The last Century in MARATEA

EMIGRATION

If at the end of the nineteenth century Maratea had managed to preserve its economy from the widespread poverty of Basilicata, at the beginning of the new century the inhabitants of Maratea were also forced to emigrate.

Privileged were Venezuela, Colombia, and the United States.

THE EARLY SERVICES AND THE POST-WAR PERIOD

Supported by the revenues of the exiles, the city had its first aqueduct in 1902 and street electric lighting in 1921.
The carriage road, inaugurated in 1929, was built alongside the railway, inaugurated in 1894, to alleviate the city's lack of communication.

During World War II, on August 15, 1943, Maratea was bombed by the Allies, who dropped 17 bombs on the city from an airplane, causing no casualties.

Until the mid-1970s, the roads in the various coastal and mountain hamlets of Maratea were bustling with women engaged in the processing of "libbeans," vegetable fibers suitable for various creative activities. To explore this topic further, check out the page dedicated to libbeans.

A NEW RENAISSANCE: TOURISM

After the war, there were initial attempts to promote the city as a seaside resort, particularly by citizen Antonio Cernicchiaro, but the decisive impetus came from outside.

In fact, the natural and artistic beauties of Maratesta gained visibility only after 1953, when industrialist Stefano Rivetti di Val Cervo established a series of industrial activities, which succeeded in curbing the population's migratory flow, and built a luxury hotel that initiated tourism activity.

In 1965, Rivetti donated a colossal Christ the Redeemer statue to the inhabitants of Maratea, with whom he had a sometimes problematic relationship, created by the Florentine sculptor Bruno Innocenti.

When the crisis hit Rivetti's industries, Maratea's economy became primarily dependent on tourism, neglecting agriculture and other activities that had been important resources in the past, as in other realities in Southern Italy.

In 1982, the city was hit by a violent earthquake, and on January 12, 1987, the port was destroyed by a tsunami, only to be quickly rebuilt.

TO BE CONTINUED.......

Italy's last travel frontier