What to see in Policoro, an important center in the province of Matera, from the archaeological park to the baronial palace, itinerary including Mother Church, walled gardens, Sanctuary of Madonna del Ponte and Pantano wood.
Tourist information
Located in the Metaponto plain less than three kilometers from the Ionian coast, Policoro in the past was part of Montalbano Jonico, until its independence as a municipality obtained in 1959, as a result of which the town had a strong impulse that made its local economy grow .
The origins of Policoro date back to 680 BC, when the first inhabited center arose in the place where the ancient Greek cities of Heraclea and Siris were located.
Having become the main center of the Italiot League in the year 374 BC, Policoro managed his own laws, also minting a coin bearing the effigy of Hercules with the club and the lion Nemeo, which later became the symbol of the municipality.
There is no shortage of testimonies regarding the presence of these ancient settlements, which tell the history of the area, such as those present in the National Museum of Siridite, which preserves many finds, as well as a prehistoric and medieval documentation of these places.
The Archaeological Park of Policoro includes the excavations of Siris, with which ancient houses were brought to light, in addition to the walls, shrines and necropolises.
As for the excavations of Heraclea, the city walls and the remains of the ancient city are visible, as well as the Tables of Heraclea, which were found at Acinapura in 1732, made of bronze, which show the list of laws concerning the organization of the fields agricultural.
What see
The thirteenth-century Baronial Palace and, in the immediate vicinity, groups of small peasant houses deserve attention.
The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Ponte, which dates back to the thirteenth century, has an extremely simple facade, consisting of barely wavy lines that contribute to providing the entire building with greater harmony, inside two wooden statues deserve to be seen, one of the Madonna del Ponte and one of San Vito.
The Mother Church is also worth visiting, even if it is a modern construction, and the Walled Gardens, where vegetables and orchards were grown during the baronial period.
In the vicinity of Policoro there is the church of Santa Maria d'Anglona, a Byzantine cathedral built on top of the remains of an Italian settlement from the 7th century BC.
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While tracing the origins of this church to the early Middle Ages, the current building is the result of a reconstruction that took place over time, inside there are frescoes from various eras.
Bosco Pantano is considered by experts to be a rare example of forest on flat land, overlooking the Ionian Sea and with a significant naturalistic and scientific interest, as it is considered essential for the survival of particular species of trees.
Marina di Policoro is populated by bathers during the summer, thanks to the presence of accommodation facilities, bathing establishments and a marina.
