BASILICATA

 

Matera

Welcome to Basilicata

Discover the charm of a region of southern Italy that can give you a slow-paced holiday.

Basilicata is a wonderful land where the mountain meets the sea and the small villages surprise for their beauty and their archaic charm.

The best-known city of this region is Matera, called the 'Città dei Sassi' (the Sassi di Matera), which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993 and was the European Capital of Culture in 2019.

Visiting the historic center of Matera is an experience of great suggestion: the district of Sassi appears as a dense network of staircases and cave-houses, carved into the rock and inhabited since prehistoric times, in which you can distinguish bell towers and churches, narrow streets and courtyards.

The city is one with the landscape of Murgia characterized by numerous rock churches (in the territory there are over 150). A place so unique that it was chosen for the setting of several films, including "The Passion" and the remake of "Ben Hur".

Most of the territory of Basilicata is occupied by mountains and hills, ideal places to enjoy nature and silence.

Very suggestive are the lunar landscapes of the Calanchi, where the clay rocks show the deep furrows left by the waters, and surround Craco, the ghost town abandoned by the population following a landslide in 1963.

The Lucan Dolomites are home to some of the most beautiful villages in Italy set among rocky mountains. An experience not to be missed is the flight between the villages of Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa hanging from a steel cable.

The area of Monte Vulture, an extinct volcano, offers the enchanted scenery of the lakes of Monticchio immersed in the green of lush forests, a destination for walks and hiking and cycling. 

Don't miss the visit to the white Abbey of San Michele (11th century).

Basilicata is also bathed by the sea: 30 km of high and jagged coast on the Tyrrhenian Sea with the beautiful Maratea, where the headlands overlooking the sea are interspersed with small beaches, and wide stretches of fine sand or pebbles on the coast overlooking the Ionian Sea, from Metaponto to Policoro.

A trip to Basilicata is the discovery of a rich historical and artistic heritage kept in the beautiful medieval villages of Venosa, Acerenza, Genzano di Lucania, Montescaglioso, Miglionico, Bernalda, including churches, crypts, abbeys and catacombs.

The archaeological areas include important prehistoric settlements and monumental remains of cities founded by Greek settlers (Siris-Policoro and Metaponto) and by the Romans, such as the ancient Venusia, homeland of the Latin poet Horace, of which the baths, the domus, the amphitheater are preserved.

The region was loved by Emperor Frederick II of Swabia who built castles and cathedrals in Melfi, Venosa and Lagopesole.

The castle of Melfi is home to the National Archaeological Museum of Melfese in which are exposed finds of the VII-III century B.C. in addition to the magnificent Sarcophagus of Rapolla (II century A.D.). Not to be missed are also the National Archaeological Museum of Metaponto and the National Museum of Siritide.

A trip to Basilicata is an experience in the flavors of a culinary tradition that puts on the table genuine flavors: pasta, cheeses processed with traditional methods, sausages, mushrooms and mineral waters of the Vulture springs.

Treat yourself to a trip through the villages of Barile, Ripacandida, Rionero to taste one of the most appreciated red wines of Italy, Aglianico del Vulture.

At this link you can discover the details of our guided tour we provide in Matera. 

Contact us via email to info@bestguidedtours.com to be supported to plan your holiday, tours and experiences in Basilicata region.