Metaponto is a small town of about 1,000 people in the
province of Matera,
Basilicata,
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 ...
. 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 ...
of
Bernalda.
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 cult ...
to defend
Sybaris from the growth of
Taranto. 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)
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.
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 and
Matera with
Taranto. It is composed by the main village and Metaponto Lido, the beach area. Between them there are located the ruins of
Metapontum 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 Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...
.
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