What to do in Maratea
The whole area is well endowed with sandy beaches, including those at Fiumicello and Acquafredda; most are well signposted, but don’t hesitate to explore the less obvious ones. The coast is also home to fifty or so grottoes, most accessible only by boat; enquire at the tourist office for boat rental agencies.
If you fancy some exercise, try climbing up to Monte San Biagio (624m), the highest point above Maratea. The peak is dominated by the Redentore, an enormous marble Christ symbolically positioned with its back to the sea, looking towards the mountains of the interior. Opposite the statue, and looking as if it were about to be crushed under the giant’s feet, is an eighteenth-century church, the Santuario di San Biagio, dedicated to the town’s patron saint. On the second Sunday of May, a statue of the saint is carried up the hill in a large procession.
Top image: Old town of Maratea, Basilicata, Italy © mRGB/Shutterstock