Basilicata

Basilicata is small and little known, but it holds one of Italy's most extraordinary places: Matera, whose Sassi, ancient cave dwellings carved into the rock, are listed by UNESCO and have become a symbol of rebirth.

The region touches two seas, with Maratea on the Tyrrhenian, a village of churches above a rocky coast, and the beaches of Metaponto on the Ionian, near the ruins of Magna Graecia. Inland, the Dolomiti Lucane offer the Flight of the Angel, a zip line between two villages.

A region to discover

Basilicata, also called Lucania, is one of the least populated and most surprising regions of Italy. Squeezed between Campania, Puglia and Calabria, it has two short stretches of coast, on the Tyrrhenian at Maratea and on the Ionian at Metaponto, and an interior of mountains, clay hills, badlands, forests and lakes. For decades it was considered a remote and poor land, described by Carlo Levi in Christ Stopped at Eboli; today it is one of Italy's emerging destinations thanks to Matera, its hilltop villages, its nature parks and its flavourful peasant cooking. The pace is slow, the landscapes are vast and the hospitality is sincere.

Matera, the city of the Sassi

Matera is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Sassi, the two ancient districts carved into the limestone, the Sasso Caveoso and the Sasso Barisano, form a unique landscape of cave houses, rock churches, stairways and stacked terraces. In the 1950s the Sassi were emptied because of the harsh living conditions; today, restored, they are a UNESCO site and are home to hotels, restaurants and workshops. Matera was European Capital of Culture in 2019 and has been chosen as the set for many films. Not to be missed are the Casa Grotta, which shows how people once lived, the rock churches of Santa Maria de Idris and San Pietro Barisano, the Romanesque cathedral and, facing the city, the Murgia Materana Park, with dozens of churches carved into the rock and a spectacular view of the Sassi.

The Lucanian Dolomites and the hilltop villages

In the heart of the region, the Lucanian Dolomites are sandstone pinnacles that recall, on a smaller scale, the mountains of the Alps. Two beautiful villages are set among the rocks: Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa, linked by the Flight of the Angel, a zip line on which you fly suspended from a steel cable hundreds of metres above the valley. The Path of the Seven Stones, a literary trail, links the two villages on foot. Other villages worth visiting are Craco, a ghost town abandoned after a landslide and used as a film set, Aliano, where Carlo Levi lived in internal exile and where he is buried, and Guardia Perticara, with its stone houses.

Maratea and the Tyrrhenian coast

Maratea is the only Lucanian town on the Tyrrhenian Sea and is called the pearl of the Tyrrhenian. In just thirty kilometres of coast it alternates sheer cliffs, sea caves, coves of dark sand and very clear water. On top of Monte San Biagio, the statue of Christ the Redeemer, more than twenty metres tall, towers over the Gulf of Policastro. The old town, with its many churches, the marina and the hamlets of Fiumicello, Acquafredda and Marina di Maratea offer a quiet and elegant holiday. Inland, Lake Sirino and Monte Sirino are ideal for hiking and, in winter, for skiing.

Metaponto and the Ionian coast

Basilicata's Ionian coast is about forty kilometres long, with sandy beaches and pine woods that are ideal for families. Here, in the territory of Bernalda, stood Metapontum, one of the most important colonies of Magna Graecia, where Pythagoras lived and died: the Tavole Palatine, fifteen Doric columns of a temple dedicated to Hera, and the archaeological park and museum tell the story of the ancient city. Nearby, Policoro has the remains of ancient Heraclea and the Museo della Siritide, and the Pantano wood of Policoro is a nature reserve. Further inland, Bernalda is the ancestral home of the family of film director Francis Ford Coppola, who has opened a hotel in a historic palazzo there.

Potenza, the Vulture and the north

Potenza, the regional capital, is one of the highest regional capitals in Italy, at more than eight hundred metres above sea level, and has a historic centre with the cathedral of San Gerardo, the church of San Francesco and the Guevara tower. Every year at the end of May the Parade of the Turks re-enacts a medieval legend. To the north, the Vulture is an extinct volcano covered with forests, with the Monticchio lakes in its craters and the abbey of San Michele Arcangelo overlooking the water. Melfi, with the castle where Frederick II issued the Constitutions of Melfi, and Venosa, birthplace of the poet Horace, with the Incompiuta, a great abbey church never completed, are the art cities of the area. Rionero and Barile are the villages of Aglianico wine, with cellars carved into the tuff.

Parks and nature

Basilicata is rich in protected areas. The Pollino National Park, shared with Calabria, is the largest in Italy and has the Bosnian pine as its symbol. The Appennino Lucano Val d'Agri Lagonegrese National Park protects mountains, forests and Lake Pertusillo. The Murgia Materana Park preserves rock churches and a landscape of ravines, while the Gallipoli Cognato and Lucanian Dolomites Park is an oasis of woods and rocks. The badlands of Aliano and Craco, clay hills eroded by the rain, create a unique lunar landscape. Along the Sinni and Agri rivers you can go rafting and canoeing.

Food and wine

Lucanian cooking is simple, rustic and full of flavour. Peperone crusco from Senise, a sweet pepper dried in the sun and fried for a few seconds until crisp, is the region's symbol and is used on pasta, salt cod and eggs. Home-made pasta, such as cavatelli, strascinati and ferretti, is served with meat ragù, fried breadcrumbs and peppers. Lucanica, the sausage already mentioned by Latin authors, caciocavallo podolico, canestrato from Moliterno, Matera's horn-shaped bread and beans from Sarconi are products of excellence. Among the wines are Aglianico del Vulture, one of the great reds of the south, Matera DOC and Grottino di Roccanova. Amaro Lucano is the region's best-known liqueur.

Traditions and festivals

Basilicata preserves very ancient traditions linked to tree cults and peasant life. In Accettura, at the end of May, the Maggio festival unites a great Turkey oak, the maggio, with the top of a holly tree, the cima, in a fertility rite involving the whole village. In Matera on 2 July, the Festa della Bruna ends with the assault on the papier-mâché float, destroyed by the crowd. The Carnival of Tricarico, with masks imitating cows and bulls, and the rites of Holy Week are other moments of great participation. In many villages ceramics, terracotta whistles called cuccù and traditional fabrics are still made by hand.

When to go and how to get around

Spring and autumn are the best seasons for Matera, the villages and the parks, with mild temperatures, green or golden countryside and fewer visitors. Summer is ideal for the sea at Maratea and on the Ionian coast and for the Flight of the Angel, which is usually open from spring to early autumn. Winter is cold inland but atmospheric, with Matera's living nativity scenes. Public transport is limited: Matera is linked to Bari by the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane railway and by bus, but to explore the region a car is essential. The nearest airports are Bari, for Matera and the north, and Naples and Lamezia Terme for Maratea.