Colorful hilltop village with terracotta rooftops and dramatic rock formations in Basilicata southern Italy

🇮🇹Basilicata & Calabria

Basilicata and Calabria offer families prehistoric cave cities, Italy's largest national park, dramatic hilltop villages, and two uncrowded coastlines.

2Cities

0Guides

Your family guide

Wild Italy: A Family Adventure in Basilicata and Calabria

“Most families skip straight to Tuscany. That's the mistake: Basilicata has the cave cities and empty beaches they're actually looking for.”

— San & Jo

If your family loves wide open spaces, ancient history, and the feeling that you have stumbled onto something truly special, Basilicata and Calabria are waiting for you. These two regions form the instep and toe of Italy's famous boot, and they are the country's best-kept secret. Think dramatic hilltop villages, prehistoric cave cities, Italy's largest national park, and coastlines on two different seas. All of it refreshingly free from the crowds you find further north.

Pollino National Park alone justifies the journey. Spanning both regions, it covers nearly 2,000 square kilometres of mountains, gorges, ancient forests, and river valleys, home to wolves, otters, and some of Europe's oldest trees. Combined with the UNESCO-listed Sassi di Matera, one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities, this destination offers genuine variety for families.

Slow down, breathe in the mountain air, and let your kids run free in landscapes that feel suspended in time. Basilicata and Calabria reward curious families who are willing to go a little off the beaten path, and the reward is an Italy that feels completely, wonderfully real.

Southern ItalyInstep and toe of the boot

Best April to OctoberHot summers, mild spring and autumn

Budget to mid-rangeOne of Italy's most affordable regions

Cities and places in Basilicata & Calabria

2 places

Matera

Explore Matera's ancient cave districts, underground cisterns, and rock churches with your family. A UNESCO World Heritage city unlike anywhere else in Italy.

0 guides · ItalyExplore →

Tropea

Tropea is a cliffside gem on Calabria's Costa degli Dei, combining safe sandy beaches, a walkable historic centre, boat trips, and bold southern Italian food for an unforgettable…

0 guides · ItalyExplore →

What makes it special

Why families love Basilicata and Calabria

Italy's biggest national park on your doorstep

Pollino National Park stretches across both regions and covers close to 2,000 square kilometres of mountains, gorges, rivers, and ancient forests. Families can hike through landscapes that still feel wild, spot wolves and otters, and walk among Bosnian pines that are among the oldest living trees in Europe.

A city carved into rock over thousands of years

Matera's Sassi are a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most extraordinary places in all of Italy. These ancient cave dwellings date back to Paleolithic times, forming a labyrinthine network of alleys, rock-cut churches, and cave homes that children find genuinely fascinating to explore.

Two coastlines, barely any crowds

Basilicata alone has a coastline on both the Tyrrhenian and Ionian seas. Maratea on the Tyrrhenian side is known as the Pearl of the Tyrrhenian Sea, with pristine beaches and a dramatic 22-metre marble Christ the Redeemer statue. The Ionian coast at Metaponto and Policoro adds ancient Greek ruins to the beach experience.

A ghost town frozen in time

Craco stands as one of Italy's most dramatic abandoned villages, perched on a Basilicata hilltop and preserved exactly as residents left it during relocation. Walking through its empty streets offers families a striking experience that particularly resonates with older children.

The zipline between two mountain villages

The Volo dell'Angelo zipline connects the dramatically perched hilltop villages of Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa in the Lucanian Dolomites. It is one of the most thrilling outdoor experiences in southern Italy, and the villages themselves are worth the visit even if you skip the zipline.

Your kind of holiday

Nature and outdoor adventure

Pollino National Park is the heart of this experience. Hike through ancient forests, walk along river gorges, and explore a landscape that feels genuinely wild. The park crosses both Basilicata and Calabria, so you can base yourself in either region and still access its trails and viewpoints.

History and culture without the tourist queues

From the prehistoric Sassi di Matera to ancient Greek ruins at Metaponto, rock-cut churches in the Murgia Materana Park, and the Roman ruins at Grumentum, this region layers thousands of years of history into landscapes your family can actually walk through and touch.

Quiet beaches on two different seas

Whether you choose the rugged coves of Maratea on the Tyrrhenian coast or the long sandy stretches of the Ionian coast near Metaponto and Policoro, you will find beaches that are clean, calm, and refreshingly uncrowded. The Ionian side is particularly gentle and shallow, which is great for younger children.

Did you know?

Things to know about Basilicata & Calabria

Matera is one of the oldest cities on Earth

People have been living in Matera's cave dwellings since the Paleolithic era, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Your family is walking through streets that humans have called home for tens of thousands of years.

Some of the trees in Pollino are older than many countries

Pollino National Park is home to ancient Bosnian pine trees, known as Pinus leucodermis, that are among the oldest living trees in Europe. Some of these trees have been standing for over a thousand years, long before most modern nations even existed.

Basilicata has a coastline on two different seas

Most Italian regions only touch one sea, but Basilicata has a short stretch of coastline on both the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west and the Ionian Sea to the east. That means your family can technically swim in two different seas during the same trip.

Taste Basilicata and Calabria

What to eat with your family in Basilicata and Calabria

Peperoni cruschi

These crispy dried peppers are Basilicata's most iconic ingredient and are known locally as red gold. They are fried until light and crunchy, then scattered over pasta or eaten as a snack. Kids who love crisps tend to enjoy them, though they have a mild heat.

Kids love it

Lagane e ceci

Wide, flat pasta served with chickpeas and tomatoes, this is one of Basilicata's oldest and most comforting dishes. It is sometimes called the piatto del brigante, or the brigand's plate. Simple, hearty, and genuinely delicious for the whole family.

Safe choice

Strascinati all'aglianico

Handmade pasta served with braised sausage cooked in local Aglianico wine, cardoncelli mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and smoked provola cheese. This is Basilicata cooking at its most generous and flavourful, and a dish worth ordering whenever you see it on a menu.

Must try

Burrino

A pear-shaped cheese from Basilicata with a soft, buttery core hidden inside a firmer outer layer. It is fun to slice open at the table and mild enough that most children enjoy it. Look for it at local markets and on cheese boards throughout the region.

Local favourite

Fileja with nduja

Hand-rolled Calabrian pasta tossed in a sauce made with nduja, the region's famous smoky and spicy spreadable pork salume. The sauce is rich, fragrant, and full of flavour. Fair warning: nduja has a real kick, so this one is better suited to families who enjoy a bit of heat.

Must try