Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The Maratea Coast in Basilicata. (Photo by Giorgio Mesturini/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via ..

. [+] Getty Images) Universal Images Group via Getty Images When exploring Maratea and its coast on the Tyrrhenian Sea in the increasingly buzzy southern Italian region of Basilicata, you can’t help but wonder if this was what Portofino and Positano were like before they became the high-wattage resorts they are today. Here, locals, not visitors, determine the rhythms of the town; own the one-off shops and bakeries; and artisan crafts are the take-home items, not logo-laden souvenirs.

There are visitors, certainly, and outdoor cafes filled up quickly when I visited in late June, but it wasn’t uncomfortably crowded. The super-yachts and international brands have yet to arrive. The Next Portofino/Positano? A view toward Calabria from Maratea.

C.Sabino Maratea has the goods to become Italy’s next must-see seaside haven; it anchors Basilicata’s gorgeous ( really gorgeous) western coastline that stretches for 32 kilometers from the Cilento waterfront south of Amalfi to Calabria, where you’ll also find photogenic islands, like Santo Ianni (and a little farther away Dino, once owned by Gianni Agnelli), amid the dramatically colored blue and aqua seas. In summer, the area is reliably sunny, but not too hot, with temperatures hovering in the 80s (nice to see ten days of sun symbols when you check the weather app), as other part.