Basilicata

The region borders on Campania and the Tyrrhenian sea (west), Apulia and the gulf of Taranto (north and east), Calabria (south).   Explore and stay in the breathtakingly beautiful and wild Pollino National Park, this is a paradise for anyone attracted by the unspoilt natural environment.   Visit Matera, the town of "Sassi", (cave dwellings).   Long stretches of sand, wide beaches and clear blue water for a great summer holliday in the South Italy.    Metaponto is the most interesting archaeological zone of Magna Grecia, Melfi is worth a visit; Miglionico for its Shrine and Castle; Venosa, Horace's birthplace, for its Cathedral.  The cuisine is based on vegetables; the Garagusa sausages are excellent.    Wines include Aglianico, and Moscato del Vulture.

Maratea Coast
Maratea, is noted for an area for bathing with 5.000 inhabitants, it is position on the Tirreno sea of Basilicata.   In the municipal territory there is over 30 kilometers of rocky beaches with turquoise water. 

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Matera

Matera is one of the most ancient and fascinating historic center towns in the world.   From the Neolithic era and for almost 7,000 years human life has been going on in the same place.  The town is famous for its Sassi or caves from the Paleolithic age (dating back to 1500 B.C.).   Most of the caves or houses are excavated on two ravines the Sasso Barisano and the Sasso Caveoso, the more rugged and untouched of the two.   

The ancient cave dwellings was formally recognized in 1993 as a UNESCO world heritage site.   Built on a rocky plateau and sliced in two by the Gravina ravine.  To link the dwellings in the Sassi, there is a complex network of narrow streets and flights of steps climbing up to the fronts of houses.  Visiting Matera is a unique experience.   For millennia, people of this area has carved dwellings directly into ravines and gullies made of tufa, the characteristic honey-colored soft stone.   

Visitors might spend an entire day wandering the Caveoso, getting lost in the maze of alleys, stairs, dead ends, and courtyards.   Certainly the people of the Sassi must have needed a lot of help from above, as nearly every few cave-houses there is a cave-church.   The rock-hewn churches are very ancient, often Byzantine.    Santa Lucia alle Malve has frescoes of the 10th century and Santa Maria de Idris is carved into a huge rock pinnacle overhanging from the lip of a gorge.

Most cave cities are in Puglia, including Ginosa, Massafra, and Muttola.   But Matera, the most dramatic, lies 20 km across the border in Basilicata, the instep of Italy's boot.   

Up to the 1950s people lived without electricity or running water in the cave-homes in Matera.   Some had constructed front-room facades onto their cave entrances, but despite the squared-off front rooms, the homes inside were true caverns.   Between the '50 and '60, the population was relocated en masse by the government to a modern town on a plateau, just above the ravines.  The old town became known as I Sassi, "the Stones".

Matera was recently selected by Mel Gibson for the movie "The Passion". 

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Metaponto  

Beyond the historical Sassi, Matera and its province offer many interesting places like the sandy beaches of the Ionic coast, in which you can spend your holidays.   It's also called Metapontinan Coast, from the homonymous town of Metaponto, is the most interesting archaeological zone of Magna Grecia and its richness was due to its geographical position, as it is situated on a plain, placed between the mouths of two rivers, Bradano and Basento. 

A witness of this splendor is represented by the image of an ear of wheat, which was carved on the coins used in ancient times in Metaponto.  Here legend and history get mixed up.  In fact, the ancient Greek colony hosted famous people like Nestore and Pythagoras.   Many historical and terrible battles took place here, like that of Pirro against the Romans.  Today, the witness of all this is still visible in the archaeological areas of the Apollo Licio Park,  the Temple of Hera was dedicated to Hera, but has long been referred as Tavole Palatine, "Knights' Tables", and among the pieces kept in the National Museum of Metaponto - one of the most important as concerning to the richness of the pieces kept in it.   At the moment it hosts an exposition of the main elements that women used as ornaments during the roman iron age.

The Archaeological Park of Metaponto, 2-3 kilometers north, where the main SS 106 crosses the river Bradano.    Preserves the remains of four temples, a theater and the urban plant of the city.  The archaic elegant Doric colonnade of Heraion, the so-called "Tavole Palatine", is visible on the boarder of the territory.    It was built in one major building phase, in ca. 520-510 B.C. by Greeks, with fifteen of its columns remaining, it's the most suggestive temple of this once mighty state.  This temple has represented and still represents the presence of Greek colonies in Italy.   

Metaponto is famous for its summer resort with limpid sea and tourist facilities which yearly attract many tourists. 

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• Wild reserve, Bosco Pantano (the Pantano Wood) is a must for a visit.   Found at the mouth of the Sinni river , it is reminiscent of the dense wet forests which only fifty years ago covered the sand dunes almost down to the sea.   Today, what is left of the forest is a favourite spot for many wild animals, some migratory and others not.  In the midst of such natural beauty the success of tourism in Policoro is assured.   Even here there is a host of excursions to choose from and for those who love the sea lessons in sailing as well as in game fishing can be taken. 

Though Metaponto and Policoro are the recognized jewels in the crown of tourism on the Jonian coast, Nova Siri, situated further to the south of Policoro is fast catching up. Rotondella, which stretches to the sea, boasts a beautiful and quiet beach.  Between Metaponto and Policoro, there are the towns of Lido di Quaranotto, the Lido di Pisticci and the Lido of Scanzano Jonico.  These have wonderful expanses of fine sand and very comfortable, wide beaches too.   Hotel accommodation is good as well as farm holidays and campsites.  Scattered along the Jonian coast it is possible to find a fine selection of restaurants capable of satisfying a wide range of tastes.  Of course, dishes of the local fare accompanied with the local wines produced in the Metapontino area are recommended.

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• Pisticci

The historical center of Pisticci is at height of 364 meters above the sea level, just a few kilometers from the Ionian Sea and Metaponto, eight kilometers of sandy beach.  Pisticci owes its name to the fidelity of the fortress during the war of 291 a.C. between Romans and Taranto.

It's an ideal place for those who wish to spend their holiday immersed in the nature of the Mediterranean.  The metapontina plain is characterized by an intensive agricolture that gives first quality fruits and vegetables products.
 

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Oliveto Lucano

This village rises at the foot of Mount Croccia (1149 mt) from which the enchanting panorama of the Lucanian Dolomites can be admirated.   Near Mount Croccia are archaeological site with ruins of an ancient city, maybe "Gallipolis".

Interesting, historical center, is the mother church "Maria Ss. delle Grazie" three naves in romanic style where one can appreciate the three altares in bronze, a canvas with the image of the Immacolata and a silver cross.

Around the quiet town there's a green wood, it provides an ideal setting for activities like trekking or ecological walk.  It is also a good starting point for visit the region by car. 

The best time to visit the town is during summers between May and September.

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Films shot in Basilicata 

• 1949 - NEL MEZZOGIORNO QUALCOSA E' CAMBIATO di Carlo Lizzani 
• 1950 - LE DUE SORELLE di Mario Volpe 
• 1953 - LA LUPA di Alberto Lattuada 
• 1957 -  IL CONTE DI MATERA di Luigi Capuano 
• 1961 - ITALIA '61 di Jan Lenica 
• 1962 - GLI ANNI RUGGENTI di Luigi Zampa 
• 1963 - IL DEMONIO di Brunello Rondi 
• 1963 - I BASILISCHI di Lina Wertmuller 
• 1964 - IL VANGELO SECONDO MATTEO di Pier Paolo Pasolini 
• 1965 - MADE IN ITALY di Nanni Loy 
• 1967 - C'ERA UNA VOLTA di Francesco Rosi 
• 1974 - IL TEMPO DELL'INIZIO di Luigi Di Gianni 
• 1975 - L'ALBERO DI GUERNICA di Fernando Arrabal 
• 1975 - QUI COMINCIA L'AVVENTURA di Carlo Di Palma 
• 1978 - VOLONTARI PER DESTINAZIONE IGNOTA di Alberto Negrin 
• 1979 - CRISTO SI E' FERMATO AD EBOLI di Francesco Rosi 
• 1981 - TRE FRATELLI di Francesco Rosi 
• 1985 - KING DAVID di Bruce Beresford 
• 1990 - IL SOLE ANCHE DI NOTTE di Paolo e Vittorio Taviani 
• 1995 - L'UOMO DELLE STELLE di Giuseppe Tornatore 
• 1998 - DEL PERDUTO AMORE di Michele Placido 
• 1999 - TERRA BRUCIATA di Fabio Segatori 
• 2002 - IO NON HO PAURA di Gabriele Salvatores 
• 2002 - LA PASSIONE DI CRISTO di Mel Gibson 

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Melfi

What to see:

• Duomo, Cathedral, erected by Guglielmo il Malo in 1153, and rebuilt after an earthquake in 1564 in baroque form, even conserving the aspect after the distructions in  1854 and 1930.  Among the works saved is a noteble wooden cross.   

• The Melfi Castle is without doubt the most famous in the region.    Erected by the Normans, it was later refurbished by the Swabians and Angevins.   It was here, in 1231, that Frederick II installed the 'Augustales' Constitutions of the Kingdom of Sicily.   Angevin changes are characterized by the external courtyard with squared and polygonal towers, works by Richard of Foggia.  

Today you can note the absence of the cylindrical towers and the irregular, quadrilateral shape caused by the morphology of the land.   In the 16th century, it passed into the hands of the Dorians who transformed its central structure.   The Angevin stables, livery and mortuary lead to the Throne Room and to the underlying Soldier's Room.  Today it houses the Melfi National Museum with various materials coming in from different sources and a Rapolla's sarcofago of asiatic origin of II century. A.C.

This castle came into the hands of the Italian state after the great earthquake of 1930, and has been restored to contain the National Museum of the Melfi Region (Museo nazionale del Melfese).

Moliterno: In addition to the remains of the Castle, it is also possible to see the main tower within the walls, which dates from the late Longobard epoch. The other two towers were perhaps constructed at a later date.

Muro Lucano (Lucanian Wall): Unfortunately, all that remains after the earthquake are ruins.

Oppido Lucano (Fortified Lucanian City): Also here, the substantial remains of the Castle are very well inserted amidst an intricate maze of narrow lanes and alleyways.

Palazzo San Gervasio (San Gervasio Palace): Its name derives from the hunting domain of Frederick II. The Castle was renovated, but its style is still characterized by two square turrets, four mullioned windows and a three-column loggia.  A small building for the stables from the same period can be seen along the side.

Pietragalla: The Ducal Palace of Acquaviva is noteworthy. It dates from 1400 and was restored in 1700.

Senise: The Castle dates from the 13th century, as is endorsed by the presence of the towers and merlons. It was restored in 1400.

Venosa: The very imposing Aragon Castle that welcomes to the city stands watch over a square of particularly interesting urbanistic design.  In optimum condition, the Castle was erected in 1470 by Pirro del Balzo who conserved the defensive characteristics of the Angevin period.   It is very similar to Castelnuovo or 'Maschio angioino' (Angevin keep) in Naples. The prisons were located in the towers, where you can still see inscriptions on the walls.  Surrounded by a moat, there is also a long entrance bridge.