Curiosities about Maratea

Maybe not everyone knows that Maratea ...

Small and great curiosities concerning Maratea, often known only for its beauty and its nature.

MD-82 ALITALY "MARATEA"

Built in Long Beach, USA, by McDonnell Douglas, Alitalia’s MD-82 “MARATEA” entered service with Italy’s national airline on 21 December 1990. It was part of a fleet of 90 aircraft of the same type, named after Italian towns and cities, which Alitalia began ordering in 1985 and operated until 2012. The MD-82 named Maratea carried the registration I-DACS and manufacturer’s serial number 53053/1806. Powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT8D turbofan engines, it was configured with 141 seats across business (C) and economy (Y) classes.

The MD-82 MARATEA made its last commercial flight on December 11, 2010, the AZ1494 from Verona to Rome Fiumicino, where it was parked until its transfer to Istanbul Airport on June 26, 2014. It was then transferred to Varna Airport in Bulgaria, where it remained until July 15, 2016, when it was refurbished and re-registered with the identifier LZ-ADV and delivered to Bulgarian airline ALK Airlines, which used it until January 2, 2023, when it was retired and stored in Sofia, Bulgaria.

... is it a FIAT?

Yes, Maratea is the name of a Station Wagon model (the "Panorama") of the FIAT 131 2500 D with 52 kw (72 CV), produced by FIAT and sold from June 1983 to February 1985. During the same period, the "2000" gasoline version with 1995 cc and 83 kw (113 CV) was also put on the market.

This is a Maserati instead

The new Maserati LEVANTE, in the Grigio Maratea version

And then again, Maratea...

…is the birthplace of Totò, the late Antonio Manfredi, the lottery expert who was a regular on the popular Canale 5 programme “La Domenica del Villaggio”, hosted by Davide Mengacci.

…is the name of a cocktail made with ½ Martini Rosso, ¼ slivovitz, ¼ lemon juice and a dash of orange bitters.

... is the name of a coastal area of about 9 acres on the Atlantic Ocean in the city of St. Augustine, in Florida (USA), north of Tampa. The land is a public park with a beach for the benefit of the entire city community, purchased at great economic sacrifice by the civic administration.

…is also the name of a medieval olive mill in the historic centre of Vico del Gargano (Foggia), housed in natural caves and medieval buildings. Mentioned in a document from 1318, it is one of the earliest recorded olive oil production facilities and still survives today, open to visitors.

... was reached on September 2, 1860, by Giuseppe Garibaldi, after which it set sail for Sapri.

...is the name of the ghost at the center of the eponymous case of Commissioner Boffa, a literary character born from the imagination of the Marche writer Luciano Anselmi (Fano 1934-1996). The book "The Commissioner Boffa" contains the stories "The Maratea Ghost" and "The Palazzaccio," published by Fabbri Ed. in 1973. Flip through the pages dedicated to Books for more information about the Tyrrhenian town in Literature.

...was the location for various films, the spiciest of which is "The Widow Lady," a B/W production from Italy/France in 1964, starring Peppino De Filippo, Margaret Lee, Aroldo Tieri, Riccardo Billi, and Felix Marten, directed by Silvio Siano. Visit the pages on Cinema in Maratea for other films.

... was also the name of a hamlet of Umbriatico (KR) that Ruggero di Lauria, supporter of the Aragonese, with his Almugaveri, after having conquered Cassano, Cerchiara, Crotone, and Strongoli, invaded and devastated along with other locations and Umbriatico itself, whose bishops Ruggero and Lucifero had taken a decisive stance in favor of Charles II of Anjou (War of the Sicilian Vespers, 1282).

To research Maratea’s oldest families, visit the State Archives in Naples, which hold the “Catasto onciario”, a historical tax register. Alongside descriptions of property, it includes the Status Animarum, a complete list of resident families. Maratea’s register was compiled in 1753.

Felice Tortorella, better known as Cino Tortorella or even better as Mago Zurli', (Ventimiglia 1932 - Milan 2017), a well-known author, director, and television presenter, creator of the famous Zecchino d'Oro and many other successful television shows and productions, was of Maratea origins.

The Strada Statale Tirrena Inferiore, now known as the SS18, follows the entire Maratea coastline. Originally numbered 68, then 118, it eventually received its present designation. Built in several stages between 1922 and 1929, it incorporated an old municipal road that had linked Ogliastro with the Maratea valley and Cersuta since 1879.

on a cruise

MAGICAL YOUNG , one of the most recent cruise ships in the fleet (102,600 tons and 3,470 maximum capacity), has on the main deck, the one with the pools, the Lido Maratea, so named for the beauty of its facilities.

Italy's last travel frontier