Ispani
In order to protect themselves from the incursions of Saracen pirates, the inhabitants of the coastal regions sought refuge inland in the area that today hosts the town of Ispani. Later, in the 16th century the powerful family of the Carafa carne here fleeing a malaria epidemic in their hometown of Policastro. The family erected a palace which now belongs to an order of Franciscan nuns, the Elisabettine Bigie, unfortunately very little of this building remains today. Only the walls of the outside gardens, an archway which enabled the passage of coaches and a marble inscription containing a severe admonishment to the Saracen pirates.The narrow streets of Ispani have a peculiar shape because the town was not given protective walls therefore, the local people compensated by building their houses so dose together that coaches could not drive through the town.
