Drone Videos of Italy's Basilicata and Calabria Regions

Check out this fantastic drone video from the Basilicata region of southern Italy, compliments of CG Films.  The video features footage from the following locations: (1) the Dolomite lucane mountain range; (2) the towns of Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa in the province of Potenza; (3) the Sassi di Matera of the city of Matera; (4) the plateau of Altopiano delle Murge (5) the "ghost town" of Craco in the province of Matera; (6) Diga di Senise (7) the Potenza towns of Rivello and Albano della Lucania; and (8) the town of Maratea, in Matera.

Of the 20 official regions of Italy, Calabria is one of the easiest to pick out on a map - it's the "toe" of the "boot" that is peninsular Italy.  The region is home to some of the most fabled beach towns in Italy, on both its northern coast on the Tyrrhenian Sea and its southern coast on the Ionian Sea.  In this magnificent drone video by Luca T, you'll get a captioned tour of some of these stunning seaside towns, namely (in order of appearance)  Zambrone, Riace, Capo Vaticano, Scilla, Tropea, and Isola de Capo Rizutto.

Contributor Gianluca D'elia takes us on a breathtaking aerial tour of Basilicata, a region of southern Italy which incorporates the provinces of Potenza and Matera.  If the Italian peninsula is seen as a boot, then Basilicata is the "ankle" of the country.  It sits between the regions of Campania, Apulia, and Calabria.  Basilicata is a mountainous country, mostly covered with the Apennine range which runs down most of the peninsula.  It is home to many beautiful villages perched upon hills, some of which also have castles.   

Former Drone Video of the Week Finalist DanieleCaravolo has over 125k followers on Instagram as of mid-2023, and its because of highly creative content like this video of a village in southern Italy.  The video uses three cameras on the DJI Mavic Pro 3 drone to create the impression of filming a "miniature" village, in this case the commune of Pizo in Calabria.  Pizo is situated in Calabria, at the top of the "foot" of Italy on the Gulf of Saint Euphemia in the Tyrrhenian Sea (itself an inlet of the Mediterranean Sea).  

Take in these stunning drone views of Italy's Calabria region, compliments of AirVuz contributor and pilot FSociety.  Calabria appears on a map as the "toe" of the "boot" of the Italian Peninsula.  It has long coastlines along the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north and the Ionian Sea to the south, both of which are considered large inlets of the Mediterranean Sea.  About 90% of its interior area is covered by hills or mountains, including the lower (southernmost) reaches of the Apennine Mountains chain.  

Prepare to be amazed by this aerial video from the ancient Italian town of Matera by AirVuz contributor and drone pilot Galax.  One of the oldest continuously settled cities in the world, Matera is located on the banks of the Gravina River in the Basilicata region near the "ankle" of Peninsular Italy.  The well-preserved town has appeared as a filming location for numerous feature movies, "playing the role" of Jerusalem in the 2004 epic the Passion of the Christ and later starring in the 2021 James Bond movie No Time to Die.

Contributor DroneNatureIT brings us this excellent aerial tour of some of his favorite spots in Calabria, the region which occupies much of the "foot" of peninsular Italy.  Featured locations include the hilltop ghost town of Pentedatillo at the country's "toe"; the interior town of Giffone; the town of Rosarno, just to the north of Pentedatillo; the Aspromonte Mountains in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria; the hilltop town of Gerace, also in MCRC; the seaside town of Scilla; Capo Vaticano; the beach town of Tropea; and more.

Check out this stunning drone video of a seaside town called San Lucido in Southern Italy, compliments of contributor Alfred_V.  The town is perched atop a cliff overlooking the Tyhrennian Sea in Costenza, one of the provinces of the Calabria region that forms the "toe" of Italy.  One of the few towns in the area which sits so close to the coast, San Lucido experienced significant damage from a series of winter storms in the 1990's.  Its beaches have since been restored and given strengthened defenses against the power of angry seas.  

Top contributor Joe Paskes created this marvelous aerial video of Tropea, a seaside town near the "toe" of Southern Italy.  It's located in Vibo Valentia, one of the provinces which makes up the Calabria region.  Tropea sits on a shallow peninsula which forms the western boundary of a body of water known as the Gulf of Saint Euphemia, which is a southern extension of the Tyrrhenian Sea (itself an extension of the Mediterranean).  Occupied since Roman times, the town of Tropea has become famous as a bathing and spa town.  

Explore the Italian region of Calabria in this fantastic first person view (FPV) done video by AIrVuz contributor alessandrodionisivm, which was picked by the AirVuz editorial staff for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in September of 2022.  Calabria is located at the "toe" of peninsular Italy which consists of five provinces.  This video was shot primarily along the region's northern coastline along the Tyrrhenian Sea, an inlet of the Mediterranean Sea formed by the Italian mainland and the large islands of Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica.  

Get a bird's eye view of the southernmost city of mainland Italy, compliments of dron-e.it.  The subject of the drone video is Catanzaro, the capital of the Calabria region at the "toe" of Italy.  The city overlooks the Gulf of Squillace on the Ionian Sea, which is considered an extension of the Mediterranean.  It's believed that the city's origins were as a Greek colony.  Known as the "City of Two Seas", it played an important role during the Antiquity and through the Middle Ages due to its strategic location.  

Top AirVuz contributor Galax earned a spot as a Drone Video of the Week Finalist for this excellent video of a lake in the southern part of Italy.  Lake Passante (Lago Passante) is located in La Sila, a mountain plateau which covers parts of three provinces in Calabria, the region at the "toe" of peninsular Italy.  The lake is an artificial reservoir for a hydroelectric project which was built in the area in the 1960's.  The lake sits at an altitude of about 3.3k ft. above sea level or around 1k m.  

Castelmezzano is a town in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata, which forms the "ankle" of Italy as viewed on a map.  Although not as well known as Florence, Milan, or Lake Como, it is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. Pietrapertosa, also a town in the Basilicata region, is home to one of the longest and highest zip lines in the world. In 2019, CNN placed Pietrapertosa on its “20 of the most beautiful villages in Italy” list. See both incredible towns in this aerial video by pilot din_film. 

Explore some of the most beautiful coastlines in Italy in this fantastic first person view (FPV) drone video by AirVuz contributor DanieleCeravolo.  The area filmed is around the municipality of Tropea, which is located in Province of Vibo Valentia, one of the provinces of Italy's Calabria region.  This area lies along the top of the "foot" of Italy, on the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Mediterranean inlet formed by the western Italian mainland and the islands of Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica.  This video was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list.

Among the more eerie sights of Italy is a ghost town called Craco.  Seen here in this drone video by Travel and Drones, it's located in the southern province of Matera.  Inhabited during the Antiquity, the town saw significant emigration to the USA around the turn of the 20th century due to poor farming conditions.  Following flooding in 1972 and an earthquake in 1980, it was abandoned.  Since then, it's been "reborn" as a movie filming location, most famously as the spot where Judas committed suicide in Passion of the Christ (2004).  

Contributor Miklos created this beautiful drone video from two beautiful spots in the Italian province of Vibo Valentia in Calabria, the region which appears on maps as the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula.  The first spot is the town of Tropea, which is near the tip of a small peninsula on the northern (Tyrrhenian Sea) Calabrian coast.  It's a famous bathing spot which is tied to the mythological Hercules.  The second spot is the seaport of Pizzo, which lies just to the east of Tropea on the Gulf of Saint Euphemia.  

Check out this amazing drone video of a well known "ghost town" in Southern Italy, compliments of Luca T.  It's called Pentedattilo, and it's located near the "toe" of Italy in the region of Calabria.  The town was founded by Greek colonists in the 7th century BC.  It was a thriving commercial center for centuries, falling into decline when the seat of the Roman Empire moved to Constantinople.  Conquered by the Vikings and later the Saracens, the town never recovered from a devastating earthquake in 1783.

Former Drone Video of the Week Winner Galax brings us this stunning drone video from southern Italy.  The video was filmed along the Coast of Gods, a stretch of coastline of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Vibo Valentia, one of the provinces which make up the region of Calabria near the "toe" of Italy.  You'll also be treated to some nice views of the mountains which cover much of the interior of the province.  The video features footage of the commune of Joppollo, which lies roughly halfway between Cape Vaticano and Nicotera.   

Take an aerial tour of an iconic village in southern Italy, compliments of former Drone Video of the Week Winner Galax.  The subject of the video is Stilo, which is located on the southern side (bottom) of the "foot" of Italy in the province of Reggio Calabria.  Situated at the foot of Mount Consolino, the town is just a few mi./km from the coast, as you'll see just before the 1:00 mark.  At around 1:30, you'll see one of the town's most well-known landmarks: the Byzantine church Cattolica di Stilo.  

Check out these drone views of the southern Italian commune of Melfi, compliments of contributor AN-DRONE. Melfi is the northernmost commune of Potenza, one of the two provinces which make up the region of Basilicata.  The town itself lies at the foot of Mt. Vulture, an extinct volcano which lies about a 45 minute drive north of Potenza's namesake provincial capital.  The video features some excellent footage of the Castle of Melfi, which sits on a hill overlooking the town and is one of the most important castles in southern Italy.

Take in these fantastic arial views of the coasts of the Italian region of Calabria, compliments of top AirVuz contributor and pilot Mauro Sciambi.   Calabria encompasses five provinces that make up much of the "toe" of the "boot" of peninsular Italy.  Perhaps more than any other region in Italy, it's dominated by its coastline.  Surrounded by the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas (both of which are considered inlets of the Mediterranean Sea), the Calabrian coast offers some of the most spectacular seaside views in Europe.

AirVuz contributor CG Films brings us this excellent drone video of Italy's Sila National Park, in the southern region of Calabria.  Established in 1997, the park is situated a bit to the northwest of the town of Crotone, roughly in the "foot" of peninsular Italy.  The park covers around 74k hectares, or about 183k acres.  It is home to a number of prominent peaks of the Apennine Mountains, including Botte Donato, which has a summit elevation of around 1.9k meters above sea level (approximately 6.3k ft.).  

Check out these drone views of a beautiful town in Southern Italy, compliments of Alfred_V.  It's called Fiumefreddo Bruzio, and it's in Cosenza, the largest and northernmost of the five provinces which make up the Calabria region.  The town is perched atop a cliff overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, which is considered an extension of the Mediterranean.  In 2005, Fiumefreddo Bruzio was picked by the I Borghi più belli d'Italia tourist association as one of the most beautiful towns in Italy.  

If you look at a map of Italy, there's a small land mass sticking out from the top of the "foot" of the country in the region of Calabria.  The tip of this small peninsula, which is surrounded by the Tyrrhenian Sea is called Capo Vaticano.  Known for its distinctively-colored granite, Capo Vaticano is part of the municipality of Ricadi in the Province of Vibo Valentia.  You can check out the marvelous beaches and lookouts of Capo Vaticano in this excellent drone video by AirVuz contributor and pilot DroneNatureIT.

Check out this short-but-spectacular drone video of an Italian hilltop town called Pietrapertosa, compliments of AirVuz contributor and pilot Pavlo Glazkov.  The town is located in Potenza, the northernmost of the two provinces which make up the Basilicata region at the "ankle" of peninsular Italy.  With its setting in the Apennine Mountains, the town is a member of the Most Beautiful Towns of Italy organization (I Borghi più belli d'Italia); it was also cited as one of the most beautiful 20 towns of Italy in a 2019 CNN survey.  

Take a first person view (FPV) drone tour of the ancient Italian city of Matera in this fantastic video by AirVuz contributor and pilot Luca T.  The capital of its namesake province in the region of Basilicata, Matera lies between two canyons carved by the Gravina River.  It's believed to be one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world.  Visually distinguished by its ancient quarter known as the Sassi, Matera has appeared in dozens of featured movies, most famously the Passion of the Christ starring Mel Gibson (2004).  

Former Drone Video of the Week Winner Galax brings us this stunning drone video from the medieval hilltop town of Gerace in southern Italy.  Gerace is situated in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria, the westernmost and largest of the five provinces which make up the region of Calabria near the "toe" of Italy .  The town sits atop a rocky hill about a half-dozen miles (around 10 km) inland from the town of Locri.  According to legend, the town was founded in the 9th century AD by people fleeing a Saracen attack.  

Check out this excellent drone video of one of the tallest Jesus statues in Europe, compliments of AirVuz contributor Michele Ciancio gravitycam.it.  The subject of the video is the Cristo Redentore statue in Maratea, a town in the Basilicata region at the "ankle" of Italy.  Created by Italian sculptor Bruno Innocenti, the statue stands a bit over 21 meters tall (just under 70 ft.).  Completed in 1965, it's Europe's third-tallest Jesus statue after the Christ the King statue in  Świebodzin, Poland and the Cristo-Rei in Lisbon, Portugal.  

Former Drone Video of the Week Winner Galax brings us this excellent drone video from the idyllic Italian town of Monasterace.  Monasterace is located in the province of Reggio Calabria, on the southern side of the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula.  It's a hilly setting, just a short distance from the Mediterranean Sea coastline.  This area has been inhabited by humans since the Bronze Age, and the nearby city of Caulonia was an important Greek outpost for centuries.  The video was filmed with a DJI Mini 3 Pro drone.    

Avigliano is a commune in Potenza, the northernmost of the two provinces of the Basilicata region at the "ankle" of Italy.  Its setting is the southern end of the Apennine Mountains, a chain that runs down much of the "spine" of peninsular Italy.  Avigliano is surrounded by five peaks, the highest of which (Mount Caruso) has an elevation of a bit over 1.2k meters above sea level (4.1k ft.).  In this drone video by diaframma90, you'll get an aerial tour of some of the villages which make up the commune.   

Check out this drone video of Italy's Pollino National Park, compliments of AirVuz contributor and pilot Paul_fpv.  The park is situated near the southern end of the Apennine Mountains, on the border between the Calabria and Basilicata regions.   The park's boundaries include the Pollino and Orsomarso massifs, whose highest peak (Serra Dolcedorme) has an altitude of 2.3k meters above sea level (around 7.5k ft.).  Covering just under 2k square km (around 600 square mi.), it's Italy's largest national park.   

Take a first person view (FPV) drone tour of a famous seaside town of Tropea in southern Italy, compliments of AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot alessandrodionisivm.  Tropea is located in Vibo Valentia, one of the provinces which makes up the Calabria region at the "toe" of Italy.  Occupied since Roman times, the town sits on a shallow peninsula which forms the western boundary of a body of water known as the Gulf of Saint Euphemia, which is a southern extension of the Tyrrhenian Sea (itself an extension of the Mediterranean).  

Check out this fascinating drone video of an abandoned town in southern Italy.  The "ghost town" of Craco is located in Basilicata, at the "ankle" of peninsular Italy.  Settled during the Antiquity, Craco experienced a series of natural disasters in the 20th century, ranging from drought to landslides to floods.  After a 1980 earthquake, the town was abandoned.  It's since been used as a filming location for numerous feature movies, notably as the spot where Judas committed suicide in the 2004 epic Passion of the Christ.

Former Drone Video of the Week Winner Galax brings us this excellent drone video of a hilltop village in southern Italy called Motta Filocastro.  Part of the commune of Limbadi, Motta Filocastro is located in Vibo Valentia, one of the five provinces of the region of Calabria at the "toe" of peninsular Italy.   It's situated at the base of the broad peninsula which extends into the Tyrrhenian Sea.  The town was originally founded by Greek colonists during the Antiquity, between the 5th-7th centuries BC.  

Top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) video alessandrodionisivm earned a Drone Video of the Week Finalist spot for this outstanding FPV piece from the coast of southern Italy.  The video was shot near the beach town of Marina di Zambrone.  It's located in the province of Vibo Valentia in the Calabria Region.  Situated at the top of the "foot" of the Italian Peninsula, the beach faces north towards the Tyrrhenian Sea, the large Mediterranean inlet formed by the Italian mainland and the islands of Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica.  

Since the advent of first person view (FPV) flight, pilots have sought out "bando's" - abandoned locations - to fly their mini-quads in a challenging yet safe environment.  In this amazing piece by AirVuz contributor MuschioFPV, you'll be treated to an FPV bando in a truly epic spot - the Italian town of Craco.  Set in the hills of the southern province of Matera, the town was pummeled by landslides and earthquakes and was abandoned in the late 20th century.  This video was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in October, 2021.  

Top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) drone pilot MuschioFPV brings us this fantastic sunrise FPV tour of the ancient Italian city of Matera.  Believed to be one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world, Matera is situated between two canyons carved by the Gravina River in the Basilicata region near the "ankle" of Italy.  With its distinctive architecture, Matera has appeared in dozens of featured movies, most famously Mel Gibson's 2004 blockbuster, the Passion of the Christ.  

Take in these stunning drone views of Matera, Italy, compliments of former DVOW Winner Galax.  The video opens with a series of long shots over the Sassi, the historic heart of the city, which is built over a canyon of the Gravina River in the southern region of Basilicata.  It concludes with a shot of one of the city's famous rock caves.  One of the world's oldest and best-preserved cities, Matera has been used to film a number of movies, ranging from the Passion of the Christ (2004) to the 2021 James Bond film No Time to Die.  

Check out this stunning drone video of the Italian city of Matera, compliments of AirVuz contributor and pilot Brand07.  Settled over 10,000 years ago, the city was founded during the Roman Republic period in 250 BC.  The capital of its namesake province as well as the region of Basilicata (the "ankle" of Italy), Matera is situated in a gorge of the Gravina River.  The historical and cultural heart of the city is the Sassi di Matera, which consists of the Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano Districts.  

Check out this stunning drone video of a seaside town called San Lucido in Southern Italy, compliments of contributor Alfred_V.  The town is perched atop a cliff overlooking the Tyhrennian Sea in Costenza, one of the provinces of the Calabria region that forms the "toe" of Italy.  One of the few towns in the area which sits so close to the coast, San Lucido experienced significant damage from a series of winter storms in the 1990's.  Its beaches have since been restored and given strengthened defenses against the power of angry seas.  

Here's a great aerial view of the coastline of Southern Italy along the Tyrrhenian Sea, compliments of Alfred_V.  The area filmed is around the town of San Lucido in Costenza, the northernmost of the five provinces which make up the region of Calabria.  Situated at around the "shin" of Italy would appear on a map, San Lucido offers a distinctive-looking landscape compared to other towns in the region: it is located more or less right on the water, whereas most of the other nearby towns are set back from the sea. 

Here's an amazing aerial view of a spot near the "toe" of Italy, compliments of contributor and drone pilot Paul_FPV.  Tropea sits near the end of a small peninsula which juts out into the Gulf of Saint Euphemia (part of the Tyrrhenian Sea) in the region of Calabria in Southern Italy.  It's famous for its bathing waters, although far less known than the Amalfi Coast further north.  It is, literally, a legendary spot: it's called the Coast of Gods due to a legend that Hercules landed here after returning from Spain.