Maratea (IPA: [maraˈtɛːa]; Marateota: Marathia [maraˈtiːə]) is an Italian town and comune of Basilicata, in the province of Potenza.

During the Roman era, the region continued to be a trade center: on the seabed near Santo Janni island dozens of ancient anchors have been found, and these are now on display in the local museum.

So, for safety reasons, the local inhabitants moved to the high ground of Mount San Biagio, where they built the so-called Castello, a little fortified urban centre.

In the 11th-12th century, since the Castello could no longer accommodate the increasing population, some of the people of Maratea decided to found a new urban centre, historically called the Borgo (a word that means "village" in Italian).

In 1282 the War of the Sicilian Vespers began, in which the houses of Angevins and Aragon fought for control of the Kingdom of Naples.

In the 18th century Maratea entered a period of progress and prosperity; on April 12, 1734, the first hospital of Basilicata was opened in the town.

In August 1806 the nearby town of Lauria, whose citizens also refused to acknowledge Napoleon, was set on fire by general André Masséna.

In token of their great admiration for the brave resistance, the French spared the lives of the rebels, but ordered them to pull down the walls of the castle.

After the return of the House of Bourbon to the throne of Naples, a movement developed that would have brought about the political unification of the peninsula.

Thanks to the help of Stefano Rivetti, an Italian industrialist, in the 1950s the economic situation of Maratea improved: factories (a wooden-mill and an industrial estate) and many hotels were opened.

In the outlying districts are the rest of the churches which complete the list: Maratea's territory is also home to six coastal watchtowers, dating to the 16th-17th centuries.