Policoro, Administrative commune in Basilicata region, Italy
Policoro is a commune in the province of Matera in southern Italy, a few kilometers from the Ionian Sea. The town sits on flat terrain with wide fields and lies in a region where farming and tourism shape the landscape.
The area was inhabited by Greek settlers in the fifth century before Christ, who founded the city of Heraclea here. Over the centuries different rulers came and went, until a new settlement emerged in the Middle Ages that later received its present name.
The National Museum of Siritide displays pottery and tools recovered from the colonies of Siris and Heraclea, including vases and jewelry found in Greek family tombs. Visitors can walk through the exhibition halls and see how people lived along this coast more than two millennia ago.
The town center lies a few kilometers from the sea and can be reached easily by road, while the coastal area sees more visitors in summer. Those wishing to reach the beach will find connections between center and coast mainly during the warm season.
Bronze tablets with Greek and Latin laws from the third century before Christ were found nearby and are now kept in Naples. These tablets provide insight into the organization and daily life of the ancient settlement of Heraclea.
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