Has anyone visited the archeological sights near Metaponto? I have found the following: (a) the Parco Archeologico dell'Area Urbana di Metaponto, an archaeological site of ruins, open only Fri-Sun 2pm-7pm(?); (b) the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Metaponto, a museum of artifacts; and (c) Temple of Hera / Palatine Tables, temple ruins. Are any of these worth a day-trip from Matera?
Posted by
5133 posts
Where are you headed after Matera? We were driving past anyway, so we stopped and saw the temple. It is interesting because of the setting--right off a highway just tucked away. If you have never seen temples before, then maybe worth it, but probably only for the true archaeology fan. If you are driving past Taranto, the archaeological museum there is supposed to be excellent.
One day trip from Matera that I found very interesting was Craco. It is the site of an abandoned village and we had a great guide.
If you ever have a chance to see the temples at Paestum, they are quite extraordinary.
Posted by
OP
Toronto area, Canada
174 posts
@valadelphia: My wife and I have been to Matera and also Paestum (Greek temple ruins) previously. On this trip, with my brother, he particularly wants to see the East, South and West coasts, so we’re thinking about adding Metaponto as a day-trip from Matera. After Matera we’ll head over to Paestum and the Amalfi coast. …Craco sounds interesting, I’ll check into it.
Posted by
Pacific Northwest
2691 posts
We were just there last week. We were on a tour so it was a planned stop and required no effort on our part - so I didn’t pick the sites. The archeological park was interesting for a few minutes - we just looked around at the temple remains. We then went over to the museum and spent about 30 minutes there on a guided tour. The museum was empty aside from us. Check the opening times of the museum - we were told that they were just about to close down for awhile as they are doing a big remodel. I can’t confirm that online - I just did a little looking around and don’t see any mention of it.
Was it worth it? I don’t know - I wouldn’t have picked it on my own but I’m not big into museums like that. Do you have enough time in Matera? We loved it there.