There are three sites that boast the title of World Heritage Site in Basilicata: the Sassi and the Park of the Rock Churches of Matera and the centuries-old beech forests of the Cozzo Ferriero Forest (Pollino National Park) to which is added the UNESCO serial site of the Appian Way. Regina viarum, a World Heritage Site since 2024, which crosses four Italian regions: Lazio, Campania, Basilicata and Puglia.
The Sassiand the Park of the Rock Churches of Matera
In Basilicata, a region of southern Italy between Puglia and Calabria, it is possible to live a unique experience, savoring silences, scents and flavors away from the frenzy of modern life. Among these enchanted places have been included as an 'Italian World Heritage Site' since 1993 'The Sassiand the Park of the Rock Churches of Matera', with a motivation that fully connotes this singular city: Matera is one of the most incredible urban structures ever created in the world, an absolute masterpiece of ingenuity and adaptability'.
In fact, in this area, man has chosen for millennia, that is, since prehistoric times, life in caves, as witnessed by the city of Matera (named among other things 'European Capital of Culture' in 2019) which during the day attracts rocks that shine in the sunlight for its nuanced hues and at night comes alive with lights, giving rise to an evocative landscape similar to a nativity scene.
There are two nuclei, two true natural amphitheaters that surround the ancient Civitas:
the highest and oldest part of the city, which is articulated around its beautiful Cathedral with its elegant Apulian Romanesque style;
the Sassi del Caveoso complex, to the south, the first inhabited area consists mostly of caves and that of Barisano, to the north-west, with the most complex dwellings, dotted with housing structures always made with the same rocks present in the place.
The typical house ofMatera, which does not differ from the shades of gray and white of the local stones, is arranged on three levels with rooms that, in addition to being inhabited by man, also include the stable for the animals, the cistern and the cellar, in a truly unique combination of nature and humanity. These houses built in the natural quarries of the limestone plateau of the Murgia, rich in caves, ravines, caves, were abandoned in 1952, although today they have been transformed into hotels and accommodation facilities that nevertheless allow tourists to experience the highly suggestive atmosphere of life in the cave.
In addition, the Park of the Rock Churches, with a fairytale and almost unreal atmosphere, separated from the city by the Gravina stream, includes over 150 churches in cliffs, often adorned with bas-reliefs or artistically frescoed, places that have left a fundamental mark on art and frequented with pious devotion by the inhabitants of the caves.
These churches had their origin in the medieval monastic culture of the eighth century and the two centuries that followed saw numerous Byzantines, hermits and anchorites fleeing religious persecution in their territories arrive in the area, who transformed the panorama of the Matera plateau with the creation of simple churches in the rock of great charm, articulated in one or more naves, with the stylistic imprint of the oriental Greek religious culture, in which there is however no lack of elements of the Lombard Benevento artistic tradition close to the area.
Among these churches is the wonderful 'Crypt of Original Sin', considered the local Sistine Chapel for the remarkable pictorial cycle of the tenth and eleventh centuries: originally the cultural center of a Benedictine rock monastery of the Lombard period, the building was later transformed into a place of worship that the local artist called 'The Painter of Flowers'', he masterfully frescoed with episodes from Creation and Original Sin, surrounded by the figures of the Apostles, the Virgin Queen and the Archangels.
Among the countless rock churches in the Park, worthy of interest is the Church ofSanta Lucia alle Malve, with valuable frescoes of figures of the Virgin and Saints, among which a place of honor is reserved for Santa Lucia, represented in the fulfillment of her martyrdom. But also the Convicino di Sant'Antonio, a characteristic complex consisting of four rock churches overlooking a single courtyard; among these very popular is the Church ofSant'Antonio Abate, protector of animals, to which the local farmers are greatly devoted.
How to get to Matera by plane: from Bari International Airport, about 65 km from Matera, you can take the Pugliairbus shuttle bus that connects directly to the city.
Centuries-old beech forests of the Cozzo Ferriero Forest
The centuries-old beech forests of the Cozzo Ferriero ForestinBasilicata are among the 10 old-growth beech forests that have been named 'Italian World Heritage Site' and since 1993 there have also been those of Cozzo Ferriero in the municipality of Rotonda in the province of Potenza.
The centuries-old beech trees of the vetste forests
This forest in the Pollino National Park along the mountain range of the southern Apennines, extends for about 70 hectares along the border between Basilicata and Calabria at an altitude of around 1700 meters above sea level.
In one of the most beautiful areas in Italy, beech trees over 500 years old grow, giving rise to an uncontaminated forest that in some areas has never been reached by man. And from a panoramic point of view from these heights, such as from Monte Coppola di Paola, you can admire a spectacle of the sea that reaches as far as the Aeolian Islands.
Appian Way. Regina viarum
The serial site Via Appia. Regina viarum has been on the UNESCO WorldHeritage List since July 27, 2024. The Appian Way is the first and most famous of the ancient Roman roads, built in 312 BC to connect Rome to Capua and then extended to Brindisi, the port from which the routes to Greece and the East departed. Conceived by the censor Appius Claudius Caecus, it was considered a masterpiece of engineering and a symbol of Rome's power, so much so that it was called by contemporaries "Regina Viarum", the queen of roads.
For the time, it represented a revolutionary work: a straight route, bridges, viaducts and tunnels that crossed rivers, swamps and mountains, with a solid and draining bottom paved with basalt slabs. This system made possible a road network of over 120,000 kilometers, which remained in use for centuries and is still the basis of the main Italian roads and the countries of the Mediterranean area.
The Appian Way was a public road, free of tolls and at the service of citizens and businesses. Along the way there were milestones, post stations and rest areas for changing horses, which were also used by the cursus publicus, the postal service of the Roman Empire.
Over the years, the Appian Way was progressively extended: it reached Benevento (Campania) around 268 BC, continued to Venosa (Basilicata) and then to Taranto, and finally arrived in Brindisi (Puglia) in the second century BC. In the following years, the original route from Benevento to Brindisi was replaced by a more direct route through Puglia. At the beginning of the second century AD, Emperor Trajan established the Via Appia Traiana, an alternative route that led from Benevento to Brindisi in 13-14 days, covering a distance of about 540 kilometers.
Remained in use until the Middle Ages, the Appian Way was then restored by the Popes and Kings of Naples, until it was recognized over the centuries as a universal symbol of Roman civilization. Starting from the walls of Rome, the Appian Way crosses four regions of Lazio, Campania, Basilicata and Puglia, reaching Brindisi.
The stretch of the Appian Way that crosses Basilicatais located in the upper Bradano valley and crosses the municipalities of Banzi, Melfi, Genzano di Lucania, Palazzo San Gervasio, Rapolla and Venosa in the province of Potenza. After 2300 years of history, today its route, among ancient ruins, mausoleums and timeless landscapes, continues to fascinate historians, pilgrims and Travellers from all over the world.
How to get to the Cozzo Ferriero Forest in the Pollino NationalParkor to the stretch of the Appian Way (province of Potenza) by plane: from Lamezia Terme Airport (about 149 km away), from Salerno airport (about 176 km away) or from Naples Airport (about 214 km away) but also from Naples Airport Bari (about 239 km away), connected to the area by bus.
Text by Anna Glik
Avion Tourism Magazine Update by Alisè Vitri: October 2025.
An excursion to visit the Sassi ofMatera, churches and cave dwellings with frescoed rocks, the Cathedral of Santa Maria della Bruna built in Romanesque style and the Civita, the oldest part of Matera, where you can discover the ancient history of the city carved into the rock. Also tasting of the traditional flavors of typical local products: focaccia with tomatoes, cruschi peppers, cheeses and local salami with durum wheat bread and extra virgin olive oil, fried beans and taralli. Tour of Matera with degistation.
Excursion to the park of the rock churches. In Murgia Timone you can admire the first human settlement and the traces of an ancient Neolithic village. Visit to the Rock Church of San Falcione and the Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Tre Porte with Byzantine frescoes. Stop at the Golgotha viewpoint where Mel Gibson shot the film "The Passion of the Christ". Tour of the Murgia Park and rock churches.
An excursion with a specialized tour guide to discover the ancient Metaponto, capital of Magna Graecia in Basilicata. Here you can admire the Archaeological Park withthe monumental ruins of the urban sanctuary dedicated to Apollo Lycius and the adjacent agora with ancient temples such as the splendid Temple of Hera and a visit to the National Archaeological Museum which houses important finds found in the area around Metaponto and Pisticci. Tour to the Archaeological Park of Metaponto.
