Italy's Basilicata region came out of anonymity after the Commission of the European Union named Matera a 2019 European Capital of Culture. Today, it's teeming with projects, but several people were already in on the secret as far back as 30 years ago.
What was Sofia Coppola doing in Bernalda? But above all, where is Bernalda? It's not Hollywood. The director got married there, and returned there several times, because the grandparents of her father, Francis Ford Coppola, come from the tiny village. The film director-turned-hotel entrepreneur bought a villa there and transformed it into a five-star hotel.
But other events have shone the spotlight on Basilicata, above all the aforementioned appointment of Matera as a 2019 European Capital of Culture. Visitors arrived to find the city shiny, modern… and aswarm. The crowds flocked here and consequently, the city had the country's highest tourism growth rate.
Among the evocative Sassi – the two districts known for their ancient cave dwellings – travelers can stroll the narrow lanes, admire frescoed crypts, and visit cave museums to see how people lived there up to the 1960s. The holes in the rocks play host to small hotels, shops, bakeries, and restaurants. The latter range from traditional to creative, such as that young chef Nicola Popolizio's Ego to eccentric, like Dimora Ulmo, overseen by Michele Castelli and Virginia Caravita who honed their talent in Massimo Bottura's kitchen, and Francesco Russo, a promising sommelier.
In a few years, Matera has undergone radical advancement in the culture and digital sectors. The boom was also felt in the surroundings, where innovative projects were born. The Masseria Fontana di Vite, located 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the center among wheat fields and olive groves, is owned by two brothers, Fausta and Gianlorenzo Bolettieri, who have fulfilled their parents' dream of creating a farm and a hotel. Gianlorenzo takes care of the countryside while Fausta sees to the hospitality and curates the painting and sculpture collection, enriching it every year by hosting internationally renowned artists. They currently have 20 rooms and are adding villas with swimming pools and organic gardens for those who want to temporarily move to the countryside and work remotely.
Let's take a step back. In 1989, chef Antonietta Santoro, before anyone else, had sensed the region's tourism potential and opened Al Becco della Civetta, a gourmet restaurant and inn in Castelmezzano, a town in the Lucanian Dolomites that's a little over an hour southeast of Matera. Today, everyone agrees: Basilicata is a rediscovered treasure. It has everything from fine products to monuments to culture to two seas: the Ionian and the Tyrrhenian. The coastline of the former is home to Metaponto while the other lodges Maratea, a town with family-run pensions like Hotel Gabbiano and a single five-star hotel, the Santavenere, opened by Aldo Melpignano, owner of Borgo Egnazia, the luxury resort in Puglia where Madonna has been known to celebrate her birthday.
The Santavenere opened this year as part of an ambitious plan: to make Maratea the new chic destination to discover.