Maratea

Maratea is a town and comune of Basilicata, in the province of Potenza. It is the only town of the region on the Tyrrhenian coast and because of its beautiful scenery and coastline it has been called "the Pearl of the Tyrrhenian". Owing to the considerable number of its churches and chapels it has also been described as "the town with 44 churches".

Maratea is the only town of Basilicata on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It has approximately 32 km of rocky coastline, with more than twenty beaches. One of the main characteristics of Maratea is the variety of its landscapes, varying from breath-taking sea views to wooded hillsides and majestic mountains which sweep down to the sea creating steep cliffs. The Grotta di Maratea, or the Cave of Wonders, was discovered in 1929 by men building the Highway 19 from Calabrie.

The centre of the town is situated on the northern slopes of Mount San Biagio; other villages in the comune include Acquafredda, Cersuta, Fiumicello, Porto, Marina, Castrocucco, Castello, Santa Caterina, Massa and Brefaro. The principal vegetation comprises oaks, pines, rosemary, holm oaks, and wild fennel. Maratea has a small harbour, which can accommodate up to 200 boats.