Calabria and Basilicata

Calabria and Basilicata are southerly regions of outstanding natural beauty , with an unspoiled coastline of bays , coves and long sandy stretches of beach interspersed with lush , Mediterranean vegetation and a mountainous interior both forested and scorched bare in parts , where traditional crafts are practised in the perched villages and wild animals such as boar and wolves still roam in the forests and hills . Both regions have coastlines on the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas and although until recently barely visited by the tourist , both regions were influenced over the centuries by the Greeks , Lombards , Byzantines and Normans , as reflected in the architecture and is indicative of a more prosperous past . The towns of Cosenza , Catanzaro , Potenza and Matera are all of historic interest and worthy of visiting .