The Vulture area takes its name from Monte Vulture (1,326 m), an extinct volcano in the north of Basilicata, near Melfi. The fertile lava soils produce some of the best wine in the region — the Aglianico del Vulture is a powerful, age-worthy red with DOC status, grown from vines that thrive on the mineral-rich volcanic earth.
Within the volcano's crater lie two small lakes, Lago Grande and Lago Piccolo di Monticchio, set in mixed woodland — a good spot for a walk and noticeably cooler in summer than the surrounding plains. The area is also notable for two castles built by Frederick II of Swabia: the castle at Melfi and Castel Lagopesole, one of the last things Frederick completed before his death in 1250.
The surrounding communities — Barile, Rionero in Vulture, Rapolla, Venosa — are quiet agricultural towns with well-preserved old centres. Venosa, where the Latin poet Horace was born in 65 BC, has Roman ruins and a Norman abbey that are worth the detour.