The most important Roman site in the region, with theatre and amphitheatre
In the Val d'Agri, the green valley of southern Basilicata, at the foot of the hill on which the village of Grumento Nova stands, lie the remains of Grumentum, the most important Roman city in the region and one of the best preserved archaeological sites of southern Italy. Founded around the third century BC, in the territory of the Lucanians, the ancient Italic people who gave the region its old name, Lucania, it became a prosperous Roman town, on an important road junction, and remained inhabited until the early Middle Ages, when its inhabitants, threatened by the Saracens, took refuge on the nearby hill, where the present village stands. The ruins, surrounded by fields and with the mountains of the Val d'Agri as a backdrop, create a landscape of great charm.
The archaeological park of Grumentum allows you to walk along the paved Roman streets, among the remains of the forum, with temples and the basilica, the baths, with mosaics, and the houses of the wealthy inhabitants, the domus, with mosaic floors. The most spectacular monuments are the theatre, of the first century BC, small but well preserved, with its tiers and stage, used today for summer performances, and the amphitheatre, elliptical, which could hold several thousand spectators, on the edge of the city. In Grumento Nova, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale dell'Alta Val d'Agri displays the finds from the excavations, including statues, inscriptions, ceramics, coins and jewellery, which tell the life of the city. Nearby is the artificial lake of the Pertusillo.
Tip: visit the museum and the park together; check the programme of summer performances in the Roman theatre.
Where it is
More things to see in Basilicata
Where to stay near Grumento Nova
Tours and activities nearby
Offers from GetYourGuide. Some links are affiliate links: if you book we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.