Basilicata, Italy: Matera, Metaponto, Melfi, Maratea and much more

Basilicata is still one of the least known and most unpolluted regions of Italy and this is certainly one of its strong points: its immense protected areas (among which the Pollino, the largest Italian National Park), its extremely various coasts, its picturesque historic
centres and its snow-capped mountains make it a destination suitable for all tastes, a gem not yet discovered and miraculously not yet contaminated by fast food and mass tourism.

Usually the ones who visit for the first time this region, are allured by one of its so-called “4 M” (Matera, Metaponto, Melfi, Maratea) which represent, in the social imaginery, Basilicata's flagship.

However Basilicata has really much more to offer and any attempt to describe in a few lines all the surprises in store for any traveller looking for out-of-the- common experiences is extremely difficult because of its many and varied landscapes: from the huge and impenetrable woods of the Lucanian Apennines one reaches, almost suddenly, the lunar-like landscape of the “calanchi” (badlands), masterly described by Carlo Levi in the book “Christ stopped at Eboli” , an almost desert-like area bordering a totally different place like only the golden beaches and the blue sea of the Ionian coast could be.

And then peaceful lakes, impetuous mountain streams, modern architecture and huge complexes of caves constantly inhabited since the Paleolithic, deep canyons, majestic mountains jutting out into the sea, exceptional wines and traditional cuisine.

There is a place where you can experience all this and much more without moving: that place is named Basilicata