Oriolo is a fortified village, perched on a spur about 500 meters high. It was built to defend itself from possible Saracen invasions and it dominates the Iron Valley, crossed by the river of the same name, in a very suggestive landscape. At the foot of the Pollino National Park in a hilly area with a mild climate, Oriolo is only 20 km from the Ionian coast. Not to be missed, the imposing 15th century castle, with a square keep and cylindrical corner turrets from the Aragonese period, at the top of the old town centre, is the only remnant of the mighty defensive structures that once protected the town. It also houses a museum with interactive, educational and multimedia classrooms and a conference room. The church of S. Giorgio Martire, of Norman origin, preserves a 15th century portal surmounted by a bas-relief and, inside, a magnificent Baroque wooden altar with a mother-of-pearl tabernacle. Palazzo Giannettasio, dating back to 1700, houses the House of Cultures and the Museum of Peasant Civilization.
