Discover Bernalda: Castello, Churches and Metaponto
Accommodation in Bernalda
Bernalda Between Castle, Churches and Art
Bernalda is particularly interesting for its Castello, several churches and the PAMeC Pinacoteca Arte Moderna e Contemporanea. This provides a cultural focus for planning your trip; Metaponto complements it with coastal scenery and archaeology.
The Castello di Bernalda is considered the town’s landmark and has towered over the Basento Valley for centuries. The Chiesa di San Bernardino da Siena was founded between 1510 and 1532 by Bernardino de Bernaudo. Inside are a gilded wooden pulpit, an organ from the 18th to 19th century, a holy water font dating from 1607 and a baptismal font from the 16th to 17th century.
File:Castello di Bernalda 27Set2020.jpg
Photo: Anna Nicoletta Menzella via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Historic Buildings and Sacred Art
The Chiesa e Convento di Sant'Antonio has a longitudinal layout with a central nave and a right-hand aisle. The Chiesa Madonna del Carmine was built in the 16th century and underwent at least two or three renovations or extensions. The Sant'Antonio monastery, with its adjoining church, was founded in 1615, expanded over time and has a square layout with a central cloister.
Modern Art and Religious Treasures
The PAMeC Pinacoteca Arte Moderna e Contemporanea was founded in 1999, is housed in the Castello di Bernardino and displays works by Lucanian and other artists from the 19th and 20th centuries. The Chiesa Mater Ecclesiae is also known as Chiesa dei ss. Medici; the original of a painting of Padre Pio is preserved there. It is reported that this painting wept blood on 19 August 1994.
Metaponto Between Beach and Antiquity
Lido di Metaponto is a seaside resort on the Ionian coast of Basilicata, known for its long beaches with golden sand and the clear waters of the Ionian Sea. Lago Salinella is a small coastal dune lake in the Riserva naturale Stornara nature reserve, divided, in a sense, by the border between Apulia and Basilicata.
Metaponto is served by the Taranto–Sibari railway line. The Parco archeologico dell'area urbana e della Necropoli di Crucinia preserves monumental remains of the city founded by the Achaeans in the second half of the 7th century BC. According to the Ministry's current information, the area of the Crucinia necropolis is not open to visitors. The Parco Archeologico di Metaponto offers educational activities, guided tours and cultural events to promote the archaeological heritage.
Choose the Right Focus
For choosing your accommodation, the distinction is practical: Bernalda stands for Castello, churches and art, while Metaponto represents the seaside resort, beach and ancient remains. This allows you to choose a hotel or accommodation according to the focus of your trip and consciously take the different characters of both destinations into account.
More destinations: Miglionico, Pomarico, Ferrandina, Aliano, Lido Di Scanzano, Matera, Peschiera, Grassano
To the higher-level travel overview: Matera.
