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Our excursion
Departure by car/minibus in the direction of Matera, guided tour of the city with a walk in the historic center with the baroque churches of S. Francis of Assisi, the church of S. Chiara, of Purgatory, the beautiful Romanesque-Baroque cathedral and the breathtaking view of the panorama of Sasso Barisano and Sasso Caveoso with the wonderful view of the Murgia. During the day you will have free time for lunch. Return to the hotel at about 7.30 p.m.
Duration: Full Day
Included:
It does not include:
Additional Information:
- The program is subject to changes with regard to the weather and the itinerary plan, in which case it may not be possible to make some stops or visits that are included in the program.
MATERA
“Extraordinary and Magical City” (Morgan Freeman).
One of the oldest sites in the world, thanks to the continuity of human presence from prehistory to today, Matera and its Sassi have been a World Heritage Site since 1993. The first UNESCO site in Southern Italy. A city that was defined as the “shame of Italy” in the 1950s due to unhealthy living conditions, today it completes its redemption because it was elected the 2019 European Capital of Culture
.Carlo Levi also talks about the poignant beauty of Matera in his book “Christ Stopped at Eboli” and so do many directors (“The Wolf” by Alberto Lattuada, “The Gospel According to Matthew” by Pier Paolo Pasolini, “The Passion of Christ” by Mel Gibson, etc.)
Matera is one of the oldest cities in the world whose territory holds evidence of human settlements starting from the Paleolithic period and without interruption to the present day. It represents an extraordinary page written by man through the millennia of this very long history
.Matera is the city of the Sassi, the original urban nucleus, developed from natural caves dug into the rock and then shaped into increasingly complex structures within two large natural amphitheaters that are the Sasso Caveoso and the Sasso Barisano.
The Sassi di Matera are the 6th site in Italy in chronological order, the first in the south.
On the occasion of this inscription, for the first time, UNESCO uses the concept of Cultural Landscape in its criteria and motivations, which will later be used to motivate the registration of other sites in the world.
This very suggestive place is home to exhibition events of great national and international prestige.
Rock Churches in the Sassi di Matera
Particularly interesting are the Rock Churches that can be visited in the Sassi di Matera, places that testify to the evolutionary transition of man from prehistoric times to Christianity.
The Rock Churches are in fact located in places of particular importance and in all likelihood they were already places of worship in the rock civilizations that preceded the Christian one.
Those of greatest interest and can be visited are:
Santa Maria de Idris — Saint John in Monterrone
The Church of Santa Maria De Idris is located inside the rocky spur of Monterrone that dominates the Sasso Caveoso, near the Church of San Pietro Caveoso and the homonymous square. The location is wonderful and offers a unique view of the city and the
Gravina.Santa Lucia alle Malves
The rock church of Santa Lucia alle Malve is located near the previous S. Maria de Idris in the Malve district. It is the first female monastic settlement of the Benedictine order, dating back to the 8th century, and the most important in the history of Matera. Inside there are some of the most beautiful and important wall paintings in the Matera area
.San Pietro Barisano
It is located in the Sasso Barisano, originally called San Pietro de Veteribus, it is the largest rock church in the city of Matera. Archaeological investigations have made it possible to identify the first rock structure, dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries, under the floor.
For all bookings of day tours, a minimum of 24 hours' notice prior to your scheduled departure is required in order to receive a full refund. If a cancellation is made with less than 24 hours notice, no refund is given.
For all bookings of multi-day and custom private tours, a minimum of 72 hours' notice prior to your scheduled departure is required in order to receive a full refund. If a cancellation is made with less than 72 hours' notice, no refund is given*
*Note that in the event the client requests a refund for any reason, Tour Desk reserves the right to charge a 3% administration fee to cover costs incurred.
Cancellation and refund requests need to be sent in writing to info@tourdesk.io
