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Basilicata also known by its ancient name Lucania, is a region in Southern Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia (Puglia) to the north and east, and Calabria to the south. It also has two coastlines: a 30-km stretch on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania and Calabria, and a longer coastline along the Gulf of Taranto between Calabria and Apulia. The region can be thought of as the "instep" of Italy, with Calabria functioning as the "toe" and Apulia the "heel". The region covers about 10,000 km2 (3,900 sq mi) and in 2010 had a population slightly under 600,000. The regional capital is Potenza. The region is divided into two provinces: Potenza and Matera.
Basilicata is an emerging tourist destination, thanks in particular to the city of Matera, whose historical quarter / I sassi, became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993, and has been designated European Capital of Culture 2019. The New York Times ranked Basilicata number 3 in its list of "52 Places to Go in 2018", defining it "Italy’s best-kept secret". The name probably derives from "basilikos", which refers to the basileus, the Byzantine emperor, who ruled the region in the 9th–11th centuries. Others argue that the name may refer to the Basilica of Acerenza which held judicial power in the Middle Ages. During the Greek and Roman Ages, Basilicata was known as Lucania, named after the tribes which populated the region in the Iron Age. |
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