BASILICATA OR LUCANIA ?
Origin of the name "Lucania"
Consistent immigration of populations from Anatolia, the so-called lyki, who settled in the valley of the Basento river around 1200 BC, give the first hypothesis of the origin of the name later given to the region.
Another legend reports the name of Lucania to the Osco-Sabellian population of the Lucani, led by the mythical Lucus, barbarians from central Italy who settled in an area that goes from the current Paestum in Campania and passing from Maratea to the mouth of the Lao river in Calabria. and extended up to the Ionian Sea (the so-called Great Lucania, see below).
All this around the fourth / fifth century BC.
Basilicata & surrounding
I was born in Basilicata. Yes, Basilicata exists. It's a bit like the concept of God, do you believe it or you don't believe it. I believe in Basilicata. I saw her!
( Rocco Papaleo, Basilicata Coast to Coast )
" Basilicata, lucky discovery!" is the fortunate slogan of a recent tourism promotion campaign for the Lucanian territory, which aims to make the world aware of the beauties and secrets of this region.
Usually, we think about Coast to Coast trips that cross the United States, like the famous Route 66, spanning nearly 4,000 kilometers from Chicago to Santa Monica. And then there's the whole story of "cammini" or walking paths, like the one in Santiago or even the "via Francigena" here in Italy. However, perhaps we don't realize that we can tackle fantastic routes that cut straight through our country from East to West and vice versa. These are itineraries suitable for everyone, even for beginners and they don't necessarily have to be completed on foot. We're talking, of course, about the route "invented" by Rocco Papaleo with his perhaps most famous film about Basilicata. Here you'll find a proposed itinerary to connect the Tyrrhenian coast to the Ionian coast through the most interesting places to visit. A Basilicata Coast to Coast for an alternative vacation and to get to know the Lucanian territory.
The Land of Light
Some believe the name comes from "lucus," which means forest or better yet, the clearing within a forest where light can be seen; according to other historians, it derives from the Greek "Likos," meaning wolf, due to the extensive presence of these animals in the vast forests of the region.
The last suggestive hypothesis takes up the legend that a people of Sannites heading south arrived in a land from which the sun rises, thus "land of light," that is Lucania.
In 1200 AD, the name Basilicata was first mentioned, derived from the Greek word Basilikos, which was used to refer to the Byzantine rulers of the region.
The current administrative boundaries were defined by Napoleon in 1806, creating the province of Basilicata with Potenza as its capital.
After the brief interlude during the fascist period when the name was restored to Lucania, with the Republic the Region reverted to being called Basilicata, thus giving rise to the only case in Italy of a Region whose inhabitants' name does not directly derive from the toponym of the Region: the residents of Basilicata are called Lucani.
BASILICATA
In the current coat of arms of Basilicata, the four major rivers that cross it are represented:
Bradano, Basento, Sinni, Agri
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