In this article, you will read about the 10 best things to do in Potenza Italy during your visit. The first thing we need to delve into is where Potenza is. Located at 819 meters above sea level, it extends northwest of the Lucanian Dolomites. The origins of Potenza (ancient Potentia) date back to the 4th century BC. The city is located 819 meters above sea level, while the oldest part, the one that still resembles an old village, is located even higher up, perched on a rocky outcrop. There are many historical and artistic beauties scattered throughout the city, which are divided into high and low, which are worth visiting at the right pace. This ancient city offers many touristic attractions and many beautiful places to see everyone during a weekend or a visit there. Let’s discover together what things to do in Potenza Italy.
10 Best Things to Do in Potenza Italy
- Church of San Michele Arcangelo
- National Archaeological Museum of Basilicata Dinu Adamesteanu
- Park of the Grange
- St Gerard’s Cathedral
- Guevara Tower
- Roman Villa of Malvaccaro
- Church of Santa Lucia
- Via Pretoria
- Francesco Stabile Theatre
- National Library of Potenza
1. Church of San Michele Arcangelo Potenza
The Church of San Michele is the oldest in the city of Potenza and is among the longest-lived monuments that you will find yourself visiting. In Romanesque style, the Church of San Michele was erected in 1178. In 1849 the church underwent an expansion . It has three naves and contains several valuable works: paintings, sculptures, and wooden carvings, most from the sixteenth century. It is located a few steps from the center of Piazza Mario Pagano, the main one of the city, where the nightlife of Potenza, Basilicata also takes place. The church of San Michele Arcangelo is one of the most amazing place to visit in Potenza Italy.
2. National Archaeological Museum of Basilicata Dinu Adamesteanu
Established in 2005 in Palazzo Loffredo, the National Archaeological Museum of Basilicata is dedicated to Dinu Adamesteanu, the “founder” of Lucan archeology. The museum is divided into two floors, following a chronological and territorial criterion, to offer the visitor a common thread, in the general framework of the archaeological discoveries that have taken place in the Region, with particular regard to the finds in the Potenza area. Of particular importance are the findings of Vaglio, from which come rich funerary objects, refined armor, and jewels from female tombs.
3. Park of the Grange
The Grancia di San Demetrio was a simple wood that was part of the fiefdom of Brindisi, enriched over the centuries with houses, vineyards, cattle farms, mills, and various other structures until it reached its maximum splendor during the 1700s. The laws feudal orders of 1806 suppressed the monastic orders to which management was entrusted, and so it became part of the state assets. Since 2000, the Grancia has been the setting for the first historical, rural, cultural, and environmental park in Italy, where the story is told through the point of view of the brigands in the Cinespettacolo ” La Storia Bandita “.
4. St Gerard’s Cathedral
The Cathedral of San Gerardo is the city’s cathedral and is undoubtedly the most important religious monument in Potenza. Majestic and elegant, it is dedicated to the Patron Saint of the Lucan city, San Gerardo (born Gerardo Della Porta) who worked here as bishop of the city. The Cathedral has its origins in the 12th century but has been remodeled several times until it acquired the neoclassical style we know today. On the entrance portal, there is a 17th-century coat of arms of Bishop Bonaventura. This place is listed from us as one of the things to do in Potenza Italy.
5. Guevara Tower Potenza
Built before the year 1000 by the Longobards, it was the worthy setting for the various dominations that followed Potenza. In 1626 the last owners, the feudal lords Carlo Loffredo and Beatrice Guevara, donated the entire building (except the tower) to the Capuchin friars of Sant’Antonio la Macchina. The building was used as a hospital, then as a hospital until 1935. Today the Torre Guevara is all that remains of the ancient castle and since 1980 it has been used as an art gallery.
6. Roman Villa of Malvaccaro
The Roman Villa of Malvaccaro is located just outside the historic center of Potenza and is a large stately home with a central mosaic that is still intact. The villa has been remodeled over the centuries and used as a storeroom and animal shelter. It is one of the few Roman archaeological remains recovered in the area and removed from overbuilding.
7. Church of Santa Lucia of Potenza
The Church of Santa Lucia in Potenza was located outside the city walls (today in the historic center, in the Portasalza district) around 1200. Inside the church, there are works of art from the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the years in which the village of Portasalza began to form. It has a single nave. Behind the main altar, in an aedicule, there is a seventeenth-century wooden statue of Saint Lucia, whose paternity is unknown. The stoup from the Church of Santa Maria del Sepolcro is valuable.
8. Via Pretoria
Via Pretoria is the best-known street in the city. It was almost certainly the Roman “Decumanus” and took on its current shape only at the end of the 19th century, following the demolition of some gates and content (alleyways). Located in the center of Potenza, also called “above Potenza”, Pretoria has long been the shopping street of Potenza. Over time, the city has extended to the foot of the hill that hosts it and many locals have moved down, especially along Via del Gallitello. Via Pretoria, however, is a completely pedestrian street that starts from what was once an access gate to the city.
9. Francesco Stabile Theatre of Potenza
The Francesco Stabile Theater was born following a petition from the citizens of Potenza, in 1856. The following year, however, the violent earthquake that struck various centers in the region forced the builders to interrupt the construction works. The resumption of work came after the unification of Italy, in 1865, with Giuseppe Pisanti. The Francesco Stabile Theater was inaugurated by King Umberto I in 1881. It was only in 1990, after yet another earthquake, that the Teatro Stabile saw the light again and showed its beauty. Although in miniature, it closely resembles the famous Teatro San Carlo in Naples. The Teatro Stabile is located in Piazza Mario Pagano and also has a reduced seating capacity of around a hundred.
10. National Library of Potenza
The National Library of Potenza was initially the detached section of the National Library of Naples. It has been autonomous since the end of 1985. Since 1995, due to the unusability of the old headquarters, it has been located in the premises of Palazzo Giuzio via Del Gallitello and covers an area of over 6,000 square meters. It is located on several floors and winds through seven rooms. Of interest is the Lucan section which collects books and writings from the region.