Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Potenza (Italy). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Musmeci Bridge, Potenza Cathedral, and Church of St. Michael the Archangel. Also, be sure to include Santa Maria del Sepolcro in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Potenza (Basilicata).
Table of Contents
Musmeci Bridge
Also known as: Ponte sul Basento
Bridge in Potenza, Italy. The “Viadotto dell’Industria”, also known as "Bridge over the Basento" river or Musmeci Bridge, connects Potenza city centre exit on the Sicignano-Potenza motorway with the main access roads in the southern part of the city, which is in Italy.
Designed by the Italian engineer Sergio Musmeci in 1967, and built between 1971 and 1976, the bridge perfectly incarnates Musmeci's architectural theories. The structure cost about 920,000,000 Italian liras (equivalent to €4,000,000 in 2016).
The structure's uniqueness is due to its construction: it is made of only one membrane of reinforced concrete (about 30 cm (1 ft) thick) molded to form four contiguous arches. The concrete sheet is shaped into a “finger-like” structure, which supports the whole bridge, and it is also used as a pedestrian walkway. Different studies performed an extended analysis and discussion on the actual structural form of the bridge over the Basento river.
The bridge was built without using prefabricated elements, but only shuttering of concrete. Edilstrade Forlì-Castrocaro was the company that constructed the bridge.
Projects and planimetries are collected in the “Musmeci Sergio and Zanini Zenaide archive” which in 1997 was declared of great historical interest by the Archival superintendence of Lazio. Then in 2003, it was referred by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture as an example of architecture from the 20th century in the MAXXI (The National Museum of the 21st Century Arts, Rome). In 2003, the bridge was declared a “monument of cultural interest” by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture.[1]
Potenza Cathedral
Also known as: Cattedrale di San Gerardo
Cathedral in Potenza, Italy. The Cathedral of San Gerardo is the main church or duomo of the city of Potenza, capital of the province of the same name, and of the region of Basilicata, Italy.[2]
Address: Via Vincenzo Scafarelli, 6, 85100 Potenza
Church of St. Michael the Archangel
Also known as: Chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo
Catholic church in Pomarico, Italy. San Michele Arcangelo is a romanesque-style Roman Catholic church in the city of Potenza, region of Basilicata, Italy.[3]
Address: Via Achille Rosica, 85100 Potenza
Santa Maria del Sepolcro
The Santa Maria del Sepolcro is a gothic-style architecture church located on Via Pretorio 109 in the town of Potenza, region of Basilicata, Italy.
The church is located at the crossing of two Roman roads, and is the locale where tradition holds that the St Gerard of Potenza, then bishop of the town, transmuted water into wine.
A church was erected in the early 12th century by the Knights Templar, but was placed under the bishop in 1314. Rebuilt in 1488, and refurbished in 1652, at which time, the church was affiliated with an order of observant Franciscans.
The interior has a baroque altar (1656) with an urn putatively holding a relic of the blood of Christ. The nave ceiling has octagonal gilded wood cassettoni. The church has a 16th-century Immaculate Conception with St Francis and St Roch; a Madonna of the Graces with Saints Francis and Patrick (1582); and a Adoration of the Shepherds by Giovanni Ricca.[4]
Address: Piazzale Aldo Moro, 85100 Potenza
San Francesco
San Francesco is a romanesque-Gothic-style Roman Catholic church in the city of Potenza, region of Basilicata, Italy.[5]
Address: Via Nicola Alianelli, 4, 85100 Potenza
Museo archeologico nazionale della Basilicata
Museum in Potenza, Italy. The National Archaeological Museum of Basilicata is an archaeological museum located in Potenza, Italy. It is located at the Palazzo Loffredo and holds objects discovered from excavations in the surrounding territory. It is dedicated to archaeologist Dinu Adameșteanu.
The museum provides a general overview of the archaeological finds of the region of Basilicata. The exhibition follows a chronological and geographical order.[6]
Address: Via Andrea Serrao 11, 85100 Potenza
Torre Guevara
The Guevara Tower is located on Bonaventura Street on the eastern edge of the historic center of the city of Potenza and is an ancient monument built in the 9th century AD that was part of the no longer existing city castle.
Teatro Francesco Stabile
The Francesco Stabile Municipal Theater is the main theater in the city of Potenza. Located in the historic center in Mario Pagano Square, it is named after the Lucanian musician Francesco Stabile. It is the only opera house in Basilicata and the only historic theater in the region. It is considered the most representative building in the Lucanian capital.
Address: Piazza Mario Pagano, 85100 Potenza
Via Pretoria
The historic center of Potenza is the first district of the city in Lucania. It is the oldest part of the city, in which most of the historical buildings and evidence of the city's past are located; it also includes the point of the city with the highest measured altitude, which corresponds to 819 m above sea level. The district is popularly called Sopra Potenza, in reference to its elevated position above the rest of the city.
Address: Via Pretoria,86, Potenza
Biblioteca Nazionale
Library
Address: Via del Gallitello 103, 85100 Potenza
Biblioteca Provinciale
Library
Address: Via Maestri del Lavoro 13, 85100 Potenza