Published on: 15 January 2016 | Last updated: 2 January 2020
Basilicata coast on the SS18 heading for Maratea
The final section is the shortest but possibly the most dramatic as you follow the road along the coast of Basilicata before reaching Praia a Mare in Calabria.
At a glance
Distance
50 kilometres
Difficulty/Terrain
Moderately challenging. There’s quite a lot of climbing on this section, but none of the climbs are long or steep.
Traffic
Outside of the main tourist season this road should be pretty quiet, but the Basilicata section of the SS18 is known as being a great scenic stretch of road, it could get busier during the main tourist season.
Surface
Tarmac in good condition.
Map and altitude profile
Powered by WP-GPX Maps
tips for using the map
Run your cursor over the graph to show the elevation, and distance from the start, for any given point on the route. (Note: the altitude graph is not shown where the route is flat).
Click the little icon in the right-hand corner to see the map fullscreen
| Distances | |
|---|---|
| Sapri to Maratea | 15 kms |
| Maratea to Praia a Mare | 17 kms |
| Praia a Mare to San Nicola Arcella | 11 kms |
| San Nicola Arcella to Scalea | 7 kms |
Campania: the coast road south of Sapri
This final section is the shortest, but quite possibly the most spectacular of the whole route. The ride from Sapri to the Marina di Maratea is only about 20 kilometres but is possibly the most dramatic road on the whole of the Italian coast. Steinbeck’s memorable phrase describing the Amalfi coast road
“ a road, high, high above the blue sea, that hooked and corkscrewed on the edge of nothing… And below us, and it seemed sometimes under us, a thousand feet below lay the blue Tyrrhenian ”
Would definitely apply to this section of road, carved out of the rock face, with the waves breaking on the rocks far below.
The section takes you along the costiera tirrenica of the Basilicata region (Basilicata also has an Ionian coast).
Basilicata coast on the SS18 heading for Maratea
Maratea
Maratea is one of southern Italy’s most stylish and fashionable seaside resorts. It is perhaps best known for the 21-metre high statue of the Cristo Redentore (Christ the Redeemer), built high on Monte San Biagio above Maratea. If you have the energy there’s a strada panoramica which takes you to the foot of statue from where you can enjoy the views over the Calabria and Basilicata coasts.
San Biagio is buried in Sevastopol cathedral — or at least most of him is: some of his bones were sent to Rome in 732, but a storm forced the ship carrying the relics to take shelter in Maratea where the bones have remained ever since.
Matera was an important religious centre - it’s known as the Città delle 44 chiese after the 44 churches and chapels around the town and in the surrounding area. There were also three monasteries and a convent
Basilicata coast on the SS18 heading for Maratea
The old village, now abandoned, is on the slopes of Monte Biagio. At the sea edge is the port and modern seaside development, and in between the centro storico. I missed the turn for the centre - I should have turned off the SS18 and onto the SP3 and Via San Nicolà.
Along the road to Calabria is the Grotta delle Meraviglie (“The cave of marvels”).
Basilicata coast near the Marina di Maratea
The Basilicata section ends at Castrocucco. From here you can either stay on the SS18 - or take the old road (now the SP1) as it hugs the coastline between Praia a Mare and San Nicolà Arcella.
Praia a Mare is one of Calabria’s leading seaside resorts. It’s a pleasant place for an overnight stop or for a meal. Look out for the Torre dei Fiuzzi - one of the grandest defensive towers along the coast which looks out over the Isola di Dino, and the Norman Rocca di Pietore high above the town.
Calabria coast: on the road to San Nicolà Arcella, looking back towards Praia a Mare and the Isola di Dino
This is another road that clings to the cliff-side as if follows the coast. In contrast, high above you, the SS18 strides down the coast on huge concrete viaducts.
There has been a lot of property development around San Nicolà Arcella, but there’s an attractive centre that’s worth a stop.
From San Nicolà, again you have the choice of either taking the SS18 or the SP1 as they descend down into the town of Scalea.
There’s a station at Scalea (official name Scalea Santa Domenica Talao) with regular bike-friendly services north to Napoli and beyond. There’s nothing to stop you continuing south, however, while there are a couple of interesting places along the way (especially Diamanté) the coast south from Scalea really isn’t very interesting until you get to Pizzo.
Options and connections
You can continue south along the SS18 as it heads through Calabria. But if you do, be prepared for a big feeling of anti-climax.
Calabria coast: the old coast road between Praia a Mare and San Nicolà Arcello
More information
Places to stay
Transport and services
Calabria coast: cyclist on the old coast road between Praia a Mare and San Nicolà Arcello (on the left of the picture is part of the SS18 viaduct)
Articles in this series
- Southern Tyrrhenian Coast overview
- Southern Tyrrhenian Coast Part: 1: the Costiera Amalfitana from Sorrento to Salerno
- Southern Tyrrhenian Coast: Part 2: the Costiera Cilentana from Salerno to Acciaroli
- Southern Tyrrhenian Coast: Part 3: The Costiera Cilentana from Acciaroli to Sapri
- Southern Tyrrhenian Coast: Part 4: Basilicata and Calabria from Sapri to Scalea
Get in touch
Please get in touch if you find any errors in the information, or if there’s anything, good or bad, that you’d want other cyclists to know.
Join the mailing list?
If you’ve found this site useful why not sign up to the mailing list for occasional updates about new routes.