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BASILICATA

Basilicata, a southern Italian region, between Campania to the north west, Puglia to the north east and Calabria to the south, has the particular feature of facing onto two different seas that are not contiguous, the southern Tyrrhenian in the south west and the Ionian Sea in the south east. This feature is underscored by the profound morphological difference that distinguishes the two coasts : while the Tyrrhenian coast (which however is of limited extent, being contained within the Gulf of Policastro) is characterised by a broken, rocky, rugged coastline, with small and sometimes sandy inlets, the Ionian coastline is continuous and homogeneous, completely low lying and sandy, with wooded dune formations of modest energy backing the beach ; this coast forms the seaward limit of the southern part of the Metaponto plain.

The Tyrrhenian coast, wholly within the bounds of the municipality of Maratea, has settlements of small size concentrated mostly in nuclei or small centres, even if in the last few decades pressure has increased due to the development of tourism. In spite of this pressure the entire Maratea stretch retains its characters of landscape of considerable value and beauty making it one of the best-known and best equipped bathing stations of the southern Tyrrhenian, with numerous facilities for sports and recreational purposes. The vegetation is characteristic of the Mediterranean maquis (macchia), with the constant presence of olive trees in the immediate hinterland.On the other hand, the Ionian coast has only a few residential nuclei of tourism type which, moreover, are not directly on the actual coast, with the exception of the Lido di Metaponto, and there is very little sign of scattered settlements.

The coastal area is characterised by extensive wooded stretches, rivers and sea beaches. Among the woods special mention should be made of that of Policoro (a nature reserve of the Policoro marshland wood), an interesting example of wooded high-water bed area. More generally the vegetation consists of mixed forest (broadleaf conifers and Mediterranean macchia) with stands of Aleppo pine, Italian stone pine, cluster pine, «saligna» acacia, pubescent oak, English oak, ash, alder, white poplar, lentiscus, prickly juniper and leadbush glasswort.The protected forestry Nature Reserve of Metaponto covering some 240 ha occupies part of the coastal area, and in the north the biogenetic Nature Reserve of Marinella Stornara, of 45 ha . In any case, the whole Ionian belt of Basilicata starting from the sea has been declared a zone of considerable public interest. Another element that is characteristic of the landscape is the presence of traces of boggy and marshy tracts, the residue of larger areas reclaimed in past decades by the Land Reform which has reshaped and regularised the Metaponto plainland. However the numerous watercourses that run across the plain and empty into the Ionian Sea maintain their natural character. These are the Bradano, the Basento, the Cavone, the Agri and the Sinni. Of the natural lakes, it is worth mentioning the two picturesque, though very small, Monticchio, crater lakes in the Vulture area and Lake Sirino, on the western border of the Sirino mountain. Basilicata also has many artificial basins, such as the Lake of San Giuliano (on the Bradano River), Gannano (on the Agri River) and Pertusillo, in the high Agri valley. The climate is decidedly continental in the higher and most internal parts of the region, while in the coastal areas it is mainly mediterranean.

In Basilicata forests cover only 8% of the territory, it which was cleared last century to provide timber and arable land. The Mount Pollino area (National Park ), on the Calabria border, has rich woodland and scrub, green pastures full of flowers and incomparable scenery. Pinus leucodermis, a real living fossil, now very rare, flourishes majestically on the most impervious limestone rocks; the slopes of the massif, however, are covered with immense beechwoods, often wild and solitary, and the lower areas by the remains of what were once luxuriant oak forests, including varieties ranging from the Turkey oak to the white oak, and from the holm oak to the common oak tree. Spontaneous formations of silver fir grow in the north-east belt. The Pollino forests are still inhabited by rare animals such as the wolf, wild boar, otter, the European wild cat and even the roe deer; birdlife is represented by the golden eagle, black woodpecker, raven, peregrine falcon and kites. The Sinni River valley is mantled by some of the most important forests of the Pollino Massif, eg. the Cugno dell'Acero and Duglia firwoods and the Bosco Magnano near San Severino Lucano.

An unusual environment, for the Apennines, is that of the Lucanian Dolomites, a small but picturesque chain of high needles and rugged peaks, whose appearance recalls the morphology of the Dolomites, rising on the right side of the Basento River valley near Trivigno. In the uneroded areas, thick timber woods of black hornbeam and `eastern' hornbeam are to be found; interesting or rare species which blossom on the bare rocks, include red valerian, honesty, the long-spurred pansy and the pale toadflax. The steep rocks offer a habitat for many birds, including the peregrine and lanner falcons, the kestrel and rockpigeon.

The phenomena of hydrogeological damage (typical of the calcareous and clay soil in the interior of the region) caused by indiscriminate forest clearance carried out in the last century, are being slowly remedied through reforestation and appropriate land management.

An interesting forest environment, one of the most intact in southern Italy, is that of Gallipoli-Cognato, which extends on the right side of the middle course of the Basento River in the municipalities of Oliveto Lucano, Calciano and Accettura, in the province of Matera. The most common tree in the forest is the Turkey oak, found from the bottom of the Basento River valley to the top of Mount La Croccia (1,151 m.).

Regione Basilicata

Basilicata map (click

here)

Pollino National Park map