Lucania Lucania was a historical region of Southern Italy, corresponding to the modern-day region of Basilicata. It was the land of the Lucani, an Oscan people. It extended from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. It bordered with Samnium and ...

Southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

Gulf of Policastro The Gulf of Policastro is an inlet of the Tyrrhenian Sea which bathes the coasts of three provinces: Salerno in Campania, Potenza in Basilicata and Cosenza in Calabria. The western limit of the gulf is the tip of Infreschi in the municipality of C ...

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (, ; or ) , , , , is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenians, Tyrrhenian people identified with the Etruscans of Italy. Geography The sea is bounded by the islands of C ...

Gulf of Taranto The Gulf of Taranto (; Tarantino: ; ) is a gulf of the Ionian Sea, in Southern Italy. The Gulf of Taranto is almost square, long and wide, making it the largest gulf in Italy, and it is delimited by the capes Santa Maria di Leuca (to the eas ...

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea (, ; or , ; , ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, ...

Potenza Potenza (, ; ; , Potentino dialect: ''Putenz'') is a ''comune'' in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata (former Lucania). Capital of the Province of Potenza and the Basilicata region, the city is the highest regional capital and one of ...

Magna Graecia Magna Graecia refers to the Greek-speaking areas of southern Italy, encompassing the modern Regions of Italy, Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania, and Sicily. These regions were Greek colonisation, extensively settled by G ...

Greek colonies Greek colonisation refers to the expansion of Archaic Greeks, particularly during the 8th–6th centuries BC, across the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. The Archaic expansion differed from the Iron Age migrations of the Greek Dark Ages ...

Sybaris Sybaris (; ) was an important ancient Greek city situated on the coast of the Gulf of Taranto in modern Calabria, Italy. The city was founded around 720 BC by Achaeans (tribe), Achaean and Troezenian settlers and the Achaeans also went on ...

ancient Romans The Roman people was the ethnicity and the body of Roman citizenship, Roman citizens (; ) during the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire. This concept underwent considerable changes throughout the long history of the Roman ...

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

Hauteville family The Hauteville family (, ) was a Normans, Norman family, originally of petty lords, from the Cotentin, Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy. The Hautevilles rose to prominence through their part in the Norman conquest of southern Italy. In 1130, Roger ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies () was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1861 under the control of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, Bourbons. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by popula ...

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

Expedition of the Thousand The Expedition of the Thousand () was an event of the unification of Italy that took place in 1860. A corps of volunteers led by Giuseppe Garibaldi sailed from Quarto al Mare near Genoa and landed in Marsala, Sicily, in order to conquer the Ki ...

basileus ''Basileus'' () is a Greek term and title that has signified various types of monarchs throughout history. In the English language, English-speaking world, it is perhaps most widely understood to mean , referring to either a or an . The title ...

Byzantine emperor The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Fall of Constantinople, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised s ...

Acerenza Acerenza ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). History With its strategic position ab ...

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

Lucania Lucania was a historical region of Southern Italy, corresponding to the modern-day region of Basilicata. It was the land of the Lucani, an Oscan people. It extended from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. It bordered with Samnium and ...

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...

praenomen The praenomen (; plural: praenomina) was a first name chosen by the parents of a Ancient Rome, Roman child. It was first bestowed on the ''dies lustricus'' (day of lustration), the eighth day after the birth of a girl, or the ninth day after the ...

Lucius Lucius is a masculine given name derived from Lucius (Latin ; ), abbreviated L., one of the small group of common Latin forenames () found in the culture of ancient Rome. Lucius probably derives from Latin word ( gen. ), meaning "light" (<

, from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

word ''Lux'' (gen. ''lucis''), meaning "

light Light, visible light, or visible radiation is electromagnetic radiation that can be visual perception, perceived by the human eye. Visible light spans the visible spectrum and is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400– ...

" (from

PIE A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. Sweet pies may be filled with fruit (as in an apple pie), nuts ( pecan pie), fruit preserves ( jam tart ...

''*leuk-'', "brightness", also the root of the Latin verb ''lucere'', "to shine"), which is a

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language. Because language change can have radical effects on both the s ...

of the name

Lucas Lucas or LUCAS may refer to: People * Lucas (surname) * Lucas (given name) Arts and entertainment * Luca Family Singers, or the Lucas, a 19th-century African-American singing group * Lucas, a 1960s Swedish pop group formed by Janne Lucas Perss ...

. Another proposed etymology is a derivation from the

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *Etruscan civilization (1st millennium BC) and related things: **Etruscan language ** Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities **Etruscan coins **Etruscan history **Etruscan myt ...

word ''Lauchum'' (or ''Lauchme''), meaning "

king King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

", which passed into Latin as ''Lucumo''.

Geography

Basilicata covers an extensive part of the southern

Apennine Mountains The Apennines or Apennine Mountains ( ; or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; or – a singular with plural meaning; )Latin ''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which would be segmented ''Apenn-inus'', often used with nouns s ...

, between the

Ofanto The Ofanto (), known in ancient times as Aufidus or Canna, is a 134 or 170 km (83 or 110 mi, depending on the sources) river in southern Italy that flows through the regions of Campania, Basilicata, and Apulia, into the Gulf of Manfredonia near ...

river in the north and the

Pollino The Pollino (Italian: ''Massiccio del Pollino'') is a massif in the southern Apennines, on the border between Basilicata and Calabria, southern Italy, being the highest point of both regions. It became part of the Pollino National Park in 1992. ...

massif in the south. It is bordered on the east by a large part of the

Bradano The Bradano is a river in the Basilicata and Apulia regions of southern Italy. Its source is Lago Pesole (which is near Forenza and Filiano) in the province of Potenza. The river flows southeast near Monte Torretta, Acerenza, and Oppido Lucano ...

river depression, which is traversed by numerous streams and declines to the southeastern coastal plains on the

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea (, ; or , ; , ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, ...

. The region also has a short coastline to the southwest on the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (, ; or ) , , , , is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenians, Tyrrhenian people identified with the Etruscans of Italy. Geography The sea is bounded by the islands of C ...

side of the peninsula. Basilicata is the most mountainous region in the south of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, with 47% of its area of covered by mountains. Of the remaining area, 45% is hilly, and 8% is made up of plains. Notable mountains and ranges include the

Pollino The Pollino (Italian: ''Massiccio del Pollino'') is a massif in the southern Apennines, on the border between Basilicata and Calabria, southern Italy, being the highest point of both regions. It became part of the Pollino National Park in 1992. ...

massif, the

Dolomiti lucane Dolomiti lucane is a mountain range in the region of Basilicata, southern Italy. Located in the Southern Apennines and dominating the Basento Valley, the range is at the heart of the Gallipoli Cognato Piccole Dolomiti Lucane Regional Park, ...

,

Monte Vulture Mount Vulture () is an inactive Dormant volcano located north of the city Potenza in the Basilicata region (Italy). As a prominent landmark it gave its name to the Vulture region, the most significant viticultural zone in Basilicata growing t ...

,

Monte Alpi Monte Alpi with its twin peaks Pizzo Falcone (1.900 m) and Santa Croce (1.893 m) is a mountain of Basilicata, southern Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Eu ...

, Monte Carmine, Monti Li Foj and Toppa Pizzuta. Calanchi1

Geological features of the region include the volcanic formations of

Monte Vulture Mount Vulture () is an inactive Dormant volcano located north of the city Potenza in the Basilicata region (Italy). As a prominent landmark it gave its name to the Vulture region, the most significant viticultural zone in Basilicata growing t ...

, and the seismic faults in the

Melfi Melfi ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geographically, it is midway between Naples and Bari. In 2015 it had a population of 17,768. Geography On a ...

and

Potenza Potenza (, ; ; , Potentino dialect: ''Putenz'') is a ''comune'' in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata (former Lucania). Capital of the Province of Potenza and the Basilicata region, the city is the highest regional capital and one of ...

areas in the north, and around Pollino in the south. Much of the region was devastated in the

1857 Basilicata earthquake The 1857 Basilicata earthquake (also known as the Great Neapolitan earthquake) occurred on 16 December in the Basilicata region of Italy southeast of the city of Naples. The epicentre was in Montemurro, on the western border of the modern prov ...

. More recently, the

1980 Irpinia earthquake The 1980 Irpinia earthquake () took place in Italy on 23 November 1980, with a moment magnitude of 6.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). It left at least 2,483 people dead, at least 7,700 injured, and 250,000 homeless. Eart ...

destroyed many towns in the northwest of the region. The mountainous terrain combined with weak rock and soil types makes

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, rockslips or rockslides, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, mudflows, shallow or deep-seated slope failures and debris flows. Landslides ...

s prevalent. The lithological structure of the substratum and its chaotic tectonic deformation predispose the slope to landslides, and this problem is compounded by the lack of forested land. In common with many another Mediterranean region, Basilicata was once rich in forests, but they were largely felled and made barren during the time of Roman rule. The variable climate is influenced by three coastlines (

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

, Ionian and Tyrrhenian) and the complexity of the region's physical features. In general, the climate is

continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...

in the mountains and

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

along the coasts.

History

Prehistory

The first traces of human presence in Basilicata date to the late

Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...

, with findings of ''

Homo erectus ''Homo erectus'' ( ) is an extinction, extinct species of Homo, archaic human from the Pleistocene, spanning nearly 2 million years. It is the first human species to evolve a humanlike body plan and human gait, gait, to early expansions of h ...

''. Late

Cenozoic The Cenozoic Era ( ; ) is Earth's current geological era, representing the last 66million years of Earth's history. It is characterized by the dominance of mammals, insects, birds and angiosperms (flowering plants). It is the latest of three g ...

fossils, found at

Venosa Venosa (Neapolitan language, Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, in the Vulture area. It is bounded by the comuni of Barile, Ginestra, Lavello, Maschito, Montemilone, Pala ...

and other locations, include elephants, rhinoceros and species now extinct such as a

saber-toothed cat Machairodontinae (from Ancient Greek μάχαιρα '' machaira,'' a type of Ancient Greek sword and ὀδόντος ''odontos'' meaning tooth) is an extinct subfamily of carnivoran mammals of the cat family Felidae, representing the earliest ...

of the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''

Machairodus ''Machairodus'' (from , 'knife' and 'tooth') is a genus of large Machairodontinae, machairodont or ''saber-toothed cat'' that lived in Africa and Eurasia during the Middle Miocene, Middle to Late Miocene, from 12.5 million to 8.7 million years ...

''. Examples of

rock art In archaeology, rock arts are human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type al ...

from the

Mesolithic The Mesolithic (Ancient Greek language, Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic i ...

have been discovered near

Filiano Filiano ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the comuni (Municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal cor ...

. From the fifth millennium, people stopped living in caves and built settlements of huts up to the rivers leading to the interior (

Tolve Tolve is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. History Remains of pre-historic (Neolithic) settlements have been found in the nearby. In early historic times, the area was inhabited to ...

,

Tricarico Tricarico ( ; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Matera, Basilicata, southern Italy. It is home to one of the best preserved medieval historical centres in Lucania. Etymology The origin of the name Tricarico is unknown. It might de ...

,

Aliano Aliano is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Matera, which is located about southwest of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Aliano was the setting of Carlo Levi's book ''Christ Stopped at Eboli'' (Italian: ''Cristo si ...

,

Melfi Melfi ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geographically, it is midway between Naples and Bari. In 2015 it had a population of 17,768. Geography On a ...

,

Metaponto Metaponto is a small town of about 1,000 people in the province of Matera, Basilicata, Italy. Administratively it is a frazione of Bernalda. History The town was built by the ancient Greeks to defend Sybaris from the growth of Taranto. A 1&nbs ...

). In this period,

anatomically modern humans Early modern human (EMH), or anatomically modern human (AMH), are terms used to distinguish ''Homo sapiens'' ( sometimes ''Homo sapiens sapiens'') that are anatomically consistent with the range of phenotypes seen in contemporary humans, from ...

lived by cultivating cereals and animal husbandry (

Bovinae Bovines (subfamily Bovinae) comprise a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large-sized ungulates, including cattle, bison, African buffalo, water buffalos, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The members of this group are class ...

and

Caprinae The subfamily Caprinae, also sometimes referred to as the tribe Caprini, is part of the ruminant family Bovidae, and consists of mostly medium-sized bovids. A member of this subfamily is called a caprine. Prominent members include sheep and g ...

).

Chalcolithic The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...

sites include the grottoes of

Latronico Latronico ( Latronichese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata Basilicata (, ; ), also known by its ancient name Lucania (, , ), is an administrative region in Southern Italy, ...

and the funerary findings of the Cervaro grotto near

Lagonegro Lagonegro ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italy region of Basilicata. It is part of the Valle del Noce and has (2017) a population of 5,471. Geography The municipality, located southwest of it ...

. The first known stable market center of the

Apennine culture The Apennine culture is a technology complex in central and southern Italy from the Italian Middle Bronze Age (15th–14th centuries BC). In the mid-20th century the Apennine was divided into Proto-, Early, Middle and Late , but now archaeolog ...

on the sea, consisting of huts on the promontory of , near to

Maratea Maratea (; ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' of Basilicata, in the province of Potenza. It is the only ''comune'' of the region on the Tyrrhenian coast, and is known as "the Pearl of the Tyrrhenian". Owing to the considerable number of its ch ...

, dates to the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

. The first indigenous

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

communities lived in large villages in plateaus located at the borders of the plains and the rivers, in places fitting their breeding and agricultural activities. Such settlements include that of

Tursi Tursi (''Turse'' in Tursitano dialect; ; ) is an Italian ''comune'' of 4,712 inhabitants in the province of Matera in Basilicata, elevated to a city by decree of the President of the Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi on May 4, 2006.D.P.R. May 4, 2006 ...

, known at the time as Anglona, located between the fertile valleys of

Agri Agri may refer to: Places * Ağrı Province, eastern Turkey ** Ağrı, the capital city of the province * Ağrı, the Turkish name for Mount Ararat in Turkey * Ağrı Subregion, Turkey, a statistical subregion * Ağrı (electoral district), an e ...

and Sinni, of

Siris Siris may refer to: Mythology *Siris (goddess), the Mesopotamian goddess of beer *Siris (mythology), a figure in Greek mythology; also known as Sinis Places *Siris, Magna Graecia, an ancient city in southern Italy *Siris, Sardinia, an Italian comm ...

and, on the coast of the

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea (, ; or , ; , ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, ...

, of Incoronata-San Teodoro. The first presence of Greek colonists, coming from the Greek islands and

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

, date from the late eighth century BC. There are virtually no traces of survival of the 11th–8th century BC archaeological sites of the settlements (aside from a necropolis at Castelluccio on the coast of the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (, ; or ) , , , , is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenians, Tyrrhenian people identified with the Etruscans of Italy. Geography The sea is bounded by the islands of C ...

): this was perhaps caused by the increasing presence of Greek colonies, which changed the balance of the trades.

Ancient history

In ancient historical times, the region was originally known as

Lucania Lucania was a historical region of Southern Italy, corresponding to the modern-day region of Basilicata. It was the land of the Lucani, an Oscan people. It extended from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. It bordered with Samnium and ...

, named for the Lucani, an Oscan-speaking population from

central Italy Central Italy ( or ) is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), a first-level NUTS region with code ITI, and a European Parliament constituency. It has 11,704,312 inhabita ...

. Starting from the late eighth century BC, the Greeks established a settlement first at

Siris Siris may refer to: Mythology *Siris (goddess), the Mesopotamian goddess of beer *Siris (mythology), a figure in Greek mythology; also known as Sinis Places *Siris, Magna Graecia, an ancient city in southern Italy *Siris, Sardinia, an Italian comm ...

, founded by fugitives from Colophon. Then with the foundation of

Metaponto Metaponto is a small town of about 1,000 people in the province of Matera, Basilicata, Italy. Administratively it is a frazione of Bernalda. History The town was built by the ancient Greeks to defend Sybaris from the growth of Taranto. A 1&nbs ...

from Achaean colonists, they started the conquest of the whole Ionian coast. There were also indigenous Oenotrian foundations on the coast, which exploited the nearby presence of Greek settlements, such as

Velia Velia was the Roman name of an ancient city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is located near the modern village of Novi Velia near Ascea in the Province of Salerno, Italy. It was founded by Greeks from Phocaea as Hyele () around 538� ...

and Pyxous, for their maritime trades. The region became one of the centers of

Magna Graecia Magna Graecia refers to the Greek-speaking areas of southern Italy, encompassing the modern Regions of Italy, Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania, and Sicily. These regions were Greek colonisation, extensively settled by G ...

, with the foundation along its coasts of many Greek city-states ( póleis). The first contacts between the Lucanians and the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

date from the latter half of the fourth century BC. After the conquest of

Taranto Taranto (; ; previously called Tarent in English) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Taranto, serving as an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base. Founded by Spartans ...

in 272, Roman rule was extended to the whole region: the

Appian Way The Appian Way (Latin and Italian language, Italian: Via Appia) is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient Roman Republic, republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is in ...

reached

Brindisi Brindisi ( ; ) is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position ...

and the colonies of Potentia (modern

Potenza Potenza (, ; ; , Potentino dialect: ''Putenz'') is a ''comune'' in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata (former Lucania). Capital of the Province of Potenza and the Basilicata region, the city is the highest regional capital and one of ...

) and

Grumentum Grumentum () was an ancient Roman city in the centre of Lucania, in what is now the ''comune'' of Grumento Nova, c. south of Potenza by the direct road through Anxia, and by the ', at the point of divergence of a road eastward to Heraclea. ...

were founded.

Middle Ages

After the fall of the

Western Roman Empire In modern historiography, the Western Roman Empire was the western provinces of the Roman Empire, collectively, during any period in which they were administered separately from the eastern provinces by a separate, independent imperial court. ...

in 476, Basilicata fell to Germanic rule, which ended in the mid-6th century when the Byzantines reconquered it from the

Ostrogoths The Ostrogoths () were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Western Roman Empire, drawing upon the large Gothic populatio ...

between 536 and 552 during the apocalyptic Byzantine-Gothic war under the leadership of Byzantine generals Belisarius and Narses. The region, deeply Christianized since as early as the 5th century, became part of the Lombard

Duchy of Benevento A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between "sovereign ...

founded by the invading Lombards between 571 and 590. In the following centuries,

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Rom ...

raids led part of the population to move from the plain and coastal settlements to more protected centers located on hills. The towns of

Tricarico Tricarico ( ; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Matera, Basilicata, southern Italy. It is home to one of the best preserved medieval historical centres in Lucania. Etymology The origin of the name Tricarico is unknown. It might de ...

and

Tursi Tursi (''Turse'' in Tursitano dialect; ; ) is an Italian ''comune'' of 4,712 inhabitants in the province of Matera in Basilicata, elevated to a city by decree of the President of the Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi on May 4, 2006.D.P.R. May 4, 2006 ...

were under Muslim rule for a short period: later the "Saracen" population would be expelled. The region was conquered once more for Byzantium from the Saracens and the Lombards in the late 9th century, with the campaigns of

Nikephoros Phokas the Elder Nikephoros Phokas (; died 895/6 or ), usually surnamed the Elder to distinguish him from his grandson, Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas, was one of the most prominent Byzantine generals of the late 9th century, and the first important member of the ...

and his successors, and became part of the theme of

Longobardia Longobardia (, also variously Λογγιβαρδία, ''Longibardia'' and Λαγουβαρδία, ''Lagoubardia'') was a Byzantine term for the territories controlled by the Lombards in the Italian Peninsula. In the ninth and tenth centuries, i ...

. In 968 the ''

theme Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical appearance for certain software. * Theme (linguistics), topic * Theme ( ...

'' of

Lucania Lucania was a historical region of Southern Italy, corresponding to the modern-day region of Basilicata. It was the land of the Lucani, an Oscan people. It extended from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. It bordered with Samnium and ...

was established, with the capital at Tursikon (Tursi). In the 11th century, Basilicata, together with the rest of much of

southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

, was conquered by the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

.

Melfi Melfi ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geographically, it is midway between Naples and Bari. In 2015 it had a population of 17,768. Geography On a ...

became the first capital of the County of Apulia (later

County of Apulia and Calabria The County of Apulia and Calabria (), later the Duchy of Apulia and Calabria (), was a Norman state founded by William of Hauteville in 1043, composed of the territories of Gargano, Capitanata, Apulia, Vulture, and most of Campania. It became ...

) in 1043, where

Robert Guiscard Robert Guiscard ( , ; – 17 July 1085), also referred to as Robert de Hauteville, was a Normans, Norman adventurer remembered for his Norman conquest of southern Italy, conquest of southern Italy and Sicily in the 11th century. Robert was born ...

was named "Duke" by

Pope Nicholas II Pope Nicholas II (; c. 990/995 – 27 July 1061), otherwise known as Gerard of Burgundy, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 January 1059 until his death in 27 July 1061. At the time of his election, he was bish ...

. Inherited by the

Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...

, Frederick II reorganized the administrative structure of his predecessors and the Justiciarate of Basilicata, whose borders coincided almost entirely with the actual region, was created. In Melfi, the Emperor promulgated the ''Liber Augustalis'' (commonly known as ''

Constitutions of Melfi The Constitutions of Melfi, or ''Liber Augustalis'',Also called the ''Liber Constitutionum Regni Siciliae'' or ''Constitutiones Melphitanae'', from which its informal name, Constitutions of Melfi, derives. The name Liber Augustalis was invented by ...

''), code of laws for the

Kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily (; ; ) was a state that existed in Sicily and the southern Italian peninsula, Italian Peninsula as well as, for a time, in Kingdom of Africa, Northern Africa, from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 until 1816. It was ...

. The

Swabians Swabians ( , singular ''Schwabe'') are a Germans, German ethnographic group native to the region of Swabia, which is mostly divided between the modern states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately de ...

were ousted in the 13th century by the

Capetian House of Anjou The Capetian House of Anjou, or House of Anjou-Sicily, or House of Anjou-Naples was a royal house and cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. It is one of three separate royal houses referred to as ''Angevin'', meaning "from Anjou" in France. Foun ...

. Since then, Basilicata began to lose importance and was marked by an irreversible socio-political decline.

Modern and contemporary times

In 1485, Basilicata was the seat of plotters against King

Ferdinand I of Naples Ferdinand I (2 June 1424 – 25 January 1494), also known as Ferrante, was king of Naples from 1458 to 1494. The only son, albeit illegitimate, of Alfonso the Magnanimous, he was one of the most influential and feared monarchs in Europe at the ...

, the so-called ''

conspiracy of the Barons The Conspiracy of the Barons was a revolution against Ferrante of Aragon, King of Naples by the Neapolitan aristocracy in 1485 and 1486. King Ferdinand the First, also known as Ferrante, aimed at dispelling the feudal particularism, strengthening ...

'', which included the

Sanseverino Sanseverino may refer to: * House of Sanseverino, Neapolitan noble family * Antonio Sanseverino, (ca. 1477–1543), Neapolitan cardinal * Ferdinando Sanseverino (1507–1572), prince of Salerno and Italian condottiero * Aurora Sanseverino (1669 ...

of Tricarico, the Caracciolo of

Melfi Melfi ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geographically, it is midway between Naples and Bari. In 2015 it had a population of 17,768. Geography On a ...

, the Gesualdo of

Caggiano Caggiano is a town and comune in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. Geography Located near the Basilicata region, Caggiano borders the municipalities of Auletta, Pertosa, Polla, Salvitelle, Sant'Angelo Le F ...

, the of

Altamura Altamura (; ; ) is a town and ''comune'' of Apulia, in southern Italy. It is located on one of the hills of the Altopiano delle Murge, Murge plateau in the Metropolitan City of Bari, southwest of Bari, close to the border with Basilicata. , i ...

and

Venosa Venosa (Neapolitan language, Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, in the Vulture area. It is bounded by the comuni of Barile, Ginestra, Lavello, Maschito, Montemilone, Pala ...

and other anti-Aragonese families. Later,

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

stripped most of the barons of their lands, replacing them with the Carafa, Revertera,

Pignatelli Pignatelli () is an Italian surname which may refer to: People * House of Pignatelli, an aristocratic family of Naples * Fabio Pignatelli (born 1953), an Italian musician * Luca Pignatelli (born 1962), an Italian artist * William Pignatelli (born 1 ...

and

Colonna Colonna is an Italian word for column. The name Colonna may refer to: People * Colonna family, a noble family from Rome * Colonna (surname), an Italian surname Places ;Italy * Colonna, Lazio, a ''comune'' in the Province of Rome * Colonna, Cit ...

among others. After the formation of the

Neapolitan Republic (1647) Neapolitan Republic may refer to two different rebellions of Naples and its neighborhood against the king's rule: * Neapolitan Republic (1647–1648) * Parthenopean Republic The Parthenopean Republic (, ) or Neapolitan Republic () was a short- ...

, Basilicata also rebelled, but the revolt was suppressed. In 1663 a new province was created in Basilicata with its capital in

Matera Matera (, ; Neapolitan language, Materano: ) is a city and the capital of the Province of Matera in the regions of Italy, region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. With a history of continuous occupation dating back to the Palaeolithic (10th mi ...

. The region came under the dominion of the

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre in the 16th century. A br ...

in 1735. Basilicata autonomously declared its annexation to the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

on August 18, 1860, with the Potenza insurrection. It was during this period that the state confiscated and sold off vast tracts of Basilicata's territory formerly owned by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. As the new owners were a handful of wealthy aristocratic families, the average citizen did not see any immediate economic and social improvements after unification, and poverty continued unabated. This gave rise to the phenomenon of

brigandage Brigandage is the life and practice of highway robbery and plunder. It is practiced by a brigand, a person who is typically part of a gang and lives by pillage and robbery.Oxford English Dictionary second edition, 1989. "Brigand.2" first recorded ...

, which actually turned into a civil war in the form of a guerrilla fighting, whereby the Bourbon in exile and the Church encouraged the peasants to rise up against the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

. This strong opposition movement continued for many years. The revolt in Basilicata was led by

Carmine Crocco Carmine Crocco (5 June 1830 – 18 June 1905), known as Donatello or sometimes Donatelli, was an Italian brigand. Initially a soldier for the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Bourbons, he later fought in the service of Giuseppe Garibaldi. Soo ...

, who was the most important chief in the region and the most impressive band leader in southern Italy. It was only really after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

that things slowly began to improve thanks to land reform. In 1952, the inhabitants of the

Sassi di Matera The Sassi di Matera are two districts (''Sasso Caveoso'' and ''Sasso Barisano'') of the Italian city of Matera, Basilicata, well-known for their ancient cave dwellings inhabited since the Paleolithic period. The "Sassi" have been described by Fo ...

were rehoused by the state, but many of Basilicata's population had emigrated or were in the process of emigrating, which led to a demographic crisis from which it is still recovering.

Demographics

Although Basilicata has never had a large population, there have nevertheless been quite considerable fluctuations in the demographic pattern of the region. In 1881, there were 539,258 inhabitants but by 1911 the population had decreased by 11% to 485,911, mainly as a result of emigration overseas. There was a slow increase in the population until World War II, after which there was a resurgence of emigration to other countries in Europe, which continued until 1971 and the start of another period of steady increase until 1993 (611,000 inhabitants). Since the 1990s the population has been declining again, as a result of low birth rates and high emigration, especially towards northern Italy, the UK, Germany and Switzerland. As of 2024, the population was 533,636, a 12.7% decrease since 1993. The population density is very low compared to that of Italy as a whole: 59.1 inhabitants per km² compared to 200.4 nationwide in 2010. There is not a great difference between the population densities of the provinces of Matera and Potenza. Religion, particularly Roman Catholicism still maintains a solid role in the culture and everyday lives of people in Basilicata. Italian National Statistical Institute (ISTAT) in 2018 found that 24.9% of the population went weekly to church, synagogue, mosque, temple or other place of worship, with the share of practicing believers higher in Basilicata (27.9%)

Government and politics

Administrative divisions

Map of municipalities of Basilicata - Italy

Basilicata is divided into two provinces: Basilicata Provinces

Economy

Cultivation consists mainly of sowables (especially wheat), which represent 46% of the total land. Potatoes and maize are produced in the mountain areas. Olives and wine production is relatively small with about under cultivation. The terrain is mountainous and hilly with poor transportation routes that hinders harvesting. Most oils are sold unbranded and only 3% is exported. The main olive cultivars are Ogliarola del Vulture, Ogliarola del Bradano, Majatica di Ferrandina and Farasana with only Ogliarola del Vulture having the

Protected Designation of Origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designat ...

(PDO). Other varieties are the Arnasca, Ascolana, Augellina, Cellina,

Frantoio Frantoio and Leccino cultivars are the principal raw material for Italian olive oils from Tuscany. Frantoio is fruity, with a stronger aftertaste than Leccino. About the tree The Frantoio tree grows well in milder climates, but is not as tole ...

,

Leccino The Leccino olive is one of the primary olive cultivars used in the production of Italian olive oil. Across Italy, it is one of the primary olive cultivars found in olive groves. It is believed to have originated in Lecce, from which it takes i ...

, Majatica, Nostrale, Ogliarola (Ogliarola Barese),

Palmarola Palmarola is a craggy, mostly uninhabited island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the west coast of Italy. It is the second-largest of the Pontine Islands and located about west from Ponza. In antiquity it was known as Palmaria. Palmarola has an ext ...

or Fasolina, Rapolese di Lavello, and Sargano (Sargano di Fermo and Sargano di San Benedetto). Among industrial activities, the manufacturing sector contributes to the gross value added of the secondary sector with 64% of the total, while the building sector contributes 24%. Within the services sector, the main activities in terms of gross value added are business activities, distributive trade, education and public administration. In the last few years, new productive sectors have developed: manufacturing, automotive, and especially

oil extraction Petroleum is a fossil fuel that can be drawn from beneath the Earth's surface. Reservoirs of petroleum are formed through the mixture of plants, algae, and sediments in shallow seas under high pressure. Petroleum is mostly recovered from oil ...

. In 2009,

Eni Eni is an Italian oil and gas corporation. Eni or ENI may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Escuela Nacional de Inteligencia, the Argentine intelligence academy * Groupe des écoles nationales d’ingénieurs (Groupe ENI), a French engi ...

employed 230 people in this area (of whom over 50% were from Basilicata), and about 1,800 were employed in activities directly generated by Eni's operations, distributed in 80 companies of which over 50% were from Basilicata. The region produced about , meeting 11 percent of Italy's domestic oil demand. FIAT plant in

Melfi Melfi ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geographically, it is midway between Naples and Bari. In 2015 it had a population of 17,768. Geography On a ...

has 7,200 employees and manufactured 229,848

Jeep Renegade The Jeep Renegade is a subcompact crossover SUV produced by Stellantis under their Jeep marque. It was first shown to the public in March 2014 at the Geneva Motor Show#2014, Geneva Motor Show and production started in late August of that year. T ...

,

Jeep Compass The Jeep Compass is a compact crossover SUV, introduced in 2006 for the 2007 model year. The first generation Compass and Patriot, its rebadged variant, were among Jeep's first crossover SUVs. The second-generation Compass debuted in Septem ...

and

Fiat 500X The Fiat 500X (Type 334) is a subcompact crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by Stellantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler Automobiles), since its debut at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. Following the 500L, and produced from 2014 (from 2016 model ye ...

in 2020. The

gross domestic product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performanc ...

(GDP) of the region was 12.6 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 0.7% of Italy's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 22,200 euros or 74% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 95% of the EU average. The unemployment rate stood at 8.6% in 2020, the lowest rate in

South Italy South Italy ( or ) is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica, National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), a Italian NUTS level 1 regions, first level NUTS region and a European Parliam ...

.

Tourism

Difficult accessibility and lack of extended promotion make Basilicata one of the most remote and least visited regions of Italy. However, tourism is slowly growing since the early 2000s.

Matera Matera (, ; Neapolitan language, Materano: ) is a city and the capital of the Province of Matera in the regions of Italy, region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. With a history of continuous occupation dating back to the Palaeolithic (10th mi ...

, once dubbed "national disgrace" by prime minister

Alcide De Gasperi Alcide Amedeo Francesco De Gasperi (; 3 April 1881 – 19 August 1954) was an Italian politician and statesman who founded the Christian Democracy party and served as prime minister of Italy in eight successive coalition governments from 1945 t ...

who urged to take strict development measures due to its extreme poverty, is now Basilicata's main attraction and has gained fame worldwide for its historical center, the Sassi, designated in 1993 as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

. In 2019, Matera was designated as the

European Capital of Culture A European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union (EU) for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension. Being a European Capital of Culture can ...

. Seaside tourism is mainly concentrated in

Maratea Maratea (; ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' of Basilicata, in the province of Potenza. It is the only ''comune'' of the region on the Tyrrhenian coast, and is known as "the Pearl of the Tyrrhenian". Owing to the considerable number of its ch ...

, nicknamed "The Pearl of Tyrrhenian Sea", but also the Ionian coast (

Policoro Policoro ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. With some 18,000 inhabitants, is bounded by the towns of Rotondella, Scanzano Jonico and Tursi. Situated on the coast, i ...

,

Pisticci Pisticci ( Metapontino: ; ) is a town comune in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Pisticci is the fourth most populous town in the region and the most populous in the province after Matera. It is known for being ...

,

Bernalda Bernalda (Neapolitan language, Metapontino: or ) is a town and municipality () in the province of Matera, in the southern Italy, Italian region of Basilicata. The nearby village of Metaponto is the site of the ancient city of Metapontum. Until ...

, Nova Siri) is fairly developed. Naturalistic attractions include

Pollino The Pollino (Italian: ''Massiccio del Pollino'') is a massif in the southern Apennines, on the border between Basilicata and Calabria, southern Italy, being the highest point of both regions. It became part of the Pollino National Park in 1992. ...

, that hosts the largest national park in Italy,

Dolomiti lucane Dolomiti lucane is a mountain range in the region of Basilicata, southern Italy. Located in the Southern Apennines and dominating the Basento Valley, the range is at the heart of the Gallipoli Cognato Piccole Dolomiti Lucane Regional Park, ...

and

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...

. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' ranked Basilicata third in its list of "52 Places to Go in 2018", describing it as "Italy's best-kept secret".

Archeological sites

Basilicata has a variety of archeological sites containing traces of Prehistoric, Greek, Roman and Jewish heritage: *Civita,

Tricarico Tricarico ( ; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Matera, Basilicata, southern Italy. It is home to one of the best preserved medieval historical centres in Lucania. Etymology The origin of the name Tricarico is unknown. It might de ...

*

Grumentum Grumentum () was an ancient Roman city in the centre of Lucania, in what is now the ''comune'' of Grumento Nova, c. south of Potenza by the direct road through Anxia, and by the ', at the point of divergence of a road eastward to Heraclea. ...

* Heraclea *

Metapontum Metapontum or Metapontium () was an ancient city of Magna Graecia, situated on the gulf of Taranto, Tarentum, between the river Bradanus and the Casuentus (modern Basento). It was distant about 20 km from Heraclea (Lucania), Heraclea and 40 ...

* Jewish catacombs of Venosa *Notarchirico *Petre de la Mola *Serra di

Vaglio Vaglio is a village and former municipality in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. In 2001 the municipality was merged with the neighboring municipalities of Cagiallo, Lopagno, Roveredo, Ticino, Roveredo, Sala Capriasca, and Tesserete to form a new ...

*

Venusia Venosa ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, in the Vulture area. It is bounded by the comuni of Barile, Ginestra, Lavello, Maschito, Montemilone, Palazzo San Gervas ...

Religious buildings

Basilicata hosts a series of religious structures. The Abbey of Santissima Trinità, Venosa, is one of the most representative, which includes marks of Roman, early Christian, Romanesque, Lombard and Norman origin. It was chosen by Robert Guiscard as the

Hauteville family The Hauteville family (, ) was a Normans, Norman family, originally of petty lords, from the Cotentin, Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy. The Hautevilles rose to prominence through their part in the Norman conquest of southern Italy. In 1130, Roger ...

's burial (and he himself will be later buried there too). Other relevant religious buildings are: *

Acerenza Cathedral Acerenza Cathedral (, ''Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta e San Canio'') is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and to Saint Canius in the town of Acerenza, in the province of Potenza and the region o ...

*

Irsina Cathedral Irsina Cathedral (, ''Duomo di Irsina''), formerly Montepeloso Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, located in Irsina in the region of Basilicata, Italy. Since 1977 it has been a co-ca ...

*

Matera Cathedral Matera Cathedral () is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Matera, Basilicata, Italy. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the designation of the Madonna della Bruna and to Saint Eustace. Formerly the seat of the Bishops, later Archbishops, of Ma ...

*Melfi Cathedral *Pierno Abbey,

San Fele San Fele () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. Geography San Fele is a picturesque stone village located at the saddle between two mountain peaks, Monte Toretta and Monte Castello, a ...

*

Potenza Cathedral The Cathedral of San Gerardo is the main church or duomo of the city of Potenza, capital of the province of the same name, and of the region of Basilicata, Italy. Since 1986 Potenza forms part of the archdiocese In church governance, a dioc ...

*

Rapolla Cathedral Rapolla Cathedral () is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the town of Rapolla, province of Potenza, region of Basilicata, Italy. The dedication is to Saint Michael the Archangel. Formerly the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Rapolla The Catholic Dio ...

* San Michele Abbey,

Monticchio Monticchio is an Italian hamlet (''frazione'') belonging to the municipalities of Rionero in Vulture and Atella, in the Province of Potenza, Basilicata. The village is divided into three zones: Monticchio Laghi (part of Atella), Monticchio Bagni a ...

* San Pietro Caveoso Church, Matera *Sanctuary of Anglona,

Tursi Tursi (''Turse'' in Tursitano dialect; ; ) is an Italian ''comune'' of 4,712 inhabitants in the province of Matera in Basilicata, elevated to a city by decree of the President of the Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi on May 4, 2006.D.P.R. May 4, 2006 ...

* Tricarico Cathedral * Venosa Cathedral

Castles

Of many castles that existed in the region, mostly isolated towers and ruins have survived. The

Melfi castle The Castle of Melfi in Basilicata is a monument owned by the Italian State and one of the most important medieval castles in Southern Italy. Its construction, at least the components still visible, dates back to the Norman conquest and has unde ...

is perhaps the most iconic, where important events from the Middle Age took place, such as the five councils between the Normans and the Catholic Church and the

constitutions of Melfi The Constitutions of Melfi, or ''Liber Augustalis'',Also called the ''Liber Constitutionum Regni Siciliae'' or ''Constitutiones Melphitanae'', from which its informal name, Constitutions of Melfi, derives. The name Liber Augustalis was invented by ...

promulgated by Frederick II. The Malconsiglio castle,

Miglionico Miglionico ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Matera, in Basilicata, southern Italy. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). Main sights *The massive Castello del Malconsiglio ("Cas ...

, hosted the

conspiracy of the Barons The Conspiracy of the Barons was a revolution against Ferrante of Aragon, King of Naples by the Neapolitan aristocracy in 1485 and 1486. King Ferdinand the First, also known as Ferrante, aimed at dispelling the feudal particularism, strengthening ...

against

Ferrante of Aragon Ferdinand I (2 June 1424 – 25 January 1494), also known as Ferrante, was king of Naples from 1458 to 1494. The only son, albeit illegitimate, of Alfonso the Magnanimous, he was one of the most influential and feared monarchs in Europe at the ...

. Among the other best preserved castles of the region are: *

Bernalda Bernalda (Neapolitan language, Metapontino: or ) is a town and municipality () in the province of Matera, in the southern Italy, Italian region of Basilicata. The nearby village of Metaponto is the site of the ancient city of Metapontum. Until ...

castle *

Lagopesole Castel Lagopesole, or simply Lagopesole, is a village and civil parish (''frazione'') of the municipality (''comune'') of Avigliano in province of Potenza, Basilicata, southern Italy. It has a population of 652. History The name "Lagopesole" is de ...

castle *

Laurenzana Castle Laurenzana Castle () is a former 12-13th-century castle, now in dilapidated state, standing in a rocky outcrop above the town of Laurenzana in the Basilicata region of Italy. History The outline of the castle today was built by feudatories of the ...

* Muro Lucano castle * Tramontano Castle *Venosa castle

Other sights

Basilicata has many small and picturesque villages, nine of them have been selected by (), a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest, that was founded on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities. However, they have to face depopulation problems, while others such as

Craco Craco is a ghost town and ''comune'' in the province of Matera, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata. It was abandoned towards the end of the 20th century, due to faulty pipe work that was thought to have failed, causing the town to be ab ...

and

Campomaggiore Campomaggiore is a town and comune in the province of Potenza, Basilicata, southern Italy. It includes a modern settlement which has replaced the original town ''Campomaggiore Vecchio'', destroyed by an avalanche in 1885 and now a ghost town.

saw their old sites abandoned due to natural disasters. Nonetheless, filmmakers, writers and musicians have contributed to give a boost to the rebirth of Craco, making it one of the most popular

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

s in the world. Other historical and distinctive villages are: *

Accettura Accettura is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bordered by the ''comuni'' of Calciano, Campomaggiore, Cirigliano, Oliveto Lucano, Pietrapertosa, San Mauro Forte and Stigliano. ...

*

Acerenza Acerenza ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). History With its strategic position ab ...

*

Aliano Aliano is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Matera, which is located about southwest of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Aliano was the setting of Carlo Levi's book ''Christ Stopped at Eboli'' (Italian: ''Cristo si ...

*

Castelmezzano Castelmezzano ( Castelmezzano dialect: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the comuni of Albano di Lucania, Anzi, Laurenzana, Pietrapertosa, Trivigno. It is one ...

*

Guardia Perticara Guardia Perticara is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It has 519 people. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia () is a non-profit private association of small Italian towns o ...

*

Pietrapertosa Pietrapertosa is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the comuni of Accettura, Albano di Lucania, Campomaggiore, Castelmezzano, Cirigliano, Corleto Perticara, Gorgogli ...

*

Rivello Rivello (''Rëviell'' in Lucanian Dialect, the rivellese dialect) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. The population was 2,515 as of March 2024. Geography Territory The town sit ...

*

Rotondella Rotondella (Neapolitan language, Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Language People of Rotondella speak R'tunnar (Rontondellese), a dialect of Basilicata. Cuisine *U' pasti ...

*

Satriano di Lucania Satriano di Lucania is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Key events in the town include the Carnival, folk festivals and the renowned murales. History In the Middle Ages it was a sm ...

*

Valsinni Valsinni is a village and ''comune'' in the province of Matera, in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. The village is bordered by Colobraro, Nocara, Noepoli, Nova Siri, Rotondella and San Giorgio Lucano. History The territory of the " ...

* Viggianello

Culture

Art

Cave painting In archaeology, cave paintings are a type of parietal art (which category also includes petroglyphs, or engravings), found on the wall or ceilings of caves. The term usually implies prehistoric art, prehistoric origin. These paintings were often c ...

s were found in the Tuppo dei Sassi site (or Ranaldi shelter, after its discoverer Francesco Ranaldi, archaeologist and museum director), a prehistoric site in the

Filiano Filiano ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the comuni (Municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal cor ...

territory, considered the oldest artistic trace in Basilicata. During the

Greek colonisation Greek colonisation refers to the expansion of Archaic Greeks, particularly during the 8th–6th centuries BC, across the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. The Archaic expansion differed from the Iron Age migrations of the Greek Dark Ag ...

era, artists like the Pisticci Painter and the Amykos Painter operated in the area of

Metaponto Metaponto is a small town of about 1,000 people in the province of Matera, Basilicata, Italy. Administratively it is a frazione of Bernalda. History The town was built by the ancient Greeks to defend Sybaris from the growth of Taranto. A 1&nbs ...

around the 5th century BC. Metaponto is one of the largest and earliest Greek centres of vase painting in Italy; the Lucanian vase painting began around 430 BC, with the works of the Pisticci Painter. In the

Armento Armento ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. The Armento Rider was found in the vicinity of Armento and is now in the British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, p ...

area the

Kritonios Crown The Kritonios Crown is an ancient ornate golden crown or wreath dating to the 4th century BC. It was discovered in 1814 in the tomb of a man named Kritonios in Armento, Italy. The crown is now in the Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Munich, German ...

and the

Armento Rider The Armento Rider is an ancient bronze sculpture of a rider and a horse that was originally found in the town of Armento in southern Italy. Now part of the British Museum's collection, it is considered one of the oldest works of art from Western ...

were found, now exposed in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

respectively. The Jewish catacombs of Venosa are cited among the most significant signs of the Jewish presence in southern Italy. Around the 7th century,

basilian monk Basilian monks are Greek Catholic monks who follow the rule of Basil of Caesarea, Basil the Great, Caesarea Cappadociae, bishop of Caesarea (330–379). The term 'Basilian' is typically used only in the Catholic Church to distinguish Greek Catho ...

s settled in Basilicata, leaving a high concentration of rupestrian churches (155 ascertained today), in Matera, Pollino and the

Agri Agri may refer to: Places * Ağrı Province, eastern Turkey ** Ağrı, the capital city of the province * Ağrı, the Turkish name for Mount Ararat in Turkey * Ağrı Subregion, Turkey, a statistical subregion * Ağrı (electoral district), an e ...

and Sinni Valleys. Frescoes from the Angevin period can be found in the Abbey of the Santissima Trinità of Venosa, the Rupestrian churches of S. Mary of the Valley in Matera, S. Antuono in

Oppido Lucano Oppido Lucano (Neapolitan language, Oppidano: ; ; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the comuni of Acerenza, Cancellara, Genzano di Lucania, Irsina and Tolve. Mai ...

, S. Lucia in

Rapolla Rapolla is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the comuni of Barile, Lavello, Melfi, Rionero in Vulture, Venosa Venosa (Neapolitan language, Lucano: ) is a town an ...

and S. Margherita in

Melfi Melfi ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geographically, it is midway between Naples and Bari. In 2015 it had a population of 17,768. Geography On a ...

. The stone Nativity scene by Altobello Persio (1534) in the

Matera Cathedral Matera Cathedral () is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Matera, Basilicata, Italy. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the designation of the Madonna della Bruna and to Saint Eustace. Formerly the seat of the Bishops, later Archbishops, of Ma ...

is an early example of

Renaissance art Renaissance art (1350 – 1620) is the painting, sculpture, and decorative arts of the period of European history known as the Renaissance, which emerged as a distinct style in Italy in about AD 1400, in parallel with developments which occurr ...

in the region. Later Basilicata saw the imported and imitated art phenomenon with artists such as

Giovanni Bellini Giovanni Bellini (; c. 1430 – 29 November 1516) was an Italian Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of Venetian painters. He was raised in the household of Jacopo Bellini, formerly thought to have been his father, ...

and

Cima da Conegliano Giovanni Battista Cima, also called Cima da Conegliano (), was an Italian Renaissance painter, who mostly worked in Venice. He can be considered part of the Venetian school (art), Venetian school, though he was also influenced by Antonello da ...

, and

Flemish painting Flemish painting flourished from the early 15th century until the 17th century, gradually becoming distinct from the painting of the rest of the Low Countries, especially the modern Netherlands. In the early period, up to about 1520, the painti ...

by Dirck Hendricksz,

Guglielmo Borremans Guglielmo Borremans or Guglielmo Fiamingo (1670–1744) was a Flemish painter whose documented career took principally place in Italy, in particular Naples, Cosenza and Sicily. Here he was one of the pre-eminent late-Baroque fresco painters of th ...

,

Aert Mijtens Aert Mijtens (; 15411602) was a Flemish people, Flemish Renaissance painting, painter who worked for most of his career in Italy. Here he was known for his altarpieces. Family Mitjens was born in Brussels. He was the first known member of a fa ...

among the others. Local painters such as Giovanni De Gregorio, Andrea Miglionico and

Carlo Sellitto Carlo Sellitto (1581 – 2 October 1614 in Naples) was an Italians, Italian painter of the Baroque period. One of the most gifted followers of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610), Sellitto played an important role in the spread of Ca ...

had a Neapolitan school background. An alleged portrait of Leonardo da Vinci, dating back to the 1500s, was discovered in 2008, today exhibited in the Museo delle Antiche genti di Lucania,

Vaglio Vaglio is a village and former municipality in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. In 2001 the municipality was merged with the neighboring municipalities of Cagiallo, Lopagno, Roveredo, Ticino, Roveredo, Sala Capriasca, and Tesserete to form a new ...

. Some artists from the 19th century include Vincenzo Marinelli,

Giacomo Di Chirico Giacomo Ernesto Eduardo Di Chirico (27 January 1844 – 26 December 1883) was an Italian painter. Together with Domenico Morelli and Filippo Palizzi, he was one of the most elite :it:Pittura napoletana, Neapolitan artists of the 19th century ...

and Michele Tedesco. Several contemporary artists gained fame outside Italy, among them are worth to mention

Marino Di Teana Francesco Marino, better known as Marino Di Teana (August 8, 1920 – January 1, 2012) was an Italian Argentine sculptor. History He emigrated to Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern ha ...

,

Eugenio Santoro Eugenio Santoro (27 August 1920 – 13 May 2006), was an Italian-born Swiss outsider artist. Biography Born in Castelmezzano, in the province of Potenza (Basilicata), he started working as a carpenter but had to quit his job to go to the front ...

and

Joseph Stella Joseph Stella (born Giuseppe Michele Stella, June 13, 1877 – November 5, 1946) was an Italian-born American Futurist painter best known for his depictions of industrial America, especially his images of the Brooklyn Bridge. He is also ...

, sometimes cited as the first

futurist Futurists (also known as futurologists, prospectivists, foresight practitioners and horizon scanners) are people whose specialty or interest is futures studies or futurology or the attempt to systematically explore predictions and possibilities ...

painter in America. During his exile under the

fascist regime Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...

,

Carlo Levi Carlo Levi () (29 November 1902 – 4 January 1975) was an Italian painter, writer, activist, Independent Left (Italy), independent leftist politician, and doctor. He is best known for his book ''Christ Stopped at Eboli (novel), Cristo si è fe ...

, a painting passionate, left many works, today exposed in Matera.

Music

Although Basilicata hosted classical composers such as

Carlo Gesualdo Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa (between 8 March 1566 and 30 March 1566 – 8 September 1613) was an Italian nobleman and composer. Though both the Prince of Venosa and Count of Conza, he is better known for writing madrigals and pieces of sacred ...

and

Egidio Romualdo Duni Egidio Romualdo Duni (or Egide Romuald Duny; 11 February 1708 – 11 June 1775) was an Italian composer who studied in Naples and worked in Italy, France and London, writing both Italian and French operas. Biography Born in Matera, Duni was tau ...

, the region is primarily identified in popular music, which reflects the humble living conditions of its inhabitants. The ''arpa viggianese'' (commonly known as ''arpicedda'') is a typical harp from

Viggiano Viggiano is a ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the comuni of Calvello, Corleto Perticara, Grumento Nova, Laurenzana, Marsicovetere, and Montemurro. Viggiano is known for m ...

of average size, with a thin and light structure that makes it easier to carry; it was the distinctive instrument of

street musician Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...

s from the Val d'Agri area in the past centuries, who wandered around the world and many of whom were admitted to

symphony orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

s. Today, Viggiano is remembered as the "City of Harp and Music". Other traditional instruments are cupa cupa,

zampogna Zampogna (, , ) is a generic term for a number of Italian double chantered bagpipes that can be found throughout areas in Latium. The tradition is now mostly associated with Christmas, and the most famous Italian carol, " Tu scendi dalle stelle" ( ...

and

ciaramella Ciaramella is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alberto Ciaramella Alberto Ciaramella (born 1947) is an Italian computer engineer and scientist. He is notable for extensive pioneering contributions in the field of ...

. During the emigration wave of the late 19th century, some composers gained recognition in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

:

Leonardo De Lorenzo Leonardo De Lorenzo (August 29, 1875 – July 29, 1962) was an Italian virtuoso flutist and music education, music educator. Biography Born at Viggiano, in the province of Potenza, De Lorenzo started playing the flute at the age of 8 and went to ...

, flautist of several American

philharmonic orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, a ...

s and professor at the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...

, regarded as one of the most eminent flute pedagogues of the 1900s;

Carlo Curti Carlo Curti (6 May 1859 – 8 May 1922), also known as Carlos Curti, was an Italian musician, composer and bandleader. He moved to the United States whose most lasting contribution to American society was popularizing the mandolin in American mu ...

, who helped to popularize the mandolin in the United States and Mexico, and founder of the ''Orquestra Típica Mexicana'', considered the "predecessor of the

Mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music dating back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, two ...

bands".

Comedy duo A double act (also known as a comedy duo) is a form of comedy originating in the British music hall tradition, and American vaudeville, in which two comedians perform together as a single act, often highlighting differences in their characters' ...

Lyons and Yosco Lyons and Yosco were an American comedy duo, consisting of Italian American musicians George Lyons and Bob Yosco. They were defined by the '' Ottawa Evening Journal'' "the finest pair of Italian street musicians playing in the Vaudeville ranks." T ...

became popular for their million-selling

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...

piece "Spaghetti Rag". Pino Mango was the first modern pop artist from the region to achieve success in the Italian music scene.

Arisa Rosalba Pippa (born 20 August 1982), better known by her stage name Arisa, is an Italian singer, actress, and television personality. Early life Arisa was born in Genoa. A week after her birth, her family moved back to their original hometown, ...

won both the "Newcomer" and the "Big Artist" section at the

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

and the

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival ( ), officially the Italian Song Festival (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by (RAI). It is the longest-running ...

respectively. Mango's daughter Angelina also won the

Sanremo Music Festival 2024 The Sanremo Music Festival 2024 (), officially the 74th Italian Song Festival (), was the 74th edition of the annual Sanremo Music Festival, a television song contest held at the of Sanremo, organised and broadcast by (RAI). It was held betwe ...

and was ranked 7th in the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

in the same year. Since the mid-1990s, Basilicata hosts the Agglutination Metal Festival, one of the most long-lived heavy metal events in Europe.

Cinema

Since the

post–World War II The aftermath of World War II saw the rise of two global superpowers, the United States (U.S.) and the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.). The aftermath of World War II was also defined by the rising threat of nuclear warfare, the creation and implementati ...

era, Basilicata has become a set for many national and international film productions.

Matera Matera (, ; Neapolitan language, Materano: ) is a city and the capital of the Province of Matera in the regions of Italy, region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. With a history of continuous occupation dating back to the Palaeolithic (10th mi ...

is the most coveted film location, especially for biblical-themed movies, being often compared with the ancient

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. Other locations include the

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

of

Craco Craco is a ghost town and ''comune'' in the province of Matera, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata. It was abandoned towards the end of the 20th century, due to faulty pipe work that was thought to have failed, causing the town to be ab ...

,

Melfi Melfi ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geographically, it is midway between Naples and Bari. In 2015 it had a population of 17,768. Geography On a ...

and

Maratea Maratea (; ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' of Basilicata, in the province of Potenza. It is the only ''comune'' of the region on the Tyrrhenian coast, and is known as "the Pearl of the Tyrrhenian". Owing to the considerable number of its ch ...

. The region hosted, among the others, the filming of ''

Il Demonio ''Il demonio'' ( English: "The demon") is a 1963 Italian horror film directed by Brunello Rondi. The film premiered at the 24th Venice International Film Festival. Plot Purificata "Purif" is a lonely, uninhibited young peasant living in a small ...

'' (1963), '' The Gospel According to St. Matthew'' (1964), ''

Christ Stopped at Eboli ''Christ Stopped at Eboli'' () is a memoir by Carlo Levi, published in 1945, giving an account of his exile from 1935–1936 to Grassano and Aliano, remote towns in Southern Italy, in the region of Lucania which is known today as Basilicata. In ...

'' (1979), ''

I'm Not Scared ''I'm Not Scared'' (, ''I Am Not Afraid'') is a 2003 Italian crime mystery thriller film directed by Gabriele Salvatores. Francesa Marciano and Niccolò Ammaniti wrote the script, basing it on Ammaniti's successful 2001 Italian novel with t ...

'' (2003), ''

The Passion of the Christ ''The Passion of the Christ'' is a 2004 American epic biblical drama film co-produced and directed by Mel Gibson from a screenplay he wrote with Benedict Fitzgerald. It stars Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth, Maia Morgenstern as the Bl ...

'' (2004), ''

The Omen ''The Omen'' is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Sp ...

'' (2006), ''

Quantum of Solace ''Quantum of Solace'' is a 2008 spy thriller film and the twenty-second in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. Directed by Marc Forster and written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, Neal Purvis, Robe ...

'' (2008), ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

'' (2017), ''

No Time to Die ''No Time to Die'' is a 2021 spy thriller film and the twenty-fifth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series, and the fifth and final to star Daniel Craig as fictional British MI6 agent Portrayal of James Bond in film, James Bon ...

'' (2021). Some actors and film directors are from Basilicata, most notably

Robert G. Vignola Robert G. Vignola (born Rocco Giuseppe Vignola, August 7, 1882 – October 25, 1953) was an Italian-American actor, screenwriter, and film director. A former stage actor, he appeared in many motion pictures produced by Kalem Company and later mov ...

, a prominent figure of the

silent era A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...

,

Pasquale Festa Campanile Pasquale Festa Campanile (28 July 1927 – 25 February 1986) was an Italian screenwriter, film director and novelist, best known as a prominent exponent of the ''commedia all'italiana'' genre. Life and career Born at Melfi, in the prov ...

, associated with the ''

commedia all'italiana ''Commedia all'italiana'' () or Italian-style comedy is an Italian film genre born in Italy in the 1950s and developed in the 1960s and 1970s. It is widely considered to have started with Mario Monicelli's ''Big Deal on Madonna Street'' in 1958 ...

'' genre,

Ruggero Deodato Ruggero Deodato (; 7 May 1939 – 29 December 2022) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. His career spanned a wide-range of genres including Sword-and-sandal, peplum, Comedy film, comedy, Drama (film and television), drama, P ...

, known for his

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

s such as the controversial ''

Cannibal Holocaust ''Cannibal Holocaust'' is a 1980 Italian cannibal film directed by Ruggero Deodato and written by Gianfranco Clerici. It stars Robert Kerman as Harold Monroe, an anthropologist who leads a rescue team into the Amazon rainforest to locate a ...

''.

Tanio Boccia Camillo Tanio Boccia (15 June 1911 – 12 March 1982), was an Italian film director and screenwriter active between the 1950s and the early 1970s. From 1960 onwards, he was regularly credited as Amerigo Anton. Career Born in Potenza, Basilic ...

,

Rocco Papaleo Rocco Antonio Papaleo (born 16 August 1958) is an Italian actor, film director and singer. Biography Born in Lauria, Basilicata, he moved to Rome to study math at university, while working as a plongeur. He left university to attend the theat ...

,

Antonio Gerardi Antonio Gerardi (born 8 March 1968) is an Italian actor and radio presenter. Biography Antonio Gerardi was born in Potenza, Basilicata, and grew up in the neighboring municipality of Avigliano. At thirteen he started as a radio presenter for " ...

,

Antonio Petrocelli Antonio Petrocelli (born 18 September 1953) is an Italian actor. Partial filmography Film * '' The Pool Hustlers'' (1982) * '' The Eyes, the Mouth'' (1982) * '' Secrets Secrets'' (1985) * ''Il tenente dei carabinieri'' (1986) * ''The Strangene ...

,

Alessandra Di Sanzo Alessandra Di Sanzo (born 26 August 1969), is an Italian actress best known for her portrayal of the teenage Transgender, trans prostitute ''Marilyn Libassi'', nicknamed ''Mery'' in Marco Risi's dramatic film, ''Mery per sempre'' ("Forever_Mary ...

are other notable personalities in the Italian movie industry.

Cuisine

The local cuisine is mostly based on

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

and

sheep meat Lamb and mutton, collectively sheep meat (or sheepmeat) is one of the most common meats around the world, taken from the domestic sheep, ''Ovis aries'', and generally divided into lamb, from sheep in their first year, hogget, from sheep in thei ...

,

legumes Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consu ...

,

cereals A cereal is a grass cultivated for its edible grain. Cereals are the world's largest crops, and are therefore staple foods. They include rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize (Corn). Edible grains from other plant families, suc ...

,

vegetables Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including flowers, fruits, ...

and

tubers Tubers are a type of enlarged structure that plants use as storage organs for nutrients, derived from stems or roots. Tubers help plants perennate (survive winter or dry months), provide energy and nutrients, and are a means of asexual reprod ...

. It is commonly referred to as , deeply anchored in peasant traditions. Bread crumb is considered a poor-man's cheese substitute, sprinkled over pasta dishes and used as a seasoning for meat and vegetables.

Horseradish Horseradish (''Armoracia rusticana'', syn. ''Cochlearia armoracia'') is a perennial plant of the family Brassicaceae (which also includes Mustard plant, mustard, wasabi, broccoli, cabbage, and radish). It is a root vegetable, cultivated and us ...

is often used as a spice and condiment, which is referred to as "poor man's truffle". The

peperone crusco The ''peperone crusco'' ('crispy pepper' in the local dialects), also known as crusco pepper outside Italy, is a typical product of the Basilicata region of Italy. It is recognised as a (PAT). Being deeply rooted in local cuisine, it is often ...

( PAT) is a specialty of the regional cuisine, sometimes labeled as "the red gold of Basilicata". It is the dried form of the

peperone di Senise ''Peperone di Senise'' () is a variety of bell pepper typical of Senise, a town in the province of Potenza. It is a cultivar of ''Capsicum annuum'' sweet, with thin pericarp and low water content. Since 1996, Senise bell pepper is recognized a ...

( PGI), one of the most popular Italian pepper varieties. Traditional recipes include pasta dishes like ''

pasta con i peperoni cruschi ''Pasta con i peperoni cruschi'' is a pasta dish flavoured with ''peperoni cruschi'', typical of the Basilicata region of Italy. Description The main ingredient is ''peperone crusco'', a dried and crunchy pepper known for its sweet flavour an ...

'' and ''

tumact me tulez ''Tumact me tulez'' (''tumacë me tulë'' in Albanian; ) is a pasta dish from southern Italy, specifically Basilicata, of Arbëreshë origin. The dish is typical of Barile, a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Potenza where Albanian C ...

'', and main courses such as ''

rafanata ''Rafanata'' is an egg-based dish from the Basilicata region of Italy. It is a type of baked frittata made with eggs, horseradish, potatoes, pecorino cheese, and extra virgin olive oil. ''Rafanata'' is typical of the Carnival and winter period ...

'', ''

acquasale ''Acquasale'' or ''cialledda'' is a dish characteristic of southern Italian cuisine, especially in Basilicata, Campania and Apulia regions. It is made with stale bread, salt, olive oil, tomato, oregano, egg, and peppers Pepper(s) may refer to: ...

''. ''

Pastizz A ''pastizz'' (: ''pastizzi'') is a traditional savoury pastry from Malta. ''Pastizzi'' usually have a filling either of ricotta (''pastizzi tal-irkotta'' or ''pastizzi tal-ħaxu'' in Maltese) or curried peas ( in Maltese). ''Pastizzi'' are a ...

'' and ''falagone'' are common

street food Street food is food sold by a Hawker (trade), hawker or vendor on a street or at another public place, such as a market, fair, or park. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption ...

s. Basilicata is best known for the Lucanica di Picerno (PGI) pork sausage that derives from

lucanica ''Lucanica'' was a rustic pork sausage in ancient Roman cuisine. Apicius documents it as a spicy, smoked beef or pork sausage originally from Lucania; according to Cicero and Martial, it was brought by Roman soldiers from Lucania. It has given i ...

, an ancient recipe originated before the

Roman empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

. Pane di Matera (PGI) is a type of bread recognizable for its intense flavour and conical shape, as well as long preservation. Other principal products are cheeses like

pecorino di Filiano ''Pecorino di Filiano'' is a firm sheep milk cheese from Basilicata, produced in the province of Potenza. It was granted protected designation of origin (PDO) in 2007. Every year on the first Sunday of September in Filiano is organized the ''p ...

( PDO), canestrato di Moliterno (PGI), padraccio (PAT) and treccia dura (PAT); vegetables like

melanzana rossa di Rotonda Eggplant ( US, CA, AU, PH), aubergine ( UK, IE, NZ), brinjal ( IN, SG, MY, ZA, SLE), or baigan ( IN, GY) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. ''Solanum melongena'' is grown worldwide for its edible fruit, typica ...

(PDO); and legumes like fagiolo di Sarconi (PGI) and fagiolo bianco di Rotonda (PDO). The region is also known for its naturally sparkling

mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. It is usually still, but may be sparkling ( carbonated/ effervescent). Traditionally, mineral waters were used or consumed at t ...

that springs from the streams of

Mount Vulture Mount Vulture () is an inactive Dormant volcano located north of the city Potenza in the Basilicata region (Italy). As a prominent landmark it gave its name to the Vulture region, the most significant viticultural zone in Basilicata growing t ...

. Alcoholic beverages include

Aglianico del Vulture Aglianico del Vulture and Aglianico del Vulture Superiore are Italian red wines based on the Aglianico grape and produced in the Vulture area of Basilicata. Located on volcanic soils derived from nearby Mount Vulture, it was awarded ''Denom ...

, considered one of Italy's top red wines, and Amaro Lucano liqueur.

References

External links

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Basilicata Tourist OfficePhoto gallery made by a UNESCO photographer
{{Authority control Regions of Italy NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union Wine regions of Italy