Tourism
Sassi of Matera (UNESCO since 1993), Pollino National Park with its ancient beech forests, Via Appia. Lucanian Dolomites with the Volo dell'Angelo, Maratea, Metaponto and Policoro, Craco, Venosa and the Vulture. Matera draws visitors all year; the coasts only in July–August. Tourist tax in Matera and a few other municipalities.
Sections: Attractions · Museums · Nature · Itineraries · Excursions · Accessible visits
Sites and villages
The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera have been UNESCO heritage since 1993 and the city, European Capital of Culture 2019 and location for many films, is the region's dominant destination, with visitors spread across the year and peaks at Easter, on long weekends and in summer. The Pollino National Park, Italy's largest, hosts the ancient beech forest of Cozzo Ferriero (transnational UNESCO site) and the Bosnian pine; the Via Appia, inscribed in 2024, crosses Venosa and the Vulture. Other destinations: the Gallipoli Cognato park and the Lucanian Dolomites (Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa, linked by the Volo dell'Angelo zip line), Craco, the ghost town, the calanchi of Aliano, Venosa (Horace, Trinità abbey) and Melfi with its castle, the Monticchio lakes on the Vulture.
Coast and mountains
Maratea, on the Tyrrhenian, with the Christ the Redeemer statue and its coves, has a short season and high prices in August; the Ionian coast (Metaponto with the Tavole Palatine and museum, Policoro, Scanzano, Nova Siri) offers long sandy beaches and holiday villages, used mainly by southern families in July and August. The Appennino Lucano Val d'Agri Lagonegrese National Park and the Sirino are little visited; Viggiano, Sellata and Sirino have small ski lifts. Basilicata is crossed by walking routes (Via Herculia, Cammino Materano) that are growing in popularity.
Practical rules
The tourist tax is applied by Matera (with per-night amounts by category set by the municipality), Maratea, Potenza and a few other municipalities; in most of the territory it does not exist. In Matera short-term rentals in the Sassi are very numerous and the municipality has introduced rules on access and the limited-traffic zone; parking in the centre is limited and paid. Off season the coastal establishments close, while Matera and the Pollino villages remain active.
Sources
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Reviewed: 10/23/2026 · by piero.avolio · rev. 1 · Period: → 2027-10-31
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