Potenza, the vertical city

Potenza, the regional capital of Basilicata, is the first municipality by number of inhabitants. It is called the vertical city for its urban layout and for the position of the historic center, located on the top of the hill.

In the central square it is possible to admire many important buildings, such as the Palazzo della Prefettura and the adjacent Teatro Stabile.

The Teatro Stabile is a small architectural jewel, whose structure takes inspiration from the San Carlo Theater in Naples and the Scala in Milan. It is the only opera house in Basilicata.

Near Piazza Mario Pagano there is also the Church of San Francesco, built in 1247, which has a portal with wooden shutters and a bell tower erected in the fifteenth century.

Moving towards the Cathedral, we come across the Tempietto di San Gerardo, a votive shrine commonly known as "San Gerardo of marble". It preserves the statue of the patron saint of the city made by the sculptor from Potenza Antonio Busciolano.

The Cathedral is also named after San Gerardo, where the remains of the Saint are kept, which has neoclassical elements commissioned by Bishop Andrea Serrao.

Potenza rises in the high valley of the Basento river, which flows placidly at the foot of the city, crossed by the Musmeci Bridge, named after the engineer Sergio Musmeci.

The vertical nature of the city made it necessary to build the longest escalator in Europe, second in the world only to that of Tokyo, which allows you to reach the historic center on the top of the city, starting from the bottom of the valley.