Basilicata - Basilikata

Basilicata is considered the most natural region Italy. The sparsely populated Basilicata is located in the south of the country and is also often called "Lucania" - the land of the disappeared people of the Lucanians, who in the 5th century BC. settled here.

Regions

The Basilicata lies in the "ankle region" of the Italian boot between Apulia ("Boot heel"), Campania and Calabria ("Boot tip"). It consists mainly of mountains and gorges and is only a short distance from the sea on the Tyrrhenian and Ionian coasts. For a long time it was closed to the development of roads and thus to modernity. The most beautiful beaches are on the only 30 km long Tyrrhenian coast, with caves, rocky bays and small sandy beaches. On the 40 km long coastline of the Ionian Sea are at Metaponto, Marina di Pisticci, Scanzano Jonico and Policoro are flat, sandy beaches that are very popular in summer.

places

• Potenza - The provincial capital, located in the north in the hinterland.
• Aliano - Place of exile of the writer Carlo Levi ("Christ only came to Eboli")
• Pietrapertosa and Castelmezzano, two picturesque mountain towns in the Lucanian Dolomites
• Melfi in the very north of Basilicata
• Venosa - Home of the Roman poet Horace. Remains of Roman buildings and the "Chiesa incompiuta" (unfinished church)

• Matera - The city is picturesquely situated on a hill inland. It houses the "Sassi"; the old town, which consists of old cave dwellings. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been the location of many films (e.g. "The Passion of Christ" by Mel Gibson). The cave dwellings have been partially renovated and are considered trendy dwellings. Many of the Sassi also house hotels, churches, museums or bars.
• Tursi - almost an image of Matera. Here, too, there is an old town center with cave dwellings.

on the Ionian Sea

• Policoro - The city on the coast impresses with its pretty city center and the longest beach promenade in Basilicata. Policoro, with its many hotels and campsites, is best developed for tourism. Nevertheless, unlike on the Adriatic coast, you can still go swimming on many free beaches without the obligation to rent loungers or umbrellas.
• Metapont - In Metaponto there are interesting excavations of ancient Greek temples, near the Hera temple of Tavole Palatine

on the Tyrrhenian Sea

• Maratea - The city on the west coast of Basilicata can be recognized from afar by the figure of Jesus (Christ) towering over the city. This is very reminiscent of Rio de Janeiro. There are also many small bays, albeit with stone beaches, for swimming. The small harbor also invites you to linger.
• Colobraro - Colobraro, a village above the Sini River, is particularly impressive because of its location. The place seems to "float" above the river bed on a ledge. The village is home to a very futuristic church, but otherwise tends to be more traditional. Here you can still see farmers on donkeys bringing in their crops. Due to the unique location you have a unique view of all the natural beauties of Basilicata. In summer you can see both the sea in the south and the snow-capped mountains of the Pollino nature park in the west.

Other goals

Parco Nazionale del Pollino: The national park stretches between Senise and the western coast. The almost untouched nature is characterized by many mountains, gorges and waterfalls.

Parco Naturale di Gallipoli Cognato e delle Dolomiti Lucane: picturesque mountain villages in the Lucanian Dolomites

Fiume Sini: The Sini (river) runs between Monte Pollino and the Ionian Sea. The many rock formations that the former river bed carved into the basalt are impressive. Today the Sini is dammed, which means that in many places the river is not wider than some streams. The reservoir on about half of the course of the river is worth seeing, as the remains of a sunken town protrude from it in summer.

background

Basilicata is one of the most pristine regions in Italy. Here tourism has only started in many places in the last few years. In contrast to the well-known bed castles on the Adriatic, you can stay here quite cheaply. The region is characterized by its history with the Greek colonization around 700 BC. ("Magna graecia", Greater Greece) and also the Byzantine rule after the fall of the Western Roman Empire still influenced by Greek in many places. For example, in Metapont Greek archaeological sites.

The region has just under 35 kilometers of coastline, but these are spread over both the Ionian Sea in the south and the Tyrrhenian Sea in the west. This contributes to the fact that Basilicata, as one of the few regions, has beaches on two sides of the "boot".
Due to this connection to two seas, the mixture of coastal and mountain regions and the unspoilt nature, Basilicata is a very varied region that could be of particular interest to individual tourists.

The residents are very warm and friendly and open-minded towards everyone.

The journey is a bit tedious and - at least by car - more expensive than, for example, to the Adriatic Sea, on the other hand, the low cost of living in Basilicata is easy on the travel wallet.

So if you want to go on a beach holiday and still want to spend a natural and quiet holiday and are also interested in history, you will be in the right place in Basilicata, far away from package tourism.

language

Since many residents used to work as guest workers in Germany, there are always a few people who understand a few bits of German, but mostly only the younger ones can speak English. It should be noted that many different dialects are predominant, which even differ from village to village differ so much that you can hardly understand each other. The dialects tend to be more reminiscent of Greek than Italian.

getting there

In the street

The journey from Germany by car is quite tedious (approx. 1,800 km). It is therefore advisable to make a stopover in any case. The journey can be done via the to Taranto (Apulia) or the until about Lauria. From here, superstradi lead inland. In many places (especially those coming from Taranto) these are developed similar to a motorway, but this motorway-like development leads to many daring overtaking maneuvers by the locals, which you should be prepared for and therefore always keep an eye on the oncoming traffic.

By train

There are daily train connections Milan to about Matera, Potenza or Policoro. However, the railways are very similar to the German regional express, which makes the journey very tedious. Frequent, apparently unreasonable, delays are to be expected in any case.

By plane

Basilicata does not have its own airport. You have to go to the neighboring regions with their airports in here 40.88444444444414.290833333333Naples airport(IATA: NAP), and 41.13885555555616.760594444444Bari "Lamezia Terme" airport(IATA: BRI) dodge. A rental car is recommended for onward travel.

By bus

Buses from Naples and Rome leave the local bus stations every day and serve almost all of the localities.

mobility

Bus: City buses (yellow) run in Potenza and Matera. The rest of the region is connected by (blue) regional buses. However, there is usually only one stop per town and frequent transfers are necessary to get to the right destination. The buses are often very daring, especially on the superstradi and in the mountain regions. The buses usually only run twice a day per town (either very early or in the early afternoon). Whether city or regional bus, both are more or less creative in setting up timetables.

Train: A railway line runs along the Gulf of Taranto and serves all of the Gulf's coastal towns. The interior of the country can then only be reached by bus.

Automobile: Unfortunately, the car is indispensable due to the relatively poor accessibility of the interior of Basilicata. The roads are often very good and new. But not in some mountain regions! Caution is advised here. The streets here are narrow and winding and with a very old surface. Demolished parts of the road are not replaced for years and are inadequately secured. The locals either drive very quickly and daringly or extremely slowly. There are petrol stations in almost every village. However, these are closed between 12:30 and 16:30. The police control tightly and extensively. Above all, you should pay attention to the compulsory light!

Tourist Attractions

• The Tufa - caves in Matera
• The Pollino National Park
• Archaeological sites from Greek (Metapont) and Roman times (Grumentum, here Hannibal fought against the Romans)
• Lucanian Dolomites, along the Policoro-Lauria superstrada
• Lagopesole Castle of the Hohenstaufen emperor Friedrich II.

activities

The Basilicata is ideal for swimming, hiking and mountain biking. There is also a small ski area near Lauria.

The beaches are clean and have good infrastructure such as toilets, showers and sufficient parking spaces. They are guarded in summer. Here you can rent boats and jet skis, for example, or take part in the activities offered by the Lidi, such as water aerobics or beach volleyball (often free of charge).

Due to the great heat of the day, hikes are mainly recommended in spring or autumn. However, many hikes have to be done on your own, because the signposting of the hiking trails is slow in the Pollino National Park. Mainly one moves on farm roads and will be amazed that the locals do not recognize the beauty of these paths and only use them as work routes to their fields. Therefore, you shouldn't be confused by the confused looks of the locals. The paths often lead past drinking water fountains, where you can take a break. Small chapels are also often found in the forest or on the edge of the field. Especially in summer you should have enough drinking water with you, despite the fountain! Sturdy shoes are also essential.

In each village, several times a week, "Fiere", ie markets, are held, which are very interesting to visit due to the variety of offers. Here you can buy food as well as clothing or even a live donkey.

In the coastal towns in particular, more and more shopping malls are emerging, some of which are open seven days a week. Shops, bars and restaurants are located here.

Cycle: The entire region is accessible to cyclists, there are precisely prepared tours for cyclists in the Lucanian Appenin, in the Pollino National Park, along the coast, between the two provincial capitals Potenza and Matera. Information is available from cycling clubs. In Potenza Tel .: 0971 473643.

kitchen

The cuisine of Basilicata, like the country, is very original. Most of the food is cooked with the company's own produce from its own cultivation. Ready meals are just as frowned upon here as fast food, with home-made noodles (strascinati, rascatielli and frizulli), grilled lamb (crapetone), grilled salami (salsice arosti) and crispy paprika specialties (pepperoni cruschi) being particularly popular. Likewise, almost every family produces an annual supply of its own tomato sauces in many variations once a year.

But the kitchen is also very peculiar. Bird's brain, for example, is just as much a delicacy as an intestinal stew called "Trippa".

Nevertheless, one should not refuse an invitation to dinner from the locals; one would regret it. It should be noted, however, that the food is very rich and you are expected to try everything. It is therefore advisable to come to such an invitation on an empty stomach.

An excellent red wine, the "Aglianico del Vulture" (DOC), is produced in the region around the extinct volcano Monte Vulture.

nightlife

The beach promenades on the Ionian Sea are filled with visitors in the evening. Here you can shop at many stalls, drink cocktails in the bars of the Lidi or eat freshly caught fish in the restaurants. Smaller "beach clubs", ie beach discos, are also establishing themselves here more and more.

Within the localities there are often so-called Corsi, i.e. the street is simply declared a pedestrian zone (be careful: there are still cars there!), You sit in the bars or in front of the houses or just stroll up and down. Before 10 p.m. you will only meet a few passers-by, because the locals don't have dinner until late.

There are small discos in many places and many delicious trattorias can be found on the country roads. Entrances are mostly free and the food and drinks are very cheap compared to Germany!

security

Basilicata is a very safe region. Pickpockets or car break-ins are extremely rare here, if only in the provincial capitals. The Italians also confidently leave their belongings on the beach and go home for lunch.

Only in Matera should you watch out for self-appointed "guides" around the Sassi, who prepare tours at overpriced prices. You can easily explore the Sassi yourself.

As described, caution should also be exercised in traffic. You should also be careful of stray dogs and snakes when hiking.

A Carabinieri station can be found in almost every village, no matter how small it may be. Just like doctors and pharmacies. Here you will be surprised how modern these are partly equipped.

It should be noted, however, that fire brigades, ambulances and hospitals are usually only stationed in larger locations (often over 30 km away). This can lead to problems in emergencies.

climate

In midsummer it is very hot at lunchtime. The locals stay at home. In winter the climate is very similar to German conditions and sometimes colder in the mountain regions. Snowfalls are not uncommon.

trips

literature

Web links

• http://www.regione.basilicata.it - Official website of Basilicata (Italian)