Traveling we come in unique places that offer unforgettable emotions: Matera, known to most as The city of Sassi, is one such. His genuine beauty has charmed many directors of the caliber of Pasolini (The Gospel according to Matthew) e Mel Gibson (The Passion) which they used as a film set for numerous films.
Matera It is a unique place that is really worth seeing when you visit the Basilicata
WHEN
All the year
DURATION
Three hours for a quick visit to the Sassi, but we suggest spending the entire Matera
day, to visit the cave churches and museums
OUR TIP!
Equip yourself with comfortable shoes. The route is on foot, except for the visit to the Crypt
the Original Sin which is located in 14 kilometers around the town.
START POINT: PIAZZA PASTURES
A possible starting point of the visit of the historic center of Matera Piazza Pascoli an open window on a stunning natural views of two of the Sassi. From here you can walk to several sites particularly interesting from the point of view of historical and artistic. Matera You can not leave without paying a visit to these 5 destinations!
FIRST STEP: CASA NOHA
A house museum that thanks to careful reconstruction of the environment and the use of original furnishings and tools It allows us to understand how people lived in those environments in the past. It is two steps from the Duomo and it also hosts a multimedia museum that tells visitors the history of the city, from prehistoric times to today.
SECOND STAGE: PIAZZA SAN PIETRO CAVEOSO
This square is named after the cave church dedicated to St. Peter, which stands on a block of rock that offers the viewer a loveliest view on the precipice of the Gravina, one of the typical Murgia.
STAGE THREE: ROCK CHURCHES OF OUR LADY AND SAINT JOHN dell'Idris
These churches form a single complex within a boulder, blending with the natural setting and creating an incredibly striking effect.
The dell'Idris churches of Our Lady and St. John are part of Monterrone Park of the Rock Churches which has about 150 caves churches, located between the Sassi of Matera and the Murgia plateau. They were built by Byzantine monks who Dolbilina their personal environments and worship digging into the tufa rock and painting frescoes in the interior with images of saints.
STAGE FOUR: CATHEDRAL
The Cathedral of Madonna della Bruna and Sant'Eustachio is the site of Matera's main Catholic worship. The building, the Apulian-Romanesque style, It was built in the thirteenth century on the highest spur of Civita (the oldest part of the city) that divides the two Sassi. Other highlights include the Church of St. Francis of Assisi it is to Chiesa del Purgatorio.
FIFTH STAGE: CRYPT OF THE ORIGINAL SIN
You can not end your visit to the city of Matera without having visited the Crypt of Original Sin, about 14 kilometers from the town, Pietrapenta in town in the countryside of Matera.
The church is also known as the "Sistine Chapel" of Basilicata with its beautiful frescoes depicting scenes from Genesis.
TO BE SEEN, BEFORE LEAVING MATERA…
Matera is also home to museums that can be included in the city tour. You can choose between National archeologic museum “Domenico Ridola”, the National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art and numbers, Museum of Contemporary Sculpture.
