Postcard from Maratea, Basilicata's Seaside Idyll

Issue #133

When planning a coastal vacation, you might not think of Basilicata, but perhaps you should

Located in the arch of the boot, between Puglia and Calabria, Basilicata is one of Italy’s least touristy regions—and while Matera grabbed the spotlight a few years ago when it became Italy’s 2019 Capital of Culture, Maratea remains under-the-radar. Basilicata’s only town on the Tyrrhenian Coast, Maratea has a charm all its own, as I discovered last summer when my husband Marco and I stopped there on our way to Sicily.

I was pulled there by curiosity about Santavenere, a resort built in the 1950s that’s been given a new life and joined the Leading Hotels of the World last year as the association’s first hotel in Basilicata. But I ended up learning much more about Maratea’s history, from the hermitages that popped up in the mountains during the Middle Ages to the story behind the larger-than-life statue of Christ the Redeemer that has become a symbol of the town.

Maratea’s centro storico comes alive on summer evenings

I was also charmed by the centro storico, where families were enjoying an aperitivo at the bars, old men were sitting on plastic chairs in front of the church watching the world go by, and little shops were selling peperoni cruschi (sundried peppers) and other local specialties. It was easy to see why Maratea is designated one of the Borghi Più Belli d’Italia (most beautiful villages in Italy).

What struck me most, though, is how we had the little beach down by Santavenere pretty much all to ourselves—and it was late July, when Italy’s beaches are normally swarming with vacationers. I couldn’t help but see a comparison with the Amalfi Coast. The landscape is similar, with towering cliffs that plunge down into the turquoise sea, Mediterranean pines, thick vegetation, and a little pebbled cove. I imagine this is what the Amalfi Coast might have been like in the first half of the 20th century, before it became overrun with tourists.

You can see the beach peeking out between the trees from Santavenere’s casual Gli Ulivi restaurant

Believe it or not, Maratea—and specifically Santavenere—drew movie stars like Anita Ekberg and singers like Domenico Modugno in its Dolce Vita heyday. The resort was built in the 1950s by Count Stefano Rivetti, a scion of one of Piedmont’s noble families that made a fortune in the wool industry. Drawn to the area by incentives offered by the Cassa del Mezzogiorno, a public fund created in 1950 to boost southern Italy’s post-WWII economy, he transferred his business to Maratea and built Santavenere, where he could host his illustrious friends.

Now run by Aldo Melpignano, the visionary hotelier behind Puglia’s Borgo Egnazia resort, where I’ve been lucky enough to stay a couple of times, Santavenere has retained a bit of a 1950s coastal Italian vibe, with painted tile floors and whitewashed walls. It feels a bit more subdued than the exuberantly colorful hotels on the Amalfi Coast. Antiques and oil paintings—some from Rivetti’s original collection—decorate the rooms and public spaces.

Can you believe this photo was taken in late July?!

Unlike on the Amalfi Coast, where space is at a premium, here the resort sprawls out from the main building down to the beach club, where Marco and I had dinner on our first evening and relaxed on the sunbeds the next day. Golf carts shuttle guests up and down the hill all day and if the weather is good, you can go for boat rides along the coast. While we didn’t join in on the festivities, we happened to be there during the Marateale, an annual film festival that draws stars like Catherine Deneuve and James Franco to the resort every summer.

Though his company ultimately went out of business, Count Rivetti nonetheless commissioned Florentine sculptor Bruno Innocenti to create a statue of Christ the Redeemer inspired by the one in Rio de Janeiro as a tribute to the town and its people. To this day, it’s the tallest statue in Italy. Marco and I visited it on a guided tour organized by Santavenere. From up there, on Monte San Biagio, we admired the views that stretched all the way down to Calabria and Sicily beyond.

Unlike Rio’s statue of Christ the Redeemer, which looks out to sea, Maratea’s statue gazes down benevolently on the town

It was a wonderful taste of Basilicata, a region I hope to explore more soon. Have you been to Maratea? If not, would you like to go?

Further Reading

• Following my trip last summer, I wrote about this under-the-radar southern Italian town that resembles the Amalfi Coast without the crowds for Travel + Leisure. You can read that story here.

• I also reviewed Santavenere for Italy Magazine’s ‘Inspired Stays’ series.

• The spring 2025 issue of Bellissimo, Italy Magazine’s e-magazine for premium subscribers, is dedicated to Basilicata. In it you’ll find my article about Maratea’s curious Christ the Redeemer statue, a recipe from

  Giulia Scarpaleggia
  , and much more. Upgrade or purchase a copy of the issue here.

• Maratea was featured in my list of 25 Places in Italy to Inspire Your 2025 Travels. See what other destinations made the cut.

• You can see all of the New Roman Times’ coverage of under-the-radar destinations here.