Basilicata

Overview:

BASILICATA: Basilicata, located at the “instep” of the boot, is another of Italy’s smaller regions that is not often visited by tourists. It reaches the shores of the Gulf of Taranto as well as a small stretch of the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western coast. Matera is no doubt the most interesting city in this region. Its ancient neighorhood, Sassi, has been preserved as an outdoor museum with cave-like dwellings built into the tufo rock where many citizens of this impoverished and forgotten region lived along with their livestock. While in Matera you must also visit its Romanesque cathedral and its several 9th-century churches with Byzantine frescoes. Another highlight of Basilicata is picturesque Maratea - a medieval village tucked in the hills above a beautiful coast that is enhanced by pretty beaches and hidden coves. The archaeological ruins of Eraclea and Metapontum are also part of this region.