ItalyField Guide
Basilicata

Region

Basilicata

Italy's deep-south secret — Matera's cave city (a former European Capital of Culture), the Dolomiti Lucane peaks, and a coast on two seas. Poor, dramatic, and barely touristed outside Matera.

Worth a Detour
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The verdict

Basilicata is for the traveler who's done Puglia and wants to go deeper. Matera is the unmissable draw — one of the most extraordinary cities in Italy — and the rest is empty, mountainous, and raw: Castelmezzano perched in the Lucanian Dolomites, Maratea on the coast, and a cuisine of lamb, peppers, and bread. It's hard to reach and thin on infrastructure, but Matera alone justifies the trip.

Why go

Matera's cave city — and, beyond it, an empty, dramatic, untouristed deep south.

Skip if

You want easy logistics and polish; this is the poorest, least-connected region.

Where to go in Basilicata

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Castelmezzano
01

Town · Basilicata

Castelmezzano

One of the most beautiful villages in Italy, perched on a peak in the Lucanian Dolomites — and the Angel Flight (Volo dell'Angelo), the world's highest zipline, to the facing village. Worth a night for the mountain and the flight.

Maratea
02

Town · Basilicata

Maratea

The 'Pearl of the Tyrrhenian' — the one stretch of Basilicata coast, with a clifftop old town, a Christ-of-the-Andes-style statue, and hidden coves. Worth a night if you're driving the south.

Matera
03

Town · Basilicata

Matera

Matera is worth one night, and the night is the point — staying in a cave hotel in the Sassi is an experience found nowhere else. It is a detour from the usual circuit, but a rewarding one.

Things to do in Basilicata

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