Basilicata

Like its neighbour Calabria, the mountainous 'instep of Italy' has suffered from earthquakes that destroyed the once-mighty Greek cities of the Ionian Coast; striking Matera with its cave dwellings is the prime destination for visitors, and home of the unusual pane di Matera. It

Basilicata produces a wide range of sausages such as lucanica; you may even find some of the more rarefied dishes such as lampascioni. Peperone crusco from Senise is a main ingredient to the cuisine. Vast quantities of wild mushrooms are one of the joys of the mountains; deep red Aglianico del Vulture wine, grown on the slopes of an extinct volcano, is one of Italy’s prize reds.

The name Basilicata means 'imperial' (basilikos) and dates from the 6th century AD Byzantine conquest of the region, but its ancient Greek and Roman name, Lucania is still very common, and is the accepted adjective for the region, ie Lucano or Lucana; the local cuisine is Lucanian.