Basilicata History

Basilicata history – what a fascinating subject! Like neighbouring Puglia, Basilicata is an ancient land which has been occupied since prehistoric times. It was much fought over and colonised and is now starting to develop economically.
 
The region was originally known as Lucania, named for the Lucani (Lucanians) who were the first known settlers. Their name was derived from lucus, Latin for forest. Sannite tribes also inhabited the area before the Greeks invaded in the 7th century BC, expanding their Magna Grecia empire and establishing settlements at Siris, Metaponto and Heraclea. They also developed basic agriculture and started trading.

The Romans pushed into Lucania as part of the expansion of their empire and by the 2nd century BC the area was under Roman rule. The Romans were the first to exploit the massive forests of the region, a process which continued for centuries and nearly exhausted this natural resource.
The Byzantines followed the Romans and it was they who gave the region the name Basilicata, (from basilikos meaning both ‘prince’ and ‘governor’).

In the following centuries the Normans and Swabians also invaded Basilicata. The subsequent 13th century Anjou domination led to the establishment of a feudal system which hampered any hopes of an economic recovery for the region, which remained in abject poverty.

The Spanish were the next to take over Basilicata, which they did with relative ease in 1500. It remained in Spanish hands for the next two hundred years. It became an official province of Spain, with Matera even being declared the capital in 1663.

After a century or so under Bourbon domination, Basilicata became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1860. It was during this period that the State confiscated and sold off vast tracts of Basilicata’s territory formerly owned by the Church. As the owners were a handful of wealthy aristocratic families the average citizen did not see any immediate economic and social improvements after unification and poverty continued unabated. This gave rise to the phenomenon of ‘brigantaggio’ where the Church encouraged the local people to rise up against the nobility and the new Italian State. This strong opposition movement continued for many years.

It was only really after the Second World War that things slowly began to improve thanks to land reform. In 1952 the inhabitants of the sassi of Matera were re-housed by the State, but many of Basilicata’s population had emigrated or were in the process of emigrating, which led to a demographic crisis from which it is still recovering.

At the beginning of 1994, UNESCO declared Matera’s sassi a World Heritage Site.
Basilicata history, landscape, culture and hospitality make it a popular tourist destination as well as Hollywood film location. It is very much a region on the up and, as yet, not as well known to overseas property buyers as its more famous neighbour Puglia. In short, an excellent prospect for investment.