Basilicata · Matera
Nova Siri
A 350-meter Ionian hill town with a Blue Flag beach nine kilometers below, near the site of the ancient Greek colony of Siris.
Known for
BLUE FLAG
Marina di Nova Siri has held the Bandiera Blu since 2018, with sandy Ionian beaches and pine forest behind the dunes.
SIRIS
Near the seventh-century BC Ionian Greek colony of Siris, whose river, today's Sinni, names the region of Siritide.
SPIGHE VERDI
FEE rural-environmental award held by the commune, recognising sustainable land management alongside the Blue Flag coast.
When to visit
Best · May–Sep
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
The festa: Giuseppe, 19 March
Why come
Nova Siri exists in two parts. The old town sits on a hill nine kilometers inland; Marina di Nova Siri lies on the Ionian Sea below, developed from the 1970s onward as a beach town. The site is on the southern edge of Basilicata where the region meets Calabria, near the ancient Greek colony of Siris, founded by Ionian settlers in the seventh century BC and destroyed in the sixth, whose territory gave the region its name of Siritide and whose river, the modern Sinni, still defines the comune.
Byzantine military use followed in the early medieval period. The Torre Bollita, a semicircular tufo tower inside the medieval walls, is the surviving fortification; in its vicinity, the remains of a Hellenistic necropolis have come to light. The Chiesa Madre dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta dates to the sixteenth century.
The Marina holds the Bandiera Blu since 2018, with wide sandy beaches, dunes and pine forest behind. Spighe Verdi recognises the commune's rural and environmental management.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Nova Siri’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Marina di Nova Siri
Bandiera Blu beach since 2018, with sandy coast, dunes and a pine-shaded promenade nine kilometers below the old town.
Torre Bollita
Semicircular tufo defensive tower within the medieval walls, the surviving fortification of the historic centre.
Chiesa Madre di Santa Maria Assunta
Sixteenth-century mother church in the old town, dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta, the village's patron saint and protectress.
Necropoli ellenistica
Hellenistic burial remains near Torre Bollita, traces of the ancient Siritide territory that took its name from the Greek colony of Siris.
Castello
Medieval fortification overlooking the old town from above, remodelled multiple times across the centuries since the Byzantine period.
The slow-trip planner
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Living here
- Population 6,784
- Off the beaten pathi
- Pharmacy: none mapped
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Bari / Brindisi, 2 h 7 min drive
- Regional capital Potenza, 2 h 9 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 350 m
- Population: 6,784
- Surface area: 52.75 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Close by
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🟦 Bandiera Blu
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