Basilicata is well-known in Italy for its sausages, which, you can probably guess, are highly spiced. The region is sometimes called by its Roman name Lucania; the word for a person from Basilicata is lucano. In other regions of Italy, spicy sausages are often known as lucanica, or sometimes luganiga, which means in the spicy style associated with sausage from Basilicata.
Basilicata is mountainous, arid, scarcely watered. It has two coastlines, one in the center of the Gulf of Taranto in the Ionian Sea, and a tiny one on the Tyrrhenian Sea, with the famous sea resort of Maratea. The bare mountain landscapes slope down to the Ionian Sea.
The region is rich in archaeologic relics, dating back to the most remote times. Remains of the Greek era can be found in Metaponto (the Palatine Tables), while ruins of the Roman Age can be seen in Venosa. Tourists can admire noteworthy examples of medieval art in Venosa and Cerenza (Romanesque style). The architecture presents Arab-Byzantine and French influences in Matera, Melfi and Lagopesole. In this region, the Baroque style shows an evident Neapolitan influence.
In Matera, visitors can see the “Sassi”, the typical houses and churches dug into the “tufa” crag. In the Gulf of Policastro, tourists can enjoy the fascinating Maratea, an important resort of the Tyrrhenian Sea; on the Ionian Sea, the Antiquarium of Metaponto. |
