Five things to do in Potenza
The guidebooks don’t really recommend a visit to the regional capital of Basilicata. But we had a great time and enjoyed these five things to do in Potenza.
From the old town on top of the hill you’ll enjoy sweeping views of the surrounding countryside.
Potenza in Basilicata spreads across a high ridge 819 metres above sea level making it the highest regional capital in Italy. For this reason the weather often appears uninviting – at least when we’ve passed through – but this summer we finally stopped to have a look around.
The guidebooks don’t really recommend a visit, unless you have to change trains. Potenza has been ravaged by war and earthquakes, and very few of the ancient town’s original buildings have survived. So, even if Potenza can trace its roots back to pre-Roman times, don’t expect to find historic architectural and archaeological gems.
Instead Potenza is a place to relax and enjoy a slice of authentic south Italian living. Get to know the people, who are generally friendly and talkative even if the local dialect presents some challenges. Or follow these suggestion of five things to do in Potenza.
Stairs to the cathedral dressed up for a wedding.
No town without a church visit
The cathedral built in rough grey stones in the 12th century is one of the only historical buildings still standing, and for this reason alone it is a must-see. The church is located in a charming square where crowds of young people hang out at night and it is surrounded by pretty houses some of which have been part of a former convent structure.
The main shopping street in Potenza.
Window shopping in Via Pretoria
Via Pretoria is the main shopping street and the place to go for a nice passeggiata in the evening. It’s a souvenir free zone and there are few – if any – international chain stores around, which means you may find something unusual in the local shops with evocative names like ‘Redford’ and ‘Singer Magic Music’.
Sunday morning flea market on Piazza Mario Pagan0.
Hang out in front of the theatre
Piazza Mario Pagano in front of Palazzo del Governo and the theatre is an architectural atrocity with monstrous rusty lamplights. But kids love to play football in the square when daylight fades. There are giggling teenagers and coffee and drink sipping adults in cafés and porticoes along the periphery. And some Sunday mornings flea market vendors line up with old scooters, matchbox cars and other collector’s items.
One of the beautiful items displayed at the Basilicata’s Museum of Archaeology .
Ancient pottery shards
The archaeological museum charges an entrance fee of 2,5 euro. This modest sum gives you access to an impressively large collection of ancient Greek and Roman pottery, jewellery and religious objects found in catacombs and graves in eg. Metaponto and Matera. I won’t forget the beautiful bronze bird or the chequered, ceramic house with four feet.
There’s lots of exercise involved in a walk around Potenza.
Holiday step workout
Potenza is a delight of free exercise. There is supposed to be elevators to the old centre on the top of the hill from Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, but it’s more fun to use the omnipresent stairs as holiday step workout.
Italian Notes
This would have been a very incredible visit, and an area true to it’s charm and character when there are not a lot of tourist activity going on. Your 5 things to do in Potenza sound very relaxing and enjoyable. A 12th century cathedral would be absolutely AMAZING. All your pictures are incredible, I love how you captured the final one with that narrow building and the gently curving street. :)
Enjoyed reading this. Thank you for sharing! :)
~Carl~
Thank you for taking the time to read AND comment on this post. I really enjoy the feedback:)
I wanted to visit Potenza on my last visit in Puglia and Basilicata, but just couldn’t manage it. I’ll make sure to next time though! It’s great to see a first-hand account of choices in the oft-missed/ignored south too.
It’s always a great pleasure to visit some of the lesser known towns and cities in Italy. It gives you so much more to discover.
This is great info! We want to go to Potenza. So you took the train there? You don’t need a car to get there? Did you think this is a day trip from Naples or would you stay overnight? Thanks!!
We took the car, as we wanted to visit Pietrapertosa too, and there’s a steep one hour walk from the station to centro storico, so if you go by train from Naples, I’d definitely stay the night. That way you also have an excuse to try the brilliant restaurant on Via Marconi:)
Potenza is one of the most underrated historical cities in Italy but, at the same time, one of the most characteristic one because, for example, Potenza is the so called city of ‘100 stairs’ and also the ‘higher’ city in Italy (823 mt). Full of green, this city has many romantic sides. If you want really know Potenza please read this review and open these links. Thank you to everyone. Please note; ‘Potentia’ is the ancient Roman name of the city.
http://www.potentiareview.it/sito/guida-turistica-potenza-percorso-1-centro-storico/
http://www.potentiareview.it/sito/guida-turistica-potenza-percorso-2-la-direttrice-del-basento/
http://www.potentiareview.it/sito/guida-turistica-potenza-percorso-3-le-scale-ed-quartieri-sud/
http://www.potentiareview.it/sito/guida-turistica-potenza-percorso-4-santa-maria-ed-quartieri-nord/
http://www.potentiareview.it/sito/guida-turistica-potenza-percorso-5-itinerari-porta/
Thank you so much for sharing links to all these wonderful itineraries. Goes to prove there’s a lot more than 5 things to do in Potenza.
We knew a lot about my mother’s Sicilian family. We even visited them. But, we didn’t know anything about my father’s side of the family. I can’t describe the exhilaration that I felt when on Ancestry, I found that my grandfather was born in Potenza, Basilicata.
I am feeling that same exhilaration reading your article and, viewing the photos! I hope one day that I can go there. Covid , well no sense complaining there. It’s just that my bad knees are not getting any better.
your “Italian Notes” were just great!
Thank you so much for your story. I’m always a bit envious of Americans who can trace their ancestry to foreign places like Sicily and Basilicata. Potenza is a very peculiar and authentic kind of town far from the regular tourist trail, but you do need good knees to go there;)
Citta Bella! The city of my birth 1956.
My Grandfather was born in this region. Someday I hope to visit, thank you for your article.
We are training through Italy and I wanted to travel back up the backside of Italy and not retrace our same journey as getting to Solerno. We have a layover here in order to travel on to Bologna. After reading, I’m looking forward to just hanging out and experiencing the city for it’s history. Thank you!
I hope you’ll like it. It’s a special city, with very few tourists.