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lido di metaponto |
| Metaponto today is a straggling, amorphous place, comprising train
station, museum and ruins. Arriving at the station, you're 3km from the
LIDO DI METAPONTO , where there are sandy, well-equipped beaches ,
numerous campsites and a handful of hotels. Two of the campsites - the
Lido (tel 0835.741.884) and Magna Grecia (tel 0835.741.855) - also have
bungalows available (both L90,000-120,000/46.48-61.98); all have their
own beaches and the bigger ones have tennis, discos and other facilities.
For moderately priced hotels , try the well-equipped Kennedy, at Via
Jonio 1 (tel 0835.741.960; L60,000-90,000/30.99-46.48), or the drably
old-fashioned Sacco Dipendenza, in Via Olimpia (tel 0835.741.930;
L90,000-120,000/46.48-61.98; June-Sept); both are about 1km from the
station, off the Lido road. For the first batch of ruins, take the next turning on the right after the Lido junction (coming from the station) and follow the narrow lane down to the wide site - signposted Zona Archeologica - which has the remains of a theatre and a Temple of Apollo Licius. The latter is a sixth-century BC construction that once possessed 32 columns, but you need some imagination to picture its original appearance. In a better state of preservation is the Temple of Hera , or Tavole Palatine, 2-3km north, where the main SS106 crosses the Bradano (take one of the buses to Táranto from Metaponto station). With fifteen of its columns remaining, it is the most suggestive remnant of this once mighty state. A selection of other survivals can be seen at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale (Mon 2-8pm, Tues-Sun 9am-8pm; L5000/2.58), opposite the sanctuary of Apollo Licio, about a kilometre outside Metaponto town (and well signposted). The exhibits are mainly fourth- and fifth-century statuary, ceramics and jewellery, though administrative and financial problems have meant that only a small fraction of the finds are displayed, and work on a new wing has stopped indefinitely. Nonetheless, there is a fascinating section on the new insights revealed by the study of fingerprints on shards found in the artisans' quarter, and look out too for examples of the famous coins. |