Santa Maria d'Orsoleo, intended for the Observant Franciscan Friars, was built in 1474 by Eligio II della Marra, the Prince of Stigliano and Count of Aliano, expanding upon a previous 12th-century chapel.
The ancient wooden statue of the Madonna of Orsoleo, possibly from the 13th century, is still venerated today and celebrated every year on September 8th. The church that houses it, attached to the complex and lavishly adorned, features a notable wooden choir behind the main altar. Among the sculpted figures, there is also a Madonna with Child seated amidst branches of a tree, with a bear and a lion at her feet.
Various additions made over the years improved the structure, making it increasingly rich. The complex, which never lacked resources, thanks in part to generous donations, was once equipped with a library, a pharmacy, a mill, an oven, an ice house, an olive press, and two cisterns. The rooms were also enriched by a cycle of frescoes by the Lucanian painter Giovanni Todisco di Abriola, depicting episodes from the lives of saints and Christ, such as the Adoration of the Magi, which bears the painter's signature, as well as scenes of the Triumph of Death and Faith.
The nearby Torre Molfese, located along the road leading to the monastery, is believed to have originally served as a watchtower to protect travelers on their way to the convent.
The suppression of the monastic orders in 1861 led to the definitive decline and gradual abandonment of the entire complex.
Střekov Castle (Schreckenstein) is perched atop a cliff above the River Elbe, near the city of Ústí nad Labem. It was built in 1316 for John of Luxembourg, the father of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, to guard an important trade route to Germany. After changing hands several times, the castle was acquired by the Lobkowicz family in 1563. Its strategic importance led to occupations by Imperial Habsburg, Saxon, and Swedish forces during the Thirty Years' War, as well as successive sieges by Austrian and Prussian armies during the Seven Years' War.
Although Střekov Castle was heavily damaged during those conflicts and abandoned as a military installation by the end of the 18th century, the 1800s saw many poets and artists visiting the castle, drawn by a new trend of interest in romantic ruins.