Albanian exiles, who initially settled near the Church of Sant'Antonio Abate, the same church that a few years later hosted Louis d'Armagnac, Duke of Nemours, and Consalvo Fernandez of Cordoba, commanders of the French and Spanish armies in 1502.
They met here to enter into agreements concerning the subsequent division of the Kingdom of Naples. Its historical tradition is linked to the names of Giustino Fortunato, who was actively involved in the Southern Question, and the brigand Carmine Crocco. In this area, characterised by small underground caves known as "fac“li", brigands sought refuge.
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Rionero in the Park
15.3% of the municipal territory of Rionero in Vulture, approximately 814 hectares, falls within the Park. It is in this area, in the district of Monticchio Sgarroni, that we find the first reserve in the world (1971) dedicated to the protection of a butterfly, the Vulture Bramea: The "Grotticelle" State Oriented Reserve. Lago Grande di Monticchio is located entirely in the municipality of Rionero in Vulture. The lake that has been the subject of international studies on its sediments, but also on its special habitats. The Abbey of S. Michele stands on the banks of the lakes. There are particularly interesting and abundant mineral springs, located to the south in the Vitalba valley, in the La Francesca district, and on the western side, in the Monticchio Bagni hamlet (a place of great interest at the beginning of the 20th century, thanks to the entrepreneurial initiatives of the Lanari family and a community from the Marche region that succeeded in bringing considerable development to the area in just a few years).
