Basilicata

Basilicata lies in southern Italy. It faces the Gulf of Taranto (Ionian Sea) to the southeast and the Gulf of Policastro (Tyrrhenian Sea) to the southwest and borders with Campania to the west, Puglia to the north and to the northeast and Calabria to the south: its borders, largely conventional, are the result of complex historical events. Basilicata is comparatively small.

Though still not very well-known, Basilicata is without doubt a region with considerable tourist potential, for it offers a great variety of scenery on relatively small territory. The Ionian coast and the Tyrrhenian are quite different, each with its own clearly marked individual character. The Ionian littoral is characterized by a wide sandy shore, stretching from the Apulian to the Calabrian borders and studded with small seaside resorts, like Lido di Metaponto, (with its archeological remains) and Lido di Pisticci.

The major towns are Melfi, Lauria, in the Province of Potenza; Pisticci and Policoro, in the Province of Matera.

LIDO DI METAPONTO has beaches that are great for sea lovers, it is a nice beach resort and it also offers a range of excursion in the entire province of Matera.

LIDO DI PISTICCI is a charming tourist attraction close to Metaponto, in the province of Matera. It is well known for its antique traditions, the beauty of its scenery and for its splendid, crystal-clear sea. The town is, in fact, situated in a delightful position in the heart of one of the most evocative stretches of the Mediterranean coast which is full of beaches of the finest sand and extensive green pine forests.

POTENZA is the capital of Basilicata and of Potenza province. It is an agricultural, commercial, and light industrial center. Founded in the 2d cent. B.C. by the Romans, Potenza was later incorporated into the principality of Salerno. To see in the city is the Church of San Francesco (begun 1274).

MELFI is an agricultural and tourist center noted for its wine. It is also very famous for its Norman castle and the town was indeed their political and administrative capital for a time. A brooding is now almost deserted medieval town.

LAURIA is situated on a rocky spur jutting out from the Serra di Sant'Elia, on the left bank of the valley of the Noce river, a rugged territory of forests and waters which is included in the Pollino National Park. It is divided into Lauria Superiore or Castello, at about 500 a.s.l., the site of a medieval fortified borough, and Lauria Inferiore or Borgo, descending in altitude to about 300 m a.s.l.

MATERA is a town and a province in the region of Basilicata. It had gained international fame for its ancient town, the so-called "Sassi di Matera" (meaning "stones of Matera") which is a prehistorical settlement, and is suspected to be one of the first human settlements in Italy. The "Sassi" are houses dug into the tuff rock that characterize Puglia and Basilicata. Many of these "houses" are really only caverns. People still live in the Sassi today. Until the late 1980s this was considered an area of poverty, since these houses are mostly unlivable.

PISTICCI dominates the Basento river valley and is surrounded by a territory characterized by deep clavey gullies. It is of very ancient origins as is demonstrated by the discovery of a necropolis in which important red-figured vases dating from the 5th century B.C. were found. Today they are housed in the museums of Taranto and Matera.

POLICORO is a relatively small town in the province of Matera. Situated on the coast its population swells in the summertime due to an influx of tourists come to enjoy the Lido di Policoro. The National Museo della Siritide is situated in Policoro, it has a wealth of information on the Greek settlement of Heraclea, the ruins of which lie on the outskirts of the town and can be viewed daily with a minimal charge.

GETTING AROUND From the north, on the Adriatic coast, take the A14 highway exiting at Foggia, then follows the A16 Bari-Napoli highway, exiting at Candela. From here take the SS Olfantina or SS658 Melfi-Potenza state road southwards towards Potenza. From the Tyrrhenian coast exit the A3 Salerno-Reggio highway at Sicignano, taking the Basentano highway link to Potenza; from there, take the SS 658 state road towards Melfi.

Trains connect the bigger centres and country busses serve the small towns.

The nearest airports are Bari Palese 132 km, Foggia 64 km and Napoli Capodichino 162 km.