Not to be confused with the Tavole Palatine, the Parco Archeologico is a larger, if less immediately impressive collection of Metaponto ruins that contains the remains of a Greek theatre and the Doric Tempio di Apollo Licio. The classical coastal Greek colony that once flourished here can be readily imagined, walking through the quiet fields and shin-high remains. It's especially interesting to see where the artefacts displayed in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, 2km west, came from.
Parco Archeologico
Basilicata
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
23.5 MILES
Dating in its earliest parts to the 12th century, St Peter's, the largest of Matera's rupestrian churches, overlays an ancient honeycomb of niches where…
Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Taranto
22.32 MILES
Sitting unassumingly in a side street in Taranto's new town is one of Italy's most important archaeological museums, chiefly dedicated to the archaeology…
23.47 MILES
This giant cistern, arguably as magnificent as a subterranean cathedral, is one of Matera's great sights. Lying under the city's main square with arches…
23.27 MILES
Highly recommended as a precursor to visiting the sassi themselves, this wonderful 25-minute multimedia exhibit, spread across three rooms of a 16th…
Chiesa di Madonna delle Virtù & Chiesa di San Nicola del Greci
23.42 MILES
This monastic complex, one of the most important monuments in Matera, comprises dozens of chambers carved into the tufa limestone over two floors. Chiesa…
Museo della Scultura Contemporanea
23.26 MILES
The setting of this fabulous museum of contemporary sculpture – deeply recessed caves and the frescoed rooms of the 16th-century Palazzo Pomarici – is as…
22.97 MILES
For a great photograph of the sassi, take the Taranto–Laterza road (SS7) and follow signs for the chiese rupestri. This road takes you to the Belvedere,…
21.87 MILES
The 11th-century cathedral is one of Puglia's oldest Romanesque buildings and an extravagant treat. It's dedicated to San Cataldo, an Irish monk who lived…
Nearby Basilicata attractions
1. Museo Archeologico Nazionale
1.52 MILES
This small but important museum is a real throwback to the days when precious artefacts of the past sat soberly behind glass, accompanied only by simple…
2.94 MILES
The remains of the 6th-century Temple of Hera – 15 columns and sections of pavement – are Metaponto's most impressive sight. They're known as the Tavole…
21.87 MILES
The 11th-century cathedral is one of Puglia's oldest Romanesque buildings and an extravagant treat. It's dedicated to San Cataldo, an Irish monk who lived…
22.05 MILES
This 6th-century BC Doric temple is one of the few visible remains of the once-great Greek colony of Taras. The last two surviving columns and the…
22.06 MILES
Guarding the swing bridge that joins the old and new parts of town, this impressive 15th-century structure, built on Norman and Byzantine predecessors,…
6. Cripta del Peccato Originale
22.29 MILES
A fascinating Benedictine site dating to the Lombard period, the Cripta del Peccato Originale (Crypt of Original Sin) houses well-preserved 8th-century…
22.32 MILES
The gigantic rust-red 1930s Palazzo del Governo, inaugurated by Mussolini, is a forbidding and masculine structure, expressive of the fascist ideas of…
8. Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Taranto
22.32 MILES
Sitting unassumingly in a side street in Taranto's new town is one of Italy's most important archaeological museums, chiefly dedicated to the archaeology…