Policoro is a town and comune in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. With some 17,000 inhabitants, is bounded by the towns of Rotondella, Scanzano Jonico and Tursi. Situated on the coast, its population swells in the summertime due to an influx of tourists who come to enjoy the Lido di Policoro.

It is on the Ionian coast, 70 km far from Taranto and Matera. Policoro has a hot Mediterranean climate and enjoys mild winters with moderate rainfall. Summers are warm to hot and also dry and sunny. Rainfall is rare in this season, and a typical July has only two or three days with measurable rainfall. The temperature is typically above 20 °C and frequently reaches 30 °C+. The average maximum temperature in the warmest months (July and August) is around 37 °C. During winter, days can be either sunny and dry or damp and rainy. Frost is unusual and snowfall is extremely rare that they are remembered by the townspeople as special events. The last noticeable snowfall occurred in early January 2017. The average minimum temperature in January is around 7 °C. Spring starts mild and rainy in late March and becomes increasingly warmer and sunnier towards June.

Events in the town include:

• Blues in Town: organized annually by the cultural association La Mela di Odessa, the summer festival, which was founded in 2004, has had performances by artists such as Neffa, Giuliano Palma, Rocco Papaleo, James Senese, Paolo Belli, and Inibizioni Recidive.
• Policoro in Swing: organized annually by the cultural association Vintage Routes, the festival has been held every year at the end of August since 2013. It's an original swing dance camp where music, dancing, sailing, and vacationing combine into a week of fun.
• Balloon—Children's Cartoon and Literature Festival, a summer cultural event that was born in 2012 and has hosted esteemed Italian cartoonists such as Silver (Lupo Alberto), Corrado Mastantuono (Dylan Dog, Tex, and various Disney characters), Giuseppe Palumbo, and Clod.
• Youth Creativity Festival. Organized annually by the Young Democrats of Policoro, the festival was created in 2009 to showcase young artists.