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Timeless Basilicata in Italy

Italian peerless beauties to discover with Italy Rome Tour It’s astonishing to think that around the earth there are plenty of incredible places we not even know about. World’s wonders are limitless, but even without going too far, in Italy we have many peerless beauties to discover. The region of Basilicata is one of them. […]

Timeless Basilicata in Italy

Italian peerless beauties to discover with Italy Rome Tour

It’s astonishing to think that around the earth there are plenty of incredible places we not even know about. World’s wonders are limitless, but even without going too far, in Italy we have many peerless beauties to discover.

The region of Basilicata is one of them. A lot of tourists know about Sicily, Sardinia or other southern regions, but few of them “venture” in Basilicata, maybe because it is a less known region. Perhaps it is really this immaculacy that makes this territory unique and worthy a journey.

Basilicata, also known as Lucania, has a geographic position that confers it a unique cultural melting-pot. It borders on three regions, Campania to the west, Puglia to the north and east and Calabria to the south and consequently it has one short coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea, and a longer one on the Ionian Sea.

Ideally you could plan a coast to coast trip in order to discover the whole region, but here we are going to recommend you 2 characteristic and fundamental places.

Maratea

Basilicata’s seaside par excellence and place of unlimited beauty, this is a little gem on Italy’s map. It is the only town of the region on the Tyrrhenian coast and because of its beautiful scenery and coastline it has been called “the Pearl of the Tyrrhenian”.

One of the main characteristics of Maratea is the diversity of its landscapes, varying from breath-taking sea views to wooded hillsides and majestic mountains which sweep down to the sea creating steep cliffs. It has approximately 32 kilometres of varied coastline and presents more than twenty beaches, each with its features and peculiarities.

The “spiaggia nera” (black beach) at Santo Janni: with its very intense black sand that makes this inlet so special; “U Porticeddu” (that means the little port): it is a rocky plate that extends itself among two cliffs chain, in the past its inhabitants used to go fishing or to gather salt there; Cala Grande: a big beach nestled in a very characteristic rocky coastline stretch with a thick vegetation that reaches almost the sea. It hosts Macarro, one of the most famous shores of the city.

Apart from its beaches, Maratea presents many beautiful sights: the charming old town centre, its small harbour, but above all its numerous chapels and churches (more than 44) and The statue of Christ the Redeemer (21.23 m high), built of pure Carrara marble, it is located on the top of Monte San Biagio, right in front of the basilica.

Below a video that shows us this Mediterranean jewel, “Maratea Senza Tempo” (Timeless Maratea)

Filmed by: Italia Senza tempo project
Music by: Smania Uagliuns (on Facebook)

Matera

The capital of the province of Matera, few days ago was elected European Capital of Culture 2019 and it will be talked about for a long time. This charming city lies in a small canyon, which has been eroded in the course of years by a small stream, the Gravina. Known as “the Subterranean City”, Matera is well known for its historical center called “Sassi”, considered World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

This has a very long history, it has been settled since the Palaeolithic, in fact the city was allegedly founded by the Romans in the 3rd century BC. The Sassi originate from a prehistoric settlement, are suspected to be some of the first human settlements in Italy and one of the oldest cities in the world. The Sassi are houses dug into the limestone rocks.

You have absolutely to visit the Old City with its characteristic houses and caves dug in the limestone and preserved at the core of the city center. Moreover Matera preserves a large and diverse collection of buildings related to the Christian faith, including a large number of rupestrian churches carved from the soft volcanic rock of the region. Because of the ancient and primitive scenery in and around the Sassi, it has been used by filmmakers as the setting for ancient Jerusalem.

Many famous biblical period motion pictures were filmed in Matera (see “The Passion of the Christ” by Mel Gibson). The city is going through an important touristic and cultural growth, also hosting many interesting events.
We know for certain that now you would like to discover this amazing region and its treasures. Contact us to plan a custom tour and we will be glad to come with you in this fantastic land.