Policoro Beach

Policoro Lido runs along the seafront of Policoro, a town in the province of Matera built near the ruins of the ancient Greek city of Heraclea. The beach is long, around 7.4 km, and the sea has a sandy bottom that deepens gradually, which is one reason it's popular with families and weaker swimmers.

Policoro sits on the site of ancient Heraclea, a Greek colony founded in this part of the Ionian coast, and later the site of a major battle between Pyrrhus and Rome in 280 BC. That history sits a short distance inland from the beach, with the archaeological park and the Museo Archeologico Nazionale della Siritide covering the excavated ruins. The beach itself stretches for roughly 7.4 km between the mouths of the Agri and Sinni rivers, giving it real room to spread out compared with some of the more compact stretches further up the Basilicata coast. The Marina di Policoro tourist port splits the shoreline into Lido Nord and Lido Sud, each carrying Blue Flag status, and the sand is generally fine, though pebbles show up near the water's edge in some spots. The southern end borders the Bosco Pantano natural reserve and the WWF Oasis Policoro Herakleia, a protected stretch of Mediterranean woodland and wetland that's also a known nesting site for loggerhead sea turtles. That proximity gives Policoro Lido a different character from a typical built-up beach resort, wilder and greener at the edges even while the central lungomare stays lively with beach clubs, restaurants and evening events through summer. For the best experience, pair a morning at the central lido with an afternoon at the archaeological site or the WWF Oasis, both close enough to combine with a beach day without much extra driving.

Other beaches in Liguria are shown on the map — tap a pin to open its page.