One of the most beautiful medieval architectures of Basilicata welcomes the visitors of San Mauro Forte, a surprisinglyh isolated on the highlands south of the Salandrella torrent, slightly east of the “Parco Nazionale di Gallipoli Cognato” and the Lucanian Dolomites; a territory with settlements dating back to prehistoric times. The visitors’ attention is drawn above all by the “Torre Normanna” (Norman Tower), home of a small but interesting museum, built in the XIII Century on the top of the hill on which the town lies, near the “Chiesa Madre di Santa Maria Assunta church. The square around the church is the hub of the town’s social life and a magnificent viewpoint that on the east side extends down to the Ionian Sea. . Facing the square, the stately Palazzo Arcieri Bitonti with its Museo Multimediale “in viaggio in Basilicata” (touring Basilicata). Equally suggestive is the nearby Palazzo Lauria, with a graceful baroque- style XVIII Century portal and a private chapel. Among the antiques kept inside, two Venetian –style jewel caskets dated XVII Century. In Palazzo Arcieri, formerly Town Hall and Magistrate’s Court, the “Museo della Civiltà Contadina” (Museum of the Rural Civilization) is hosted.