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Potenza is the regional capital of Basilicata.

Understand

It is known as "Vertical City" because of its characteristic urban structure: the historic centre is situated on the highest upland, while the other districts are located at gradually lower altitudes. It is also known as "City of 100 Stairs" or "City of Stairs" for its system of ancient and modern stairs that connects various parts of the urban centre. As a matter of fact, the city has an escalator system, Scale Mobili Santa Lucia, that is the largest in Europe and the second largest in the world after Tokyo's.

On September 30th Potenza was nominated "European City of Sport" of 2021, together with Rieti, Siena and Terni. Although the tourist sector is not the prevalent one in the city, in the second half of 2010 there was a growing number of initiatives to promote and enhance its touristic potential and, as a consequence, there was also an increase of tourists in Potenza as well as in the surrounding areas.

Location

Potenza is the highest regional capital in Italy and the second highest provincial capital in Italy after Enna.

The city lies in the upper Basento valley, along an Apennine ridge north of the Lucanian Dolomites enclosed by several higher mountains, including Monti Li Foj, a mountain group in the heart of the Lucanian Apennines. Due to its geomorphological position, Potenza is situated in a high seismic area.

By contrast, most modern districts rise further down until they lap the course of the Basento river, whose bed has been heavily man-made since the second half of the 20th century.

Climate

The climate is both Mediterranean and mountainous, that is, cold and snowy in winter and warm and dry in summer. January is statistically the coldest month and the average temperature is +3.5 °C, while July and August are the warmest months and record an average temperature of +20 °C.

History

The origin of the city is certainly ancient, but uncertain. The area of the city has been inhabited since the 7th century B.C. by the ancient indigenous people of the Peuketiantes. Between the 5th and 4th centuries B.C., the Lucanians settled in the area, gradually establishing themselves as the dominant ethnic group, and then probably founded the city. Relations with Rome changed over the centuries from allies to enemies, who nevertheless built important communication routes between the two cities. The first churches arose around 500 AD. After the decline of the Roman Empire, many plunderers and conquerors influenced its customs. The Norman period, for example, was full of important events for Potenza. From the early 12th century, the city was a very important episcopal seat: it was, indeed, the gathering place for Crusaders leaving for the Middle East. Potenza achieved a new administrative continuity only when the Aragonese kings ascended the throne of the Kingdom of Naples, with the appointment of Innico de Guevara as count in 1435. The Guevara dynasty governed the city continuously for 160 years, appointing six Counts of Potenza and giving rise to a vast programme of military, religious and civil public works, as well as establishing their personal and affective centre. In 1799, after the French conquest of the Kingdom of Naples by General Championnet, Potenza was the city in the Kingdom where the Jacobin revolution emerged most strongly after Naples. After a few years of the restoration of the Bourbon regime, 1806 marked a turning point in the history of the city and Southern Italy: Napoleone Bonaparte's French troops once again conquered the Kingdom of Naples, this time completely, and the new leaders started a process of civil, economic and social modernisation of the whole territory, which also affected Potenza in an incisive manner. In 1806, indeed, the new government of Giuseppe Bonaparte decided to change the capital city of Basilicata from Matera to Potenza because of the territorial and administrative reorganisation of the entire region, since the new capital city was closer and better connected to Naples, thus making it less peripheral and therefore better governable. Potenza was also confirmed as the capital city of Basilicata at the end of the Napoleonic period. In the post-war period, with the reconstruction of the devastation caused by the conflict and the affirmation of the economic boom, Potenza also experienced urban expansion and civil and social development.

The place

Piazza Mario Pagano with Palazzo della Prefettura on the right and the Francesco Stabile Theatre on the left

The entire plateau of the historic centre is crossed by the ancient Via Pretoria. Its name and origin, according to the historian from Potenza Emmanuele Viggiano, date back to the time of Silla and the civil wars against Mario, when he defeated the latter and reduced six of the Lucanian cities, including Potenza, to Roman military colonies. In each of these cities, Silla is said to have established the Praetorium and the Praetorian camp. Therefore there must have been a road connection between the Roman camp and their headquarters, which according to Roman tradition was called via Pretoria. This street, which acted as an actual decumanus maximus, extends through the entire city centre from Largo di Portasalza to Torre Guevara.

Piazza Mario Pagano is the city's main square, commonly known as Piazza Prefettura because it houses the 19th-century Palazzo della Prefettura, the seat of the Prefect and provincial offices. The works for the construction of Piazza Mario Pagano began in 1839 at the behest of the administrative official of that time, Intendant Winspeare, with the demolition of the small houses with sottani (popular houses typical of southern Italy, located at or below street level) inhabited by peasants and artisans, but were only completed between 1842 and 1847 by Intendant Francesco Benzo, Duke of Verdura. Originally called Piazza del Mercato (Market Square) because the Sunday market was held there, it was officially called Piazza dell'Intendenza (Intendant's Square) because the government palace, seat of the intendant, overlooked it, and then named Piazza Prefettura after the Unification of Italy and the replacement of the intendant with the prefect. Around 1870, it was named after Mario Pagano and remained unchanged until its renovation in 2012 by architect Gae Aulenti. Nowadays, this square hosts lots of events, such as Christmas markets, and in winter you can also find a carousel, light installations and an ice rink.

Small temple of San Gerardo

The city centre, located on a long, narrow plateau at an altitude of 819 metres, gravitates around Piazza Matteotti, overlooked by case palazziate, houses where wealthy families lived and that today consist of some of the most architecturally interesting buildings of the city. Piazza Matteotti, which was formerly known as Piazza Sedile, took the name Piazza del Fascio during the Fascist period and its current name after 1944. In its original structure probably dating to Angevin times, it housed the seat of the University where people gathered for assemblies. Shops and taverns overlooked the square and by royal decree in 1810, the food market was held there. On the southern side, where you can find the small temple of San Gerardo stands, there were the chapel of San Domenico with the nearby tower, the neviera buildings (used for collecting the snow) and the Porta della Beccheria with the alleyway of the same name, where the slaughter of animals and the sale of meat took place. On the feast of the town's patron saint, a sound box was erected in the square for performances by the music band.

Districts

The main districts are:

• Macchia Romana: in this densely populated district you can find the San Carlo hospital, the Elisa Claps park, the Gesù Maestro church and the Donato Sabia school field. It is also crossed by the junction, paved in 2012, that leads from the northwest to the southeast, avoiding the central districts.
• Poggio Tre Galli: in this heavily populated district there are the Zona G, the church of Santa Cecilia, Parco Europa Unita, Villa Romana di Malvaccaro and a large school complex. It can be reached from via Ancona to the north and via Anzio to the south.
• Gallitello: a predominantly commercial district, where numerous activities have been established over the years. It is crossed by the busy street of the same name where you can find the headquarters of the Region of Basilicata; between 2006 and 2016, the complex Gallitello junction was built, including viaducts and a tunnel, as well as the abolition of the level crossing (often closed for up to 15 minutes) and the subway on Via Isca del Pioppo, which can only be accessed by cars and motorbikes.
• Montereale: a predominantly social housing district, best known for its park of the same name, formerly used as a military or agricultural punishment for brigands and today consisting of conifers, cedars and lime trees. The bridge connecting it to the historic town centre was renovated between 2016 and 2019.
• Libertà: a predominantly social housing district, crossed mainly by Via Giuseppe Verdi and Viale Dante, on which there are numerous benches and the church of Ss. Anna and Gioacchino. The Parco del Seminario is located near the institution of the same name. At the foot of the district there are the Questura (police headquarters), the Genio Civile (civil engineer's office) to the east, further northwest the Liceo Classico Orazio Flacco and further south the Alfredo Viviani Stadium, while the entire district is crossed by the Prima escalator, the first ever built in Potenza.
• Santa Maria: a mainly social housing district, also crossed by the SS7 Appia; here lies the church of the same name with a convent (one of the oldest in the city), the well-known villa which was formerly a botanical garden, the provincial museum and art gallery, an extensive library built to the north of the district, and the Potenza Superiore Station.
• Parco Aurora: a predominantly social housing district, it is made up of the park of the same name. A playground with sports field has been opened in Piazza dei Comuni (Square of the Municipalities) which takes its name from the tiles all around the playground that show every municipality in Basilicata.
• Risorgimento: a predominantly social housing district. Due to the absence of a western ring road, it is used to connect the hospital area and the road to Avigliano with the motorway junction 5. It includes the Don Bosco area, the CEP district to the west (social housing cooperative), the Parco Baden Powell with a playground and sports field dedicated to Marisol Lavanga, a 17-year-old volley player from Potenza who died from a heart disease. You can also find other sports fields in via Angilla Vecchia, the former terminal in piazza Zara, the Rocco Mazzola sports complex, piazza Bologna and the first subways built by the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane.
• Zona Industriale di Potenza: industrial area comprising the area of the Basento river (with the river park of the same name) and delineated to the east by the Riofreddo district (currently via Macchia San Luca). Known above all for "Fuochi del Basento" (a fireworks festival), the bus station of the same name was built there with an escalator connecting it with the former Potenza Centrale Station area.

Other districts are Macchia Giocoli, Castello, Francioso, Lucania, San Rocco, Murate, Serpentone, Malvaccaro, Rossellino, Costa della Gaveta, Betlemme and Botte.

Get in

By car

The urban area of Potenza is served by two main arterial roads: the Potenza-Sicignano motorway junction, which connects the city to the Mediterranean motorway, and the SS 658 linking Potenza and Melfi. The last few kilometres of the motorway junction also serve as a ring road for the city to the South, with the Potenza Ovest, Laurenzana, Potenza Centro, Bucaletto and Potenza Est exits. The northern ring road, on the other hand, connects the Macchia Romana hospital area to the Tiera area, with a junction to the Potenza-Melfi motorway.

From Potenza, the SS407 Basentana leads to Matera in just over an hour.

By bus

Bus service is available daily from Rome Tiburtina bus station served by Liscio. There are daily lines from Bari managed by Ferrovie Appulo Lucane and from Naples served by SITA (Italian Automobile Transport Society).

By train

Potenza is served by the Milan-Taranto connection as well as the regional lines Salerno-Taranto and Foggia-Potenza operated by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (FSI), that is the State railway network. The city is also served by Ferrovie Appulo Lucane with the Altamura-Avigliano-Potenza line, which links the city with the province of Bari and the municipalities to the north-east areas of the capital. The stations managed by RFI in the city are:

• Potenza Centrale Station, Piazzale Guglielmo Marconi.
• Potenza Università Station, Via La Marmora (near the Ateneo Lucano).
• Potenza Superiore Station, Piazzale Istria.
• Potenza Macchia Romana Station, Viale dell'Ateneo Lucano (Near the San Carlo Hospital).

Get around

By foot

The escalator system, Scale Mobili Santa Lucia, brings you from the train station at the bottom to the top of the old town.

Scale Mobili Santa Lucia

There are extremely few street signs in Potenza. If you do not know where you are going, bring your own map and navigate via landmarks, instead of street names.

Public transport

Urban public transport serves both the centre and the suburbs through bus lines, as well as serving as a link to the countryside and districts outside the main urban core through rural lines. Until 2015, public transport was operated by COTRAB, but since 2016 it is operated by Trotta Bus Services.

See

Religious buildings

The historical centre of Potenza is full of religious buildings dating mainly from the Middle Ages. Some of them were probably built on pre-existing early-Christian churches. Below you can find a list of the main religious buildings of historical, artistic and architectural interest in the old part of the city.

Cathedral of San Gerardo

• 1 Cathedral of San Gerardo, Largo Duomo, 1. This is the main church in the historic centre; it dates back to the 13th century and was first dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption and then to Gerardo della Porta, who became the patron saint of the city. The church preserves the remains of the patron saint, a silver and crystal urn containing the saint's relics, as well as a 15th-century wooden statue of the saint. Presumably, the cathedral stands on the site of an earlier sacred building since, during archaeological excavations in the 1960s, underground remains of polychrome mosaic floor fragments dating back to the 4th or 5th century were found. Rebuilt by a pupil of Vanvitelli at the end of the 18th century at the behest of Bishop Andrea Serrao, the cathedral changed radically from a Romanesque basilica to a building in clear neoclassical style. Highlights are the 13th-century stone facade, rebuilt between 1197 and 1220 by Bishop Bartholomew, the marble high altar with polychrome inlays from the 18th century and a 15th-century wooden crucifix, as well as a marble chapel dedicated to the Holy Father built in the 17th century. (updated May 2022)
• 2 Church of San Michele Arcangelo, Largo San Michele Arcangelo. Located near the western end of Via Pretoria, it is a typical example of a Romanesque church. Its presence was first attested in 1178, but according to some archaeological findings, the original layout of the building, which belonged to an earlier late Roman structure, can be dated to the 5th century. It has a bell tower and a three-nave structure. It also preserves works of great artistic value, including a painting of the Annunciation from 1612 by Pietrafesa, a fresco of Virgin Mary with Her Child between Saint Peter and Saint Paul by the Flemish artist Dirk Hendricksz from the 16th century and a wooden crucifix from the 17th century. (updated May 2022)
• 3 Church of Santissima Trinità, Via Pretoria, 109. Located near Piazza Mario Pagano, in the direction of the Cathedral. It is attested since 1178. Church of Santissima Trinità was damaged in the 1857 earthquake and was rebuilt with a different floor plan from the original, having a single nave with several chapels, a semicircular apse and a coffered ceiling. Here the body of Elisa Claps, a girl from Potenza, was found after more than 16 years from her disappearance after being killed by Danilo Restivo. (updated May 2022)
• 4 Church of San Francesco, Via Nicola Alianelli, 4. Located near Piazza Mario Pagano, in the direction of the Cathedral, it is attested since 1178. It was damaged in the 1857 earthquake and was rebuilt with a different floor plan from the original, having a single nave with several chapels, a semicircular apse and a coffered ceiling. (updated May 2022)
• 5 Church of Beato Bonaventura, Vicolo Beato Bonaventura. Dedicated to the Franciscan friar Bonaventura da Potenza who was beatified in 1775, it is located in the alley of the same name and was originally the birthplace of the beato. It features a remarkable limestone portal, at the centre of which are the heads of two cherubs surmounted by a Franciscan coat of arms. We can find a single room inside, which is divided into two small areas, where there are several portraits, including one by Michele Busciolano from 1907 depicting the beato's ecstasy. (updated May 2022)
• 6 Church of Santa Lucia, Largo Santa Lucia, 1. It is located on the northern edge of the old town and was built before 1200; it has a single nave and houses a 17th-century statue of Santa Lucia, some paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries and a 15th-century holy water font from the church of Santa Maria del Sepolcro. (updated May 2022)
• 7 Monastery of San Luca, Via Pretoria. It currently serves as the Carabinieri barracks and is located at the end of Via Pretoria in the direction of the Guevara Tower. Originally entrusted to the Cisternine nuns of the Benedictine order, it was the only women-only monastery in the city and later passed to the Clarisse nuns. (updated May 2022)
• 8 Church of Maria Santissima Annunziata di Loreto, Via Caserma Lucana, 38. The church dedicated to the Madonna of Loreto is located outside the perimeter of the ancient city walls, just after Porta San Giovanni. It has small dimensions and a structure that has remained unchanged over the centuries, even though it is characterised by many restorations due to the many earthquakes. In the church there is a painting from 1824 by a painter from Potenza, Buonadonna, that portrays the Annunciation. (updated May 2022)

There are also a few churches of historical and artistic significance outside the city centre, listed below:

• 9 Church of Santa Maria del Sepolcro, Piazzale Aldo Moro. Located in the Santa Maria district, immediately below the historical centre, it was built between the 13th and 17th centuries by the Knights of the Order of the Templars on the initiative of the Count of St. Sophia on his return from the third crusade in 1191; there are indeed many similarities with the Mother Church of Ripacandida, which bears the same title. The building of the Holy Sepulchre was built in this location north of the city, right at the crossroads of the Herculean and Appian roads, which pilgrims passed through on their way to the Holy Land. The church preserves precious paintings and on the right wall there is the monumental Baroque altar of the relic of the Precious Blood of Christ. (updated May 2022)
• 10 Church of San Rocco, Via Cavour, 101. A neoclassical building, located in the San Rocco district near the old cemetery, it was built on the same site as the previous church dedicated to the same saint, which was destroyed in 1832. It features various statues both inside and outside, including two valuable wooden artefacts depicting San Vito and San Rocco, carved in the mid-19th century by Michele Busciolano; the church also preserves a funerary stele of Roman origin, dated between the 1st and 2nd centuries. (updated May 2022)
• 11 Church of Sant'Antonio La Macchia, Via Parco Sant'Antonio la Macchia, 41. A neoclassical building, located in the San Rocco district near the old cemetery, it was built on the same site as the previous church dedicated to the same saint, which was destroyed in 1832. It features various statues both inside and outside, including two valuable wooden artefacts depicting San Vito and San Rocco, carved in the mid-19th century by Michele Busciolano; the church also preserves a funerary stele of Roman origin, dated between the 1st and 2nd centuries. (updated May 2022)

Military buildings

Torre Guevara

Since the Middle Ages, the historical centre of the city was protected by walls, which included six gates, and by the presence of a castle, which also served as an observation point over the Basento valley below. The remains of these fortifications are the residual city gates and the Guevara Tower.

• Gates of Potenza. As part of the city's system of fortifications, these gates guaranteed access to the old part of Potenza in medieval times. Only three of the six ancient gates remain, including Porta San Giovanni in Via Caserma Lucana, Porta San Luca in Via Manhes and Porta San Gerardo in Largo Duomo; the other three, Porta Salza, Porta Mendola and Porta Trinità, were demolished during the public works carried out for the modernisation of the city, which began in 1806. (updated May 2022)
• 12 Torre Guevara, Via Beato Bonaventura. At the eastern end of the historical centre, you can admire the only remnant of the city's ancient castle. The cylindrical building is located in a dominant position overlooking the Basento valley. It was probably built before the rest of the castle, which was presumably erected by the Lombards around the year 1000 and incorporated the tower inside. The last owners, Carlo Loffredo and Beatrice Guevara, donated the entire building except the Tower itself to the Capuchin monks. Later, the castle was used as a lazaret, with a chapel dedicated to St. Charles inside. Thus, it became the seat of the hospital of the same name until 1935, when the hospital moved to a more modern structure. In the 1960s, the castle was demolished to make room for a school building, allowing only the tower to be saved. (updated May 2022)

Archeological sites

• 13 Villa Romana di Malvaccaro, Via Parigi, 36, ☏ +39 0971 415866. The Villa Romana di Malvaccaro is an archaeological site of significant interest located in the modern district of Poggio Tre Galli. Discovered in the mid-1980s, it is an ancient villa that can be dated to the post-Constantine era, and includes five rooms with mosaics dating back to at least the 3rd century that surround an apsidal hall. Some parts of the villa were found, such as the perimeter walls to the north-west and north-east and other structures to the south. (updated May 2022)
• Fattoria Lucana, Contrada Gallitello. In 2008, a residential complex, located near the confluence of the Gallitello stream with the Basento river, was found near Via del Gallitello. It is the most important site ever discovered in the urban area of Potenza. It is said to be an ancient farmhouse functional to the agricultural exploitation of the area; from an examination of the ceramic artefacts and other artefacts that were rediscovered, we can assume a date between the end of the 4th and the first decades of the 3rd century B.C., which should therefore be related to the settlement system of the Lucanians before the Romanisation of the territory. Given the current state of investigation, this settlement seems to include at least six rectangular rooms which partially preserve their perimeter walls, occupying an area of about 300 square metres. The complex is still being excavated, under the scientific direction of the Basilicata Archaeological Heritage superintendence. (updated May 2022)

Parks

• 

  Villa di Santa Maria

  14 Villa di Santa Maria, Piazza Aldo Moro, Via Ettore Ciccotti, Via Angilla Vecchia. One of the most important parks is the historic municipal villa, named after the Santa Maria district. It was established as an experimental agricultural garden in 1823 following Gioacchino Murat's decree of 1810, according to which each province of the Kingdom of Naples required an Agricultural Society with its own agricultural garden, to promote the study and development of the primary sector, particularly botany. Activities relating to the experimental vegetable garden stopped with the unification of Italy, due to the shut down of the Società di Agricoltura, and the facility was turned into a municipal villa. In 1923, a tennis court and a skating rink were built there; in the 1930s, the Parco della Rimembranza was inaugurated, with 92 trees, each bearing the names of people from Potenza who had died in World War I; in 1938, a greenhouse for the cultivation of flowers was built, and later on, a bowling alley; at the end of the 20th century, you can also use the fountain in front of the entrance. Today, the area is the habitat of various species of conifers, deciduous trees, ornamental shrubs and small trees, as well as facilities for outdoor sports activities. (updated May 2022)
• 15 Parco di Montereale, Via Emanuele Viggiani, Via della Pineta. It stands on the hill overlooking the plateau of the city centre and is another park of significant historical interest: it was built in 1934 on the hill where brigands were previously killed, and was included in the general inventory of the 'Census of Basilicata's historical gardens'. It contains a municipal swimming pool, a garden with conifers, cedars and lime trees, a bowling alley, an outdoor dance floor and a well-equipped sports hall. In the centre of the park there is a war memorial, created by sculptor Giuseppe Galbati and inaugurated on 30 August 1925 by King Victor Emmanuel III. The park also offers a panoramic view of the south and south-west parts of the city, as well as the Gallitello complex and part of the Santa Lucia valley. (updated May 2022)

• 16 Villa del Prefetto, Via IV Novembre, Via Giuseppe Mazzini. Located right in the historical centre, it is a green area attached to the Prefecture Palace. Initially belonging to the monastery of the Conventual Monks of San Francesco and used in the 18th century exclusively for agricultural purposes, the actual villa was only built in the 19th century. Characterised by terraces connected by walkways and balustrade staircases, with thick, lush vegetation, in 1934 it was renovated according to the style of Italian Renaissance gardens and officially opened in the 1960s. After years of closure for maintenance, it was reopened in 2017 thanks to an initiative promoted by some civic associations. (updated May 2022)

• 

  Parco Fluviale del Basento

  17 Parco Fluviale del Basento, Via della Chimica. A green area bordered by the San Vito bridge and the Musmeci bridge, it includes the Basento riverfront; it was created in 2018 after the redevelopment of the area near the city's main waterway. (updated May 2022)

• 18 Parco Baden Powell, Via Domenico di Giura, Viale Firenze, Via Angilla Vecchia, Via Lombardia. The park was created in 1955 at the behest of the Health Department, which wanted to provide a green area in front of the hospital building that was located there. On 17 July 2002 it was named after Robert Baden-Powell by Potenza Scouts. The area hosts various events throughout the year, including cultural, social, sports and recreational events. With a surface area of around 25,800 square metres, it is one of the largest parks available to citizens. In 2021, the park's play area was named after the sportswoman Marisol Lavanga, a 17-year-old girl who died in 2019. (updated May 2022)
• 19 Parco del Seminario, Via G. Marconi, 104, ☏ +39 0971 53414, info@parcodelseminariopotenza.it. Green area adjoining the Regional Pontifical Seminary, dating back to 1616. It was extended and completed in the second half of the same century by the Conventual Bishop Bonaventura Claverio. (updated May 2022)
• 20 Parco Elisa Claps, Via delle Medaglie Olimpiche, 40. Dedicated to the memory of Elisa Claps, a teenager from Potenza who disappeared on 12 September 1993 and whose body was found on 17 March 2010 in the Church of Santissima Trinità, resulting from a murder. The park is equipped for outdoor gymnastic activities and includes a trekking path and a picnic area. A TV series about her, called "Per Elisa" (For Elisa), has been shot in Potenza in 2023. It will be broadcasted on Rai 1 (Italian TV channel) and distributed all over the world by ITV Studios. (updated May 2022)
• 21 Parco del Rossellino, Via Parco Rossellino. A green lung located in the southern suburbs of the city, where you can find the Palapergola sports hall, near the Potenza Centro motorway junction. (updated May 2022)
• 22 Parco di Sant'Antonio La Macchia, Via Parco Sant'Antonio la Macchia, 25/A. Located in the eastern suburbs of the city, it was named after a church dedicated to the saint of the same name. In the past, it also housed a monastery of the Capuchin order, who settled there in 1530. (updated May 2022)
• 23 Parco dell'Europa Unita, Piazzale Bucarest, 17. Recently built, it is located in the densely populated district of Poggio Tre Galli. It has a cycle track and a pedestrian path accessible to people with reduced mobility. It is also known as Parco Mondo for the café of the same name you can find at the park entrance. (updated May 2022)
• 24 Parco Radici, Piazzale Budapest, 3. A green area created in 2018 within the modern district of Poggio Tre Galli, it includes a bike park and a dog-walking area. (updated May 2022)
• 25 Parco Tre Fontane, Via Francesco Saverio Nitti. Park built in 2009 as part of an urban redevelopment project in the Lucania, Parco tre Fontane and Francioso districts. (updated May 2022)

Do

Theaters and cinemas

• 

  Francesco Stabile Theatre

  1 Francesco Stabile Theatre, Piazza Mario Pagano, ☏ +3909714157511, teatro.stabile@comune.potenza.it. One of the cultural cornerstones of the city and the whole region: it is the only opera house in Basilicata. It was built by the end of the XIX century and declared Lucanian historic theatre in 2014. (updated Apr 2022)
• 2 Cineteatro Don Bosco, Piazza don Bosco, 11bis, ☏ +39 0971 445921, info@cineteatrodonbosco.com. Built in the early 1980s within the Salesian Opera of Potenza, it has 604 seats and is the largest theatre in the province of Potenza. (updated May 2022)
• 3 Cineteatro Due Torri, Via Due Torri, 5, ☏ +39 0971 2160, info@potenzacinema.it. It is located in a corner of the historical centre, near the areas of San Gerardo and San Giovanni. (updated May 2022)

Museums

• 4 National Archaeological Museum of Basilicata (Dinu Adamesteanu Museum), Via Andrea Serrao, 11, ☏ +390971323111, pm-bas.museopotenza@beniculturali.it. From Tuesday to Sunday 9 am - 8 pm.. It is the city's main museum institution, dedicated to the memory of archaeologist Dinu Adameșteanu. It displays archaeological artefacts from the Italic populations of pre-Roman Lucania, as well as findings from the Roman colonies of Potentia, Grumentum and Venusia. (updated May 2022)
• 5 Provincial Archaeological Museum, Via Lazio, 18, ☏ +390971444833, museo.provinciale@provinciapotenza.it. From Wednesday to Friday 8 am - 1 pm; 4 pm - 7 pm; on Tuesday 8 am - 1 pm. The city's second archaeological museum. It houses prehistoric, protohistoric and early Iron Age artefacts, as well as a collection of objects from the 8th to 5th century BC. (updated May 2022)
• 6 Provincial Art Gallery, Via Lazio, 8. It houses sculptures and paintings owned by the Provincial Administration, including the Crucifixion and Deposition by artists Antonio and Costantino Stabile. (updated May 2022)
• 7 Diocesan Museum of Potenza, Via Vescovado s.n.c, ☏ +39097121637, museodiocesanopotenza@gmail.com. It houses historical and artistic artefacts owned by the diocese of Potenza, including sacred objects made by Neapolitan master craftsmen between the 16th and 19th centuries. (updated May 2022)
• 8 Museum of contemporary figurative art, Via della Chimica, 115, ☏ +39 097122586. Dedicated to figurative art from the first half of the 20th century, it houses around 450 paintings and sculptures by prestigious Lucanian, Italian and foreign artists. The works are exhibited, cyclically, as part of theme-based temporary exhibitions. (updated May 2022)

Events and festivals

• Parata dei Turchi. 29/30 May. Costume parade depicting the legendary intervention of San Gerardo to save the town from the Turkish invasion, an event that has no historical veracity but is part of local folklore. In the parade, in addition to depicting San Gerardo, the Turkish invaders and the medieval soldiers defending the city, there are also figures representing the people of Potenza from the 12th, 16th and 19th centuries, wearing the traditional clothes and costumes of those historical periods. On 30 May, the celebrations in honour of the saint end with a religious procession through the streets of the historical centre.

• Maggio potentino. In May. This month in Potenza is traditionally dedicated to the organisation, by the municipal administration and local cultural associations, of cultural, food and wine and leisure events linked to the city's traditions, all culminating on 29 May with the historic Turkish parade.

• National fireworks festival "Fuochi sul Basento". A fireworks competition organised every year since 1989 at the beginning of September on the eastern suburbs of Potenza, where firework companies from all over Italy take part.
• Città delle cento scale Festival. An international festival of urban dance and performing arts in urban landscapes established in 2008 in cooperation with the city's cultural institutions such as the Polo Museale Regionale, the University, educational institutions and artistic and professional organisations, which aims to enhance disused or abandoned urban areas through cultural and artistic initiatives; it is generally held in September.

• WoodyGroove Festival. In June and July. Music festival that over the years has become one of the main events on the independent music scene in southern Italy.

• Presepe Vivente di Contrada Cavalieri. A living nativity scene organised since 1987 in the contrada of the same name, it has gained increasing importance over the years to the point of reaching the participation of 120 figures who, in addition to depicting the nativity, re-enact the ancient crafts of the town's rural and artisan traditions in special areas.
• Christmas markets (In the historic centre). In December and January. Organised by the municipal administration since 2010.

Eat

Strascinati with ragù alla potentina

Potenza's cuisine has its origins in the rural tradition and is famous for its pasta-based first courses, including strascinati (oblong and concave shaped-pasta), fusilli (spiral-shaped pasta), orecchiette (literally means "small ears" recalling its shape), maccheroni and ravioli alla potentina (small pasta envelopes containing ricotta and parsley, served with tomato sauce), as well as lagane, a typical pasta similar to tagliatelle but shorter in length, usually accompanied by beans or other legumes; the typical ragù alla potentina, also known as 'ndruppeche (glitch) in the local dialect, is also famous. The name of this condiment refers to the fact that when people eat it they stumble metaphorically over the pieces of meat it contains, that is beef and pork.

When it comes to savoury baked goods, we have the typical focaccia (a type of flat bread made with semolina, yeast and olive oil) that has various versions depending on the seasoning: with onions, peppers, aubergines, oregano.

Ciambotta

Then we have ciambotta (literally "mix" or "mess" in the local dialect), a vegetable-based thick soup.

Another typical dish is minestra maritata (literally "married soup" recalling the combination between the meat broth and the vegetables in the soup). According to the traditional version, it requires the addition of pork and is therefore called minestra maritata ricca. Baccalà alla potentina is the only fish-based dish in the typical cuisine, which also exists in a ciauredda version, that is a soup; pollo alla potentina, on the other hand, is one of the typical meat preparations.

You can enjoy the typical cuisine at some of the most renowned restaurants such as Taverna Oraziana and Goblin's, which are located in the historic centre. While making your "passeggiata" on the main street of the old town, Via Pretoria, you will pass a couple of gelaterias and cafés. One of the most renowned places in Potenza is Gran Caffé La Delizia, right in Piazza Mario Pagano, where you can stop for a coffee as well as eating pastries and ice creams.

There are amazing restaurants also far from the historic centre, such as Trattoria Zi Mingo, and of course some great pizzerias, like Taverna Ludwig and Casarsa, where you can try local products.