Fantastic legends envelop the history of this remote region in Italy, from the Homeric monsters Scylla and Charybdis to the Norman tales of Fata Morgana. A succession of peoples and civilizations (Villanovans, Ausonians, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Swabians, Arabs, and Aragonese) fused with the proto-Italic inhabitants and left their imprint upon local customs and traditions as well as upon architectural and artistic styles.
The geographic isolation of this region, broken only with the development of modern transportation links in recent years, has preserved a rich cultural and archaeological patrimony from as far back as the Neolithic period.A place of striking and unique character, MUSABA is situated in a vast open space in an ancient valley between the creeks and folds of the surrounding hills.
A brief history of the ex ancient monastic complex
of Santa Barbara
The promontory Santa Barbara holds the remains of the monastic complex whose origins date back as far as the fourth century. In 1193, the Carthusian monks were replaced by the Cistercians. When the Carthusians returned in 1300, they asked Emperor Charles V to reinstate the abbey’s feudal status and remained at Santa Barbara until the abolition of feudalism in 1808.
The significant presence of indigenous populations was confirmed in the 1970s by archaeological excavations indicating that the Santa Barbara area contains not only necropolis of the XII-VIII century B.C. period but also a settlement that overlaid it in the VII-IV century B.C. period.
