The curious and fascinating fortress known as Maioletto is easy to spot from even the most isolated part of the valley. It stands on a “raft” of rock that separates it from the land below.
The current village however is not visible as it is located nearby, in a place called Serra; it replaced and inherited the name of the ancient castle destroyed one night in the 18th century under a terrible landslide. This was preceded by 40 hours of uninterrupted rain.
Until then, Maiolo had been a bustling and flourishing village, overlooked by an imposing fortress that was a strategic site for the entire valley.
Although nothing remains of the castle, there are two polygonal towers from the original fortress that close the curtain wall along which an elegant stone cable runs.
Dotted with ravines, there are numerous old farmhouses in the countryside and attempts have been made to save their bread ovens. The area has thus become famous for its bread, produced using local flours and traditional methods and celebrated in a Bread Festival in June.
