Matera
an unmissable place
Photo by Stefano dininno on Unsplash
Reachable in an hour along a beautiful panoramic highway, MATERA, THE EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE IN 2019 IS AN INCREDIBLE, MAGICAL PLACE. When you get there it will seem like you are entering a FAIRYTALE: the houses leaning against the rock, the stone churches decorated with colorful frescoes, the paths and alleys, the pebbled stairways, the white stone, the lights that come on in the evening make each night look like a Christmas night. It is no coincidence that actor and director MEL GIBSON chose Matera to film THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST (2004). THE “SASSI” – ANCIENT HOUSES DUG INTO THE TUFF on the sides of the ravine of Matera – are the main attraction of this unique town, and the testimony of a past of peasant poverty. But the "new town" is also beautiful and lively, with its churches and noble palaces, evidence of the great prosperity Matera enjoyed in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Lakes of
Monticchio
Photo by sterlinglanier Lanier on Unsplaash
Pearls of Basilicata, the lakes of Monticchio are easily reachable from Melfi, just 30 minutes away by car. At the heart of the VULTURE RESERVE, the lakes take the place of what was once the crater of a VOLCANO, Monte Vulture. They strike as much for the beauty of the panorama as for the richness and variety of things to see in the surrounding areas, from lovely GREEN WOODS, where visitors go picking CHESTNUTS, to the ABBEY OF SAN MICHELE.
Francis Ford Coppola
and “his” Bernalda
Great master of cinema, film director FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA in 2004 bought and RENOVATED PALAZZO MARGHERITA IN BERNALDA, a town in southern Basilicata which includes the famous village of Metaponto, and the place of origin of his family. Palazzo Margherita has been transformed INTO AN ELEGANT HOTEL WITH ADJOINING RESTAURANT AND CAFETERIA. It is there that in 2011 Sofia Coppola, daughter of Francis and herself a renowned film director, married Thomas Mars, the lead singer of the French band Phoenix.
Venosa
city of Horace
Rossella Castellano, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Birthplace of THE LATIN POET HORACE (65 BC), Venosa retains the charm of its Roman past, with a rich ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK along the VIA APPIA, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ROADS OF THE ROMAN ERA, and a precious Benedictine abbey from the 11th century.
Lucan Dolomites
and the Flight of the Angel
Photo by Paolo Santarsiero on Unsplash
The evocative mountains of Basilicata, with the spectacular VILLAGES PERCHED ON THE ROCKS, SUCH AS PIETRA PERTOSA AND CASTELMEZZANO. For the most daring and sporty visitors, the latter hosts the famous VOLO DELL’ANGELO (flight of the angel), a 1550-meter crossing made, securely attached at a cable that stretches over the precipice, at a speed reaching 120 km/h.
Pollino National Park
Photo by nodichotomy on Unsplash
The LARGEST NATIONAL PARK IN SOUTHERN ITALY. A fascinating landscape of SNOW-CAPPED PEAKS, CENTURIES-OLD FORESTS AND PLATEAUS WITH PASTURES that bloom with gentians, dog roses, aromatic herbs and orchids in spring, populated by wild horses, and small perched villages. On clear days you can see both the coastline of the Ionian Sea and, on the opposite side, that of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
MONTESCAGLIOSO, perched on top of a hill, with the monumental ABBEY OF SAN MICHELE ARCHANGELO, built in the 12th century during the era of the Normans.
The sea of
Basilicata
Maratea
the “little Amalfi”
Maurizio Orlando, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Lying on the hills overlooking the cliffs and the turquoise Tyrrhenian Sea, MARATEA IS A SMALL HIDDEN JEWEL of the Italian coast, also known as the “little Amalfi”.
Metaponto
between beaches and philosophy
METAPONTO is a fraction of the town of Bernalda with large sandy beaches for relaxing on the Ionian coast of Basilicata. It was FOUNDED BY THE ANCIENT GREEK COLONISTS in the second half of the 7th century BC. and soon became ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CITIES OF MAGNA GRAECIA, the area of the Italian peninsula that was populated by the Greeks. The Greek PHILOSOPHER AND MATHEMATICIAN PYTHAGORAS lived and worked in Metaponto, and he founded one of his schools there. In the Metaponto area there are important ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS FROM THE GREEK ERA, including the Tavole Palatine (remains of a Doric temple from the 6th century BC dedicated to THE DEITY HERA) and the Archaeological Park.
Eating and drinking
in Basilicata
EATING IN BASILICATA IS A PLEASURE, A MOMENT OF SOCIALITY, almost a pagan ritual. Many tasty typical dishes are based on popular raw materials: orecchiette and strascinati, HAND-MADE PASTA with water, salt and flour, ‘PEPERONI CRUSCHI’ (bran peppers), SOPPRESSATA, salt water (dry durum wheat bread, soaked in water and seasoned with tomato onion oil and salt), stuffed peppers, chestnuts, CACIOCAVALLO podolico. In October, Melfi hosts the SAGRA DELLA VAROLA, a lively festival that CELEBRATES THE CHESTNUT HARVEST and also attracts visitors from adjacent regions.
Eating in Basilicata also means tasting the AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE ("ALLI-YAWN-NICO"), A NOBLE RED WINE CELEBRATED AS “ITALY'S NEXT RED” to which the volcanic soil of the Melfi area gives extraordinary characteristics. This is how wine expert Ian D’Agata talks about it: “along with Nebbiolo and Sangiovese, AGLIANICO IS GENERALLY BELIEVED TO BE ONE OF ITALY'S THREE BEST WINE GRAPES, BUT IN MY OPINION IT IS FAR MORE…” (Ian D'Agata, Native Wine Grapes of Italy). As mentioned, the cellars of CARBONE VINI in Melfi are a fascinating place to taste their awarded aglianico.
Neighboring
regions
The major beauties of THE NEARBY CAMPANIA REGION can be reached in just two hours by car: THE AMAZING NAPLES, THE ANCIENT POMPEII (the ancient Roman town that was buried by a volcanic eruption in 79 BC), the ISLAND OF CAPRI, rendered in countless film, and THE BEAUTIFUL AMALFI COAST.
In the opposite direction, the “TAVOLIERE” (plain) opens up which lead to the splendid coasts of THE PUGLIA REGION. Just 30 minutes from Melfi by car you reach CASTEL DEL MONTE, one of the most beautiful castles built by Frederick II in southern Italy. The fortress was listed as a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE in 1996, and is depicted on the Italian version of the 1 EURO CENT COIN. The building, in addition to being an example of geometric construction, is full of symbolisms that have fascinated many scholars.
A little further away – a one-hour drive or so from Melfi – you can visit the SPLENDID CATHEDRALS of Puglia (Trani, Ruvo, Barletta, Andria, Altamura). And further on, THE BEAUTIFUL VALLE D'ITRIA with its TRULLI, THE TRADITIONAL CONE-SHAPED STONE HOUSES, in villages such as Locorotondo or Alberobello.
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