Hidden Gems

With its timeworn cities and sweeping seascapes, the Southern Italian region of Basilicata is rich with splendors.

- liam hess

On my first morning in Matera, I awoke to a chorus of fireworks. I had arrived, by accident, on the day of the city ’s most important religious festival—and there, the party starts early.

If Southern Italy is a boot—with Puglia the heel, Calabria the toe, and Sicily a football being kicked into the Mediterranean Sea—then the region of Basilicata, where Matera is, occupies the country ’s instep. Though often overlooked, it has a little bit of everything, from dramatic mountain ranges to lush regional parks, charming beach towns to ancient cities.