Town in the province of Matera, located a short distance from the Ionian coast, in the historical region of Siris, Tursi was founded, probably after 410 by the Goths, who, after destroying Anglona (current district of Tursi) built at short distance, a castle. around which they built a small settlement, today the main centre, known as the "Rabatana". In 826, when the Arabs invaded the Plains of Metaponto and after defeating the Byzantines and the Lombards, a massive fortification of the various existing villages took place. The Byzantines defeated the Saracens in 890 and reclaimed their territories. Subsequently the town submitted the domain of the several feudal Lords and their families: the Sanseverino, the Doria, the Visconti and the Colonna Doria.
Not to miss:
- the Rabatana, the first settlement, surrounded by deep ravines, and accessible only by a staircase (called the "Petrizzo") built in 1600 by Andrea Doria;
- the remains of a Gothic Castle (V century), near which were found amphorae, coins, utensils and darts;
- the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rabatana, which dates back to the X-XI centuries. It features a three nave plan with a coffered ceiling and preserves precious works of art, such as the XVI century baptismal font, a stone sarcophagus, a XVI century wooden crucifix, a nativity scene built in real stone and frescoes of the VII-VIII centuries in the crypt;
- the Cathedral of the Annunciation, built in the XV century, the result of an enlargement of an existing church, which today is its Sacristy. Unfortunately, most of the masterpieces of art, once preserved here (including a painting attributed to Matteo de Matteis and an XVIII century organ), were destroyed by a fire in 1988;
- the Anglona Sanctuary, a national monument since 1931, dating from the X century, built on the remains of an existing church of the VII century;
- the XVII century Baroque Church of San Filippo Neri;
- the former Convent of San Francesco, a national monument, which is an imposing structure built in the XV century, expanded and enriched in the following centuries and finally closed in 1914;
- the noble Palaces (Palazzo Latronico, Palazzo Pierro and Palazzo Brancalasso).