Below the town the hillside opens into calanchi: ridges, spires and gullies carved out of clay so distinctive that geologists gave it the town's name, the Montalbano clays. The same clay that makes the landscape also makes the landslides: the town has had to rearrange itself more than once, and still does.
The name, Mons Albanus, may come from a Roman family, the Albii, or from the Latin albius, pale, for the colour of those clays; some trace it to the Arabic al bana, excellent place. Until 1863 it was Mont'Albano; today its 7,427 residents live between two rivers, the Cavone and the Agri.
No events match these filters.
📅 Every year, on 22 September
On 22 September Montalbano Jonico celebrates Saint Maurice; another cherished tradition is the bonfire contest for Saint Anthony Abbot, whose ashes are scattered on the fields to bring a good harvest.
Durum wheat semolina, thick crust, shaped as a horn or a tall loaf: Pane di Matera has held Protected Geographical Indication status since 2008.
Read more →Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
Outside Montalbano Jonico, but an easy day trip away.
