Are we all alone in Basilicata?
 

I don't recall seeing anyone else on here from this neck of the woods.
It is both a blessing and a shame that it is so overlooked, nice to have it to ourselves but a shame that the staggering beauty of this part of Italy is not more appreciated.

Re: Are we all alone in Basilicata?
 

Have to say Basilicata is a place I've harly heard of, but it looks lovely.

Re: Are we all alone in Basilicata?
 

There are only 112 UK citizens in Basilicata with 500k residents. Some villages in Umbria have that number of Brits.

Re: Are we all alone in Basilicata?
 

A similar proportion here, with 363 of us in the whole of Trentino-Alto Adige out of a population of just over 1 million according to this source:

https://www.tuttitalia.it/trentino-a...tranieri-2019/

Re: Are we all alone in Basilicata?
 

BTW, apart from the very famous Matera, where would you recommend visiting in Basilicata?

Re: Are we all alone in Basilicata?
 

Matera is the one big attraction here, and you could spend a long time there and still not see it all, but there is more to Basilicata.
The town of Craco is well worth a visit. Perched on a hilltop, it had to be abandoned due to landslides when they built out away from solid ground. There are guided tours available every day through the ruins.
Accettura (where we live) is a mainly farming community, set on a hilltop in the middle of a national park. We have a famous festival every spring, 8 weeks after easter, the Maggio di Accettura. People travel from far and wide to witness it. The national park itself is beautiful. Home to a wonderful selection of wildlife and with stunning views.
The village of Pietrapetosa is a few miles from us and seems to have been built precariously into the mountain tops. A zipline ' flight of the angels' will take you across the valley to its neighbour Campomaggiore.
Basilicata has a coastline on two different seas, the Ionian to the south and Tryrenian to the west at Matarea - supposed to be nice but I have not been.
Not far from us is the town of Aliano, where Carlo Levi was exiled by Mussolini and where he wrote Christ Stops At Eboli. He is also buried there.
We just enjoy driving around, admiring the countryside. There is always something interesting, weird or wonderful just around the next corner - like the road that has featured in many jaguar and BMW car adverts. It is on stilts, above the surrounding farmland and winds through a valley with Craco in the background. Must have cost a fortune to build and I have yet to meet another car there!

Re: Are we all alone in Basilicata?
 

Carlo Levi captures what country life was like in the south during the fascism. Not difficult to understand why the southerners migrated. One of my favourite books. Silone's books about life in the Abruzzo are good too.

Re: Are we all alone in Basilicata?
 

Thanks for all of that Accetturese, I was really taken with Tim Parks' book about rail travel in Italy, especially the rural lines of the far south. I'm currently toying with the idea of a trip down there this spring.

Re: Are we all alone in Basilicata?
 

Let us know how you get on. I love travelling by train and do that in Southern Italy a lot. Where are you thinking of going?

Re: Are we all alone in Basilicata?
 

How long have you been there?

Do you get snow where you are?

There is someone from Basilicata on Twitter- she is in Pisticci.

Re: Are we all alone in Basilicata?
 

Thanks, I've not planned in any great detail yet but I was particularly taken with Tim Parks' description of the line to Crotone and on to Taranto and Lecce. If you haven't read his book, I would definitely recommend it to you.

Re: Are we all alone in Basilicata?
 

... I just love being off topic here.... I assume this rail geek guy at Seat61 is known to all. The link would be my choice of getting to Italy from the UK!

Re: Are we all alone in Basilicata?
 

I would take the Train trip from Lecce down to Gagliano del Capo. Stopping at all the small towns along the way.

The Adriatic coast upward is also very beautiful, a car is needed to do that.

Another terrific drive with a car is the coastal trip from Salerno to Sapri and onward down to San Giovannni Epiro.

San G. is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in Italy.

Re: Are we all alone in Basilicata?
 

There is a need to promote this place:)

Re: Are we all alone in Basilicata?
 

We have lived here for two and a half years now. We are at 900 metres elevation so we do get snow - been lucky this year, so far, but it is all swings and roundabouts since we benefit from the cooler breezes during the summer.
I will look into that drive down the coast, we have been down to Paestum a couple of times.