Maratea

Basilicata touches the Tyrrhenian for only about thirty kilometres, and Maratea occupies almost all of it, a town of narrow lanes on a slope with a coastline of coves, cliffs and small ports below. On Monte San Biagio above, a statue of the Redeemer in Carrara marble chips and concrete, completed in 1965 and about twenty-one metres high, stands with arms outstretched facing inland rather than out to sea. The town is known for the number of churches in and around it, traditionally counted at forty-four. The road down the coast is winding, with viewpoints over rock coves.

History

The name probably comes from the fennel plant, marathéa in medieval Greek. Archaeological finds show settlement here from the Palaeolithic, and in the 15th to 14th centuries BC a village grew up on the small headland of La Timpa (Wikipedia, Maratea).

What to look for

• The marble Christ - a 21-metre statue of 1965 facing inland.
• The old town - narrow stepped lanes with many small churches.
• The rock coves - a coast of cliffs, caves and small harbours.
• The coastal road - a winding route with viewpoints over the sea.

When to go

May to September; August is crowded with Italian holidaymakers. The statue road is narrow with limited parking. Winter is quiet with reduced services.

What to expect

The statue road is very narrow with a shuttle in season. Beaches are small, stony and scattered along a winding coast. The town is steep.

Nearby

The Cilento coast lies north; Calabria begins south.

Key facts