The land of saffron; "The red gold" that made Navelli's fortune... #tuttitaly
Perched on a hill overlooking a beautiful landscape, Navelli is a charming village divided into two parts: one wholly abandoned and the other very elegant and well-kept, inhabited by 508 people.
The oldest part of the village is characterized by a steep staircase that leads to a network of narrow alleys of extraordinary beauty embellished by the presence of palaces and arches.
We crossed the village uphill to get to the Santucci Baronial Palace. This was a unique experience for the postcard landscapes and the air we breathed, which seemed to take us back in time, perhaps to the sixteenth century.
In particular, Navelli is known for its precious saffron. In 1230, the Dominican monk Santucci brought some saffron plants from Spain to his country of origin.
He introduced in Italy, for the first time, the precious spice Crocus sativus, also called "red gold." It is a unique spice if you consider that to get 1 kg, you must remove the stigmas from around 200,000 flowers by hand.
In October and November, the Navelli plain has been covered with a beautiful, fragrant purple carpet for centuries.
The spice produced in this area is characterized by its great aromatic power and balanced flavor.
The marketing of saffron made it possible to enlarge and embellish the town, which still exhibits balconies of worked stone, churches, and stately homes merged into an intertwining of arches and cobbled streets.
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