Basilicata sightseeing is a journey into southern Italy’s ancient past. On a Basilicata vacation experience mosaics as mixed as the cultures that made them. Stroll fine sandy Basilicata beaches on the Ionian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea. Indulge in classic simple southern Italian food.
The Basilicata travel guide provides sightseeing ideas to plan your trip to Basilicata.
Table of contents
Basilicata Location
In Basilicata you’ll explore the ancient cultures that made their home along the arch inside southern Italy’s boot. Basilicata’s border includes two seas: to the west a sliver along the Tyrrhenian Sea and to its south the Ionian Sea.
The regions around Basilicata are Campania to its northwest, Calabria to the southwest, and Puglia to the East.
The history of this area is rich due to its location at the cross roads of ancient Greek, Roman, Oriental, and North African civilizations.
Basilicata Travel Guide Video
To explore Basilicata, learn more about it’s culture and history, watch the Basilicata sightseeing video below.
Basilicata Travel Guide Map
The Basilicata travel guide map is interactive. Click the upper left corner of the map for Basilicata sightseeing points of interest. The sightseeing points of interest correspond with the stared locations on the map.
Basilicata Sightseeing Highlights
The most popular Basilicata sightseeing destination is Matera. Tourists are drawn to the area to see the Sassi, which are ancient cave homes carved into the rock. Additionally in the Murgia National Park are the Rupestral Churches.
Both Metaponto and Maratea are popular with locals to visit the beach. Metaponto is located on the Ionion Sea while Maratea is located on the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Bernalda
Bernalda is pleasant town located about 45 minutes from Matera and 15 minutes from Metaponto, it is good location to stay if planning to explore the area for a few days. The town has a few hotels, most notably among them is the Palazzo Margherita, which accommodations, restaurant, and bar were created by the movie director Francis Ford Coppola. The town also has various restaurants where you’ll enjoy the local culinary specialties.
Maratea
Maratea is located along the short 15 miles of Basilicata’s Tyrrhenian coastline. It is a hillside village. It boasts a small beach, quaint shops, and its port. Moreover above it all built on high on the cliff over the coast is a statue of Christ the Redeemer. From there are stunning views of the sea and the surrounding area.
Since UNESCO claimed the city a World Heritage Site, it has become more popular with tourists. Now there are hotels, bars and restaurants there.
Matera
Matera is popular due it is ancient cave homes. The caves of the inland town are one of the most well-known fragments of Basilicata history.
These caves, known as Sassi, inhabited until the 1950s, are houses dug out of tufa (volcanic) rock ravines. Inhabitants of region lived in these caves since Paleolithic prehistoric times.
Today many of the homes have been turned into luxury hotels and restaurants. Matera attracts scholars, writers, and artists worldwide.
Metaponto
Metaponto is located on the Ionian Sea. It was founded by the ancient Greeks. Metaponto is a great destination both for its sandy beaches and to visit its ancient Greek ruins, which are scattered around the area. Metaponto is home to the well designed Museo Archeologico Nationale, which features 4th and 5th century B.C. statues, ceramics, and other artifacts preserved from the unique Basilicata history.
On the archaeological site there are still visible remains of the brilliant history during the Magna Graecia period; the town center, the necropolis, the Antiquarian, the Roman Castrum (fort), the temples of Apollo Licio, Demetra, Hera and Aphrodite, that all reflect the splendor of the ancient “polis” of Metapontum.
Metaponto is the home of the famous philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras.
Murgia National Park – The Rupestrian Churches
There are over 150 rock churches in the Murgia National Park; all present different architecture and iconography. San Leonardo, San Giacomo, Cappuccino Vecchio and Santa Cesarea are among the names churches. They were made mostly in the early Middle Ages during a period that saw the intersection of the Greek Byzantine culture with the Latin world and they also are carved into the rock. Don’t be surprised if you see Greek-Orthodox churches built near Roman-Latin temples.
What is most surprising is that even though they were born as places of worship, in the course of time the churches were also used for other purposes, being turned into homes or animal shelters when required. These churches also represent an important evidence of human presence, in particular relating to Benedictine monks, Longobards and Byzantines.
Pisticci
White hill town with several gorgeous medieval churches. It is known for being the production site of Amaro Lucano, one of the most famous Italian liqueurs.
Tours of Italy that include Basilicata
The following tours of Italy include Basilicata destinations on the itinerary.
Italy Tour including Basilicata | Basilicata Destinations |
---|---|
10-Day Puglia, Basilicata, Campania, Amalfi Coast | Matera |
10-Day Rome, Puglia, Amalfi Coast | Matera |
12-Day Sicily Tour and Southern Italy Tour | Scanzano Jonico, Matera, Metaponto |
14-Day Small Group Southern Italy Tour | Matera |
15-Day Rome to Sicily Tour | Maratea, Matera |
15-Day Southern Italy Tour and Sicily Tour | Matera |
18-Day Sicily and Italy Tour | Matera |
For more information about southern Italy vacations that include Basilicata check out ItalianTourism.us trips to southern Italy.
Basilicata Food and Wine
Like its southern neighbors, simplicity is the hallmark of Basilicata’s cooking. Away from the coast, you won’t often encounter ceci (chickpeas) in northern Italian food. And the pasta (làgane) will be called tagliatelle or pappardelle, and almost certainly made with egg alongside durum wheat flour and water.
Here, the làgane is tossed with olive oil, sauteed garlic and cooked ceci. And that’s it.
The Basilicata region is also known for its spicy food (infused with peperoncini – small chili peppers) and great seafood, as well as native wild mushrooms and ricotta cheese.
The land is exquisite, with pomegranate trees; fields of kiwi and strawberry plants; cornfields; orange, lime and lemon trees; and row after row after row of olive trees and grapevines.
Fresh seasonal vegetables and local products are used to create excellent dishes, such as orecchiette pasta (like in the neighboring Puglia region) with chicory and fava bean puree or cavatelli pasta with caciocavallo cheese.
Of course well-known items also include bread and pasta products made with famous durum wheat from Matera. Bread is also often used to prepare dishes such as cialledda calda, with eggs, bay leaves, garlic and olives on cooked bread, and cialledda fredda, made with bread moistened with tomatoes and garlic.
Local wine, Doc Matera, is also good and is made in several areas throughout the region using Aglianico, Sangiovese, Primitivo and Greco varieties, and Malvasia grapes from Basilicata.
Basilicata Travel Facts
Basilicata is an off-the-beaten track Italy destination. It’s natural beauty combined with its long cultural history make it the perfect southern Italy vacation destination.
Basilicata is located in southern Italy. It is in the arch of Italy’s boot. To its east is Puglia, which is the heel of Italy’s boot. To its west is Campania and south of Campania, Calabria, which is the toe of Italy’s boot. It touches the Ionian sea to its south and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the West.
Basilicata is located about 2.5 hours south of Naples. The easiest way to explore the region is to join an escorted tour of southern Italy. Alternatively, to stay longer and explore more than what may be included on an escorted tour itinerary, rent a car. It’s essential to have a car in Basilicata. You can fly into Rome and rent a car there, then drive the five hours south. Or you can connect in Rome and fly to Bari and then rent a car and drive a little over an hour. Another way to go is to take the train directly from Rome to Metaponto, which leaves several times a day. There are no car rentals in Metaponto, but most hotel hosts will meet guests at the station and arrange for a car to be delivered.
Matera and its cave houses, Sassi di Matera, and the Rock Churches located in the Murgia National Park are the regions’s biggest touristic draw. Many escorted tours include guided visits to the Sassi di Matera. For beach lovers Maratea on the Tyrrhenian Sea and Metaponto’s Beach on the Ionian Sea are the main attractions. Furthermore Metaponto is home to the regions’s archaeology museum and ancient Greek ruins. National Archaeological Museum of Metaponto houses a vast collection of Greek vases, jewelry, weapons and sculpture. The Archaeological Park in Metaponto is where many of the ruins are, including an amphitheater and temples dedicated to Athena, Apollo and Hera. Tavole Palatine, the site of 15 Doric columns dating from the sixth century B.C., just off Highway 106 in Metaponto near the Bradano River.
Spring and Fall are the best seasons to visit Basilicata.