Basilicata · Matera
Miglionico
A hilltop borgo above the Bradano, the seven-tower castle that gave the 1485 Conspiracy of the Barons its hall.
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 32 min from Bari
- Population
- 2,372
Known for
MALCONSIGLIO
Seven-tower castle from the eighth or ninth century, expanded in 1110 and the fifteenth, where the Conspiracy of the Barons met in 1485.
CIMA POLYPTYCH
1499 polyptych by Cima da Conegliano in the Chiesa Madre, one of the finest Renaissance paintings in Basilicata.
OIL
Olive groves on the slopes between the Bradano and Basento, anchor of the Città dell'Olio designation, oil pressed locally each autumn.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J11°
- F13°
- M14°
- A18°
- M23°
- J30°
- J34°
- A32°
- S27°
- O22°
- N16°
- D13°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: Pietro, 29 June
Why come
Miglionico sits on a hill between the Bradano and Basento rivers, twelve kilometers from Matera in the central-eastern Matera province. The town is dominated by the Castello del Malconsiglio, the Castle of the Bad Council, built in the eighth or ninth century, enlarged in 1110 and again in the fifteenth century, with seven towers in a parallelogram plan: some square and oldest, two double towers, and circular towers at the corners. The castle gave its name and its hall to the Conspiracy of the Barons in 1485, when the Sanseverino and Del Balzo families convened here to plot the overthrow of King Ferdinand I of Aragon.
The room where they met is still called the Sala del Malconsiglio, the Hall of Bad Counsel; the conspiracy failed and the families were destroyed. Miglionico is one of the Borghi più belli d'Italia and carries the Città dell'Olio designation for the olive groves on the surrounding slopes.
The Sunday letter
Miglionico is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Miglionico comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Miglionico in our articles
The best olive oil towns in Basilicata7 towns, Miglionico among them.
The best towns with a food festival in Basilicata7 towns, Miglionico among them.
The 8 prettiest small villages in Basilicata8 towns, Miglionico among them.
The 9 best hill towns in the province of Matera9 towns, Miglionico among them.
How to get there
From Bari / Brindisi (BRI), about 1h 29m by car.
Naples / Salerno (NAP) is about 3h 15m away.
By car from the centre of Bari 1h 32m, Salerno 2h 32m or Lecce 3 hours.
Coming by train into Taranto? Miglionico is about 1h 30m away by road.
What to see
Castello del Malconsiglio
Castle with seven towers in a parallelogram plan, built in the eighth or ninth century, expanded in 1110 and the fifteenth century, site of the 1485 Conspiracy of the Barons.
Sala del Malconsiglio
The hall inside the castle where the Sanseverino and Del Balzo families plotted against Ferdinand I of Aragon in 1485; the room from which the castle takes its name.
Chiesa Madre di Santa Maria Maggiore
Mother church on the high point of the village, with a polyptych by Cima da Conegliano dated 1499, one of Basilicata's finest Renaissance works.
Centro storico
Medieval ridge town below the castle, with stone lanes, small piazzas and the olive groves of Città dell'Olio on the surrounding slopes.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Miglionico fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
Through the year
What happens here
Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.
XIX Sagra dei Fichi Secchi e dei Sapori d'Autunno di Miglionicofood festival
usually held in September. TrovaSagre
Living here
- Population 2,372
- Remotei
- Pharmacy in town
- Nearest high school over ~30 minutes away
- Nearest airport Bari / Brindisi, 1 h 29 min drive
- Regional capital Potenza, 1 h 25 min drive
Common questions
- What is Miglionico known for?
- Miglionico is a hilltop borgo at 461 meters above the Bradano, the seven-tower castle that gave the 1485 Conspiracy of the Barons its hall.
- Where is Miglionico?
- Miglionico is a comune in the province of Matera, in Basilicata.
- What is the nearest airport to Miglionico?
- Bari / Brindisi (BRI), about 1h 29m by car.
- How long is the drive from Bari to Miglionico?
- About 1h 32m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Miglionico?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 34 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 10 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Miglionico?
- Yes. XIX Sagra dei Fichi Secchi e dei Sapori d'Autunno di Miglionico. September is when the first of them falls.
- Which other towns are like Miglionico?
- Grottole, San Mauro Forte and Poggiorsini.
- How many people live in Miglionico?
- 2,372 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
The numbers
- Elevation: 461 m
- Population: 2,372
- Surface area: 88.84 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Similar
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