Metaponto is a small town of about 1,000 people in the

province of Matera The province of Matera ( it, Provincia di Matera; Materano: ) is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Matera. It has an area of and a total population of 201,133; the city Matera has a population of 61,204. T ...

Basilicata it, Lucano (man) it, Lucana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Administratively it is a

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

Bernalda Bernalda ( Metapontino: or ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. The frazione of Metaponto is the site of the ancient city of Metapontum. Until the 15th century, it was called Cam ...

History

The town was built by the

ancient Greeks Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cultu ...

to defend

Sybaris Sybaris ( grc, Σύβαρις; it, Sibari) was an important city of Magna Graecia. It was situated in modern Calabria, in southern Italy, between two rivers, the Crathis (Crati) and the Sybaris (Coscile). The city was founded in 720 BC ...

from the growth of

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...

. A 1 km stretch of beach with white powdery sand is a further tourist attraction. The city of Metaponto was built by Greek settlers of Achaia in the second half of the 7th century to defend themselves from the continuous expansion of Taranto. One of its strengths was the fertility of its territory, witnessed by the barley ear depicted in the coins and, therefore, also a symbol of the city. Metapontus allied himself with Sibari and Crotone, participated in the destruction of Siris, and aided Athens in the expedition to

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. In 280 BC, during the Battle of Heraclea, he allied with Pyrrhus and Tarantus against Rome. The war was won by Rome and, therefore, Metapontus was punished. Pisticci helped many people by giving them refuge, remaining, during the battle, the only city loyal to Metaponto. In 207 BC Metapontus offered hospitality to Hannibal, but the Romans punished her by destroying her, but in the first century before Christ returned to its maximum splendor, continuing its expansion until the Roman age. Today, in Metaponto you can visit the Palatine Tables and the National Archaeological Museum.

Geography

Metaponto is located by the Ionian Coast on the road linking

Potenza Potenza (, also , ; , Potentino dialect: ''Putenz'') is a ''comune'' in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata (former Lucania). Capital of the Province of Potenza and the Basilicata region, the city is the highest regional capital and one ...

and Matera with

. It is composed by the main village and Metaponto Lido, the beach area. Between them there are located the ruins of

Metapontum Metapontum or Metapontium ( grc, Μεταπόντιον, Metapontion) was an important city of Magna Graecia, situated on the gulf of Tarentum, between the river Bradanus and the Casuentus (modern Basento). It was distant about 20 km from ...

and the

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

Gallery

File:Positioncitybernalda.png, Location Map File:Metaponto Lido.jpg, The beach

External links

Frazioni of the Province of Matera Beaches of Basilicata Seaside resorts in Italy Railway towns in Italy {{Basilicata-geo-stub