Basilicata

Somewhere different, somewhere new and off the beaten track – that's Basilicata, or Lucania as the locals prefer to call it.
It is lovely, and we can’t recommend it enough.

Undeniably off-beat, joyfully unspoilt, and sure to entice our more adventurous clients, if nothing else, because of its obscurity factor!

Sharing its borders with Apulia, Calabria and Campania, it's a region with two distinctly separate coastlines: one facing the Tyrrhenian Sea to the south-west, and the other facing south-east where the Ionian Sea dilutes the Gulf of Taranto.
Mountain grandeur typifies the interior, in fact only eight per cent of Basilicata is classed as plain, so expect dramatic 2000 metre-high scenery, legendary food and wine and the most get-away-from-it-all-type holiday you’re ever likely to find in the Mediterranean.

Ever since the 8th century BC, when the Greeks first landed here, Basilicata’s ancient roads have seen the passage of Samnites, Romans, Byzantines, Normans, Saracens and Albanians, to name but a few. Some came to settle, some to conquer and some just to enjoy its striking contrasts of landscapes and seascapes.
For whatever reason they came though, its strategic location, at the southern end of Italy’s Apennine spine of mountains, has assured it of much cultural legacy.

At the same time, the Lucanians fiercely conserved their own identity through the ages so that, now, their own traditions, crafts, cuisine and music co-exist happily with ancient art, folklore and architecture - and all of this is on splendid display to you, the visitor.

When it comes to climate Basilicata is in a league of its own.
Being a region of high and low altitudes, and boasting two different coastlines washed by two different seas, visitors make of the climate what they wish - go high for refreshing coolness, and even skiing on snow in autumn-winter, especially at La Sellata-Pierfaone just 24 kilometres from Potenza, the regional capital, or go low for the classic Mediterranean heat and cooling sea breezes to be found on the Tyrrhenian or Ionian beaches.

Among not-to-be-missed places is an amazing and infrequently visited town in a spectacular position, Matera is a honeycomb of houses and caves known as "i sassi" (the stones) which are carved into the steep side of a ravine and connected via a maze of alleys and staircases.

For the adventurous, tours can be arranged via the local tourist office.
Also to delight are around 130 amazing rock churches, mostly dating from the 11th century: good examples are Santa Maria di Idris with typical interior wall paintings and San Pietro Barisano.