 All About Basilicata
History of Basilicata
In Roman times the district
was called Lucania and was administered together with the district
of Bruttium (inhabited by the Bruttii), to the south. The district
of Lucania was so called from the people bearing the name Lucani (Lucanians),
who invaded the country about the middle of the 5th century BC, driving
the indigenous tribes, known to the Greeks as Oenotrians, Chones, and
Leuterni (or Leutarni), into the mountainous interior. The coasts on
both sides were occupied by powerful Greek colonies, part of Magna
Graecia.
The Lucanians were engaged in hostilities with the Greek colony of
Taras/Tarentum, and with Alexander, king of Epirus, who was called
in by the Tarentine people to their assistance, in 326 BC, thus providing
a precedent for Epirote interference in the affairs of Magna Graecia.
In
298, Livy records, they made alliance with Rome, and Roman influence
was extended by the colonies of Venusia (291), Paestum (Greek Posidonia,
refounded in 273), and above all Roman Tarentum (refounded in 272).
Subsequently, however, the Lucanians suffered by choosing the losing
side in the various wars on the peninsula in which Rome took part.
A large part of the province was given up to pasture, and the mountains
were covered with forests, which abounded in wild boars, bears and
wolves.
Towns of Basilicata
 Metaponto
Metaponto is a small town of about a 1000 people in the province
of Matera, Basilicata, Italy. There are ancient ruins in Metaponte
such as the Temple of Hera pictured above and the new museum contains
objects from prehistory to the last Roman community. Without doubt
the main attraction is the 1 km stretch of perfect beach with white
powdery sand.
Matera or Sassi
di Matera
Matera is the capital center of the province of the same
name, and has gained international fame for its ancient town, the so-called "Sassi
di Matera" (meaning "stones of Matera") which is a prehistorical
(troglodyte) settlement, and is suspected to be one of the first human
settlements in Italy. This ancient town lays over a small canyon, which
has been dug in the course of years by a small water stream, called "Gravina".
In 1993 Matera was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The "Sassi" are houses dug into the tuff rock typical of Puglia and
Basilicata. Many of these "houses" are really only caverns.
During the 1950s, the government relocated most of the population of
the Sassi to the modern city of Matera. People still live in the Sassi
today, however. There is
a great similarity in the look of the Sassi with that of ancient sites
in and around Jerusalem, which are as ancient, and for this reason
was chosen by film makers as the setting for ancient Jerusalem, more
specifically by Pier Paolo Pasolini in "The Gospel According to St. Matthew" (1964), Bruce Beresford
in "King David" (1985) and Mel Gibson in "The Passion of the Christ" (2004).
Maratea
 The
famous small mountain town of Maratea is located in the Basilicata
region, 30 km from the Cilento national park, where the Basilicata
region touches the Tyrrhenian Sea along a narrow strip of 25 km where
you find one of the last bathing paradises of southern Italy. The
region provides a cheaper and less crowded alternative to the Amalfi
Coast. Crystal clear water and rich vegetation stretches
from the beach to the heights of the small mountain town
of Maratea. Idyllic and yet lively Maratea with its narrow alleys,
piazzas, bars and exquisite restaurants still spreads the magic of
the Mezzogiorno.
Rivello
From Maratea, it's a short drive to Rivello,
a dramatically situated hill town of 3,500 inhabitants that is virtually
unknown to English-speaking travelers. Rivello is a small town, but
full of many treasures - and well worth a visit, particularly for those
who appreciate church architecture and art.
Landscape of Basilicata
The region is as a whole mountainous, the highest point of the southern
Apennines being Monte Pollino (7325 ft). Monte Vulture, in the northwest
corner (Vulture area), is an extinct volcano (4365 ft)
 Parco
Regionale Gallipoli Cognato e Piccole Dolomiti Lucane. The Park covers an area of 27,027 hectares
and safeguards a wide area situated in the center of the regional territory.
This area presents important naturalistic, historical, and ethno-anthropological
values: the forest of Gallipoli Cognato, covering more than 4.200 hectares;
the wood of Montepiano, consisting in imposing turkey oak specimens,
Mediterranean maquis with residual nuclei of hoalm oak, sandstone rocks
forming the strange silhouettes of the Dolomiti Lucane in Castelmezzano
and Pietrapertosa, and remains of the walls of the town built in the
4th century BC at the top of Mt. Croccia.
In the Park there is a thick network of paths suited to the
needs of both the most expert hikers and the people loving easy walks.
Spring and autumn are without a doubt the best seasons to visit the
Park, thanks to the mild local climate, while in summer you will have
the opportunity to enjoy the coolness of the Turkey oaks in the highest
areas of the Park.
You can explore on foot, on horseback, or by mountain-bike,
and enjoying the typical hospitality of the inhabitants of this wonderful
corner of Basilicata!
Cuisine and Ingredients of Basilicata
Food of Basilicata
The food of Basilicata gets its taste from its strong spicy ingredients.
It is rich in flavours of wild herbs and tomatoes, silvery olives,
and prickly pear cactus. Red peppers abound as do strong sheep and goat
cheeses. The cooking methods are simple with much baking and grilling.
Little meat is eaten but the the quality of the mutton, goat or pork
is excellent.
The pasta, made from the strong durum wheat, is often still home made
and comes in many different shapes.
Typical are the 'lagane' - small rough shaped lasagne, or the
rolled 'miniuch' similar to spaghetti with a hole. The sauces use all
the vegetables available, yellow with peppers, red with tomatoes, green
with chards.
Desserts are simple but delicious based on grain, nuts and a particular
use of local cheeses.
Wines of Basilicata
Basilicata wines are rich and strong, full of hot sunshine: deep red
Aglianico, and tasty whites like Asprinio, Malvasia, and Moscato.
How to get to Basilicata
 Bari:
1 hour 20 minutes (alternatively, fly to Naples or Lamezia, both 3hrs
30mins away)(84 km)
Brindisi: 2 hours 20 minutes. (199 km)
Naples 2 hours 320 minutes.(213 km)
If
you are interested in this area you may want to consider the new project
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here if you are interested in Fractional
Ownership Property in Italy.
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Why
choose Basilicata?
