I Love Visiting Unknown Italy - Basilicata

Basilicata is situated in the heart of southern Italy. Its population is only slightly above six hundred thousand. While quite mountainous this is the only region of Italy where farm workers outnumber industrial workers. Up until the 1970s it steadily lost population to other Italian regions and to emigration abroad. But all is not lost. Its east coast has become an important agricultural area. And the mountainous interior with poor soil and lots of sun; what could be better for producing fine wine? Let's not forget that many people consider Basilicata's native Aglianico (also found in Campania) to be Italy's third best red grape, after Nebbiolo and Sangiovese. It sounds like there could be a major breakthrough in Basilicata's wine industry. Let's hope so for the local economy.

Matera, population sixty thousand, lies south of the Apulia border. This area has been settled for more than twelve thousand years. In September 1943 Matera was the first Italian city to rise up against the German invaders. Matera's Apulian-Romanesque Cathedral dates from the Thirteenth Century. In Matera's unique old town the streets are often rooftops; its houses, churches, and chic restaurants are caves, hewn out of solid rock. The Sassi of Matera are caves occupied continuously by human beings for some nine thousand years. They have been designated a World Heritage Site. Numerous bars and restaurants take advantage of its unique location. The area has been called ''la vergogna nazionale,'' Italy's shame. Matera resembles ancient Jerusalem and historical movies such as Pier Paolo Pasolini's The Gospel According to St. Matthew and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ were shot there.

Terranova di Pollino is a mountain village in southern Basilicata situated very close to Calabria. It lies at the entrance to the Parco Nazionale del Pollino (Pollino National Park) the largest in Italy at just under 750 square miles (more than 1900 square kilometers.) The park is home to quite a variety of endangered species. Many fossils have been found including a very well preserved skeleton of a giant elephant that lived between 400,000 and 700,000 years ago.

Basilicata is home to very traditional cooking. The major meat is pork and the locals know how to extract the maximum from their porkers. Hot peppers are popular and can be quite hot. Basilicata bread is consumed in many parts of Italy. See our companion article I Love Touring Italy - Basilicata for a sample menu and more information on regional wines plus an in-depth examination of local tourist attractions. If you fancy powerful wines, try the Aglianico del Vulture from a local grape that grows on the extinct Mount Vulture volcano or its surrounding hills. This wine may be cellared for up to twenty years.

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