Basilicata

Visiting the old town of Matera on foot is a short (2.5 kilometers, about a 40-minute walk) but fascinating journey through steep alleys, rock churches, Romanesque and medieval remains.

If you want to go further, however, after visiting the center we suggest exploring the spectacular Park of the Murgia Materana, whose official name is "Parco Regionale Archeologico Storico Naturale delle Chiese Rupestri del Materano" (Regional Historical and Natural Archaeological Park of the Rock Churches of the Materano area). Rich in varied flora and fauna, it is home to more than a hundred splendid churches carved out of stone, rock villages, ancient farms (often fortified) and caves.

There are also inviting bike routes that depart from Matera: You can bike between the region's two main cities, Matera and Potenza, on the Stranieri road, which allowed the Greeks to travel from Metapontum to Paestum. There is also the interesting ring of the Matera hill, which from the city reveals the secrets of villages such as Miglionico and Grottole, and can include a visit to the picturesque Cripta del Peccato Originale. Alternatively, you can choose a shorter and simpler route: the one that connects Matera and Metaponto, an important center of Magna Graecia on the Ionian Sea, rich in valuable historical evidence.  

They look like the Dolomites, but they are not! Or rather, they are called "Dolomites," but they are on the other side of Italy-they are the Lucanian Dolomites. They owe their name to their morphological similarity to the Alpine Dolomites and are about 15 million years old. Quite an age, isn't it? With their craggy peaks and spectacular spires, the Lucanian Dolomites stand in stark contrast to the more rounded and lush surrounding landscape. Definitely worth seeing in this area are the pretty villages of Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa, which look like little nativity scenes emerging from the rugged mountain peaks. The Lucanian Dolomites and the Gallipoli Cognato Piccole Dolomiti Lucane Regional Park that protects them can be reached by bicycle with a route of more than 100 kilometers and are a paradise for via ferrata enthusiasts, such as the Ferrata Marcirosa and Ferrata Salemm.

Moving to the Lucanian Apennines, we suggest a long but easy day hike: the path that connects Sasso di Castalda to Potenza. It is an ancient route that winds between the Frassati trail, the Madonna del Sasso refuge, the Fossa Cupa Forest and the hamlet of Serra San Marco. A little further south there is the possibility of ascending Monte Volturino and to Monte Calveluzzo by combining two CAI trails. First you follow the Sentiero del Ventennale, then you pass Passo i Tre Confini and the Rifugio Romanelli. Still remaining in the Lucanian Apennines, but even further south, there is a trail that stretches over the Sirino Massif, passing the Madonna di Sirino Sanctuary, Mount Papa, and touching Lake Laudemio on the way back. 16 unforgettable kilometers, alternating between open views to the sea and dense forests.

Moving into the Pollino National Park, on the other hand, we want to point out the loop on Mount Alpi, starting from Iannazzo, climbing along the southern slope to Cima Pizzo Falcone and then to Cima Santa Croce, and the descent from Sentiero Italia.

If you're feeling a bit more relaxed, here's a shorter route for you: the Mount Coccovello loop is only 6 kilometers long and can be hiked in about 3 hours, but it offers you open panoramic views of the countryside and the sea, alternating with peaceful forest sections.

But it is for bicycle enthusiasts that Basilicata proves to be a paradise: there are in fact many bicycle routes for all tastes that stretch from the Murgia to the mountains.

Let's start in Potenza: from the capital city begins the loop route that takes you to the Lucano Apennine Park, from sleepy cultivated hills to beautiful mountain landscapes. It's not a route for everyone, given the elevation gain of more than 1,500 meters and the length of nearly 85 kilometers. But it will repay any effort: you will be able to admire the villages of Savoia and Satriano di Lucania, with its ancient tower, as well as rock faces and landscapes that will leave you speechless.

In the heart of the region, that is, in the Regional Park of the Lucanian Dolomites, you will find the splendid route that leads from Castelmezzano to Aliano. Along this route you will cross the Montepiano forest and climb along a landscape dotted with gullies, typical of the region.

It is precisely this type of landscape that characterizes the so-called Via dei Calanchi. It starts from Salandra, where a pleasant scenic road reaches Ferrandina; from here the landscape characterized by the typical erosions begins. This route also has a literary flavor: we are in the areas in which Carlo Levi's "Christ Stopped at Eboli" is set. In Aliano, the point of arrival, there is even a museum about the author.

Let's move on to Calabria: two interesting rides in the southern part of the Lucanian Apennines are the Val D'Agri loop, which starts and ends at the archaeological site of Grumentum, passing through towns perched on rocks, such as Spinoso, Armento and Montemurro, and the Pollino crossing, which from Terranova di Pollino slips into the heart of the National Park, arriving at the center of Rotonda.

Finally, here are two itineraries that go inland from the sea: one leads from the Greek atmosphere of Metaponto to Tursi through the rugged landscape, and the other one from the Ionian Sea arrives in the woods of the Pollino, departing from Lido di Policoro and ending in Terranova del Pollino: a fascinating route that also passes through the magnetic village of Rotondella, with its characteristic rounded shape.

 

Beyond the most famous places, Basilicata offers many other unmissable destinations, including picturesque towns and villages, ghost towns, historic places and offering breathtaking views:

• Melfi: situated at the foot of Mount Vulture and dominated by the majestic Norman-Swabian Castle, which hosted Emperor Frederick II, this town harmoniously combines history and nature. The Vulture area is also famous for its fine wines, such as Aglianico del Vulture.
• Venosa: the birthplace of Horace, Venosa boasts an extraordinary historical heritage. Its treasures include the Aragonese Castle and archaeological park, the Pirro del Balzo Castle, Horace's house and the Abbey of the Holy Trinity with its "Incompiuta," a church that was never completed.
• Palmenti di Pietragalla Urban Park: important evidence of the region's rural past. Palmenti are large rock vats used for crushing and fermenting grapes.
• Pisticci: nicknamed the "white town" for its striking white "casedde" with a red roof, Pisticci is also famous for the herbal liqueur Amaro Lucano, to which a museum is also dedicated.
• Tricarico: This place invites you to walk through the medieval old town - one of the best preserved in Basilicata - to discover all the traces of its Arab-Norman past, including the Norman tower and castle, the Arab quarters and the Saracen vegetable gardens. Tricarico is also known for its ancient Carnival.

 

 

 

If you are looking for adventures among nature and extreme thrill-seeking experiences, Basilicata has just the thing for you. In addition to the long "Ponte tra due parchi" in Castelsaraceno, this Italian regon boasts other rope bridges, such as those in Sasso di Castalda, one longer and one shorter, also surrounded by several ferratas, and the Nepalese bridge in the Platano Gorges, on the border between Basilicata and Campania. The canyon also offers opportunities for hiking among breathtaking scenery and historic sites, for example along the "Miners' Trail", a well-equipped path carved into the rock to facilitate the construction of the so-called "Galleria delle Armi," the site of a major rail disaster in 1944. Those who feel up to it can also go river trekking with a guide.