Soprattutto Bed & Breakfast

Sopratutto affords a startling and quite unexpected view of the broad and fertile expanse of land irrigated by the Agri River. The B&B lies on the very edge of the walled old town that grew wealthy on the agricultural output of an area that stretches from the Ionian coast inland toward the mountains that rise north of the Pollino national park. From the valley floor, Montalbano Jonico looks delicately balanced on a flat-topped massif. And over the years the clay landscape has worn away undermining several streets of the old town and requiring urgent work to avoid the loss of further homes. Sopratutto now lies on the frontline of the worn "Calanchi," just a few steps away from homes abandoned by owners in exchange for newer accommodation in the much less attractive new part of town on the road in from the coast. The overall effect is suggestive and makes for striking photographs. The owner of the B&B is friendly and helpful, the rooms are spacious and clean, equipped with clean bathrooms. Breakfast is a buffet, self-service and more than sufficient to meet the demands of visitors with large appetites, which is often not the case in Italian B&Bs and hotels. Having completed an exhausting bike ride in the mountains the day before, I managed to decimate their spread, but was still potentially left with much more to do!