BASILICATA – TREKKING IN MATERA. 2 NIGHTS / 3 DAYS

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS: MATERA – PARK OF THE MURGIA MATERANA
DURATION: 2 NIGHTS / 3 DAYS
DAY 1:
Arrival in Matera (depending on the place of origin, possibility of excursion along the way). “The itineraries of the night”: short guided tour of the cultural, historical and architectural beauties of the Sassi and the historic centre of Matera. Accommodation in hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.
DAY 2:
Breakfast at the hotel. The day is dedicated to trekking excursions in the Parco della Murgia Materana. Visit to the Murgecchia. The starting point for this excursion is Porta Pistola, the large open space you come to on reaching the Sasso Caveoso, immediately after passing Piazza San Pietro. From here we take a steep cobbled path through the picturesque scenery of the park, where the Jesce stream flows into the Gravina. After fording the stream, we visit: a small natural reservoir called Jurio (gorgo) in dialect; the rock churches of Santa Maria degli Angeli, Madonna di Monteverde, the Church of Santa Maria della Scordata and the Madonna delle Vergini; the Neolithic village of Murgecchia, located at 410 metres above sea level and consisting of two concentric trenches; the Santuario della Palomba, built overhanging the Gravina stream and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. (Time required: 4/5 hours). Packed lunch.
Transfer to the Murgia Timone area. Guided tour of the area, which is rich in human remains, thanks to the presence of interesting rock-hewn churches (San Falcione, San Vito, Sant’Agnese, Madonna delle Tre Porte) and is characterised by the predominantly herbaceous vegetation typical of the Murgia landscape. Also of interest is a visit to the Neolithic village of Murgia Timone, bordered by a circular trench and a second ellipsoidal ditch that join to form a giant figure eight. Dinner in a typical restaurant (in the Sassi) and overnight stay in a hotel.
DAY 3:
Breakfast at the hotel. Guided tour of the Murgia Park along the “S.Nicola all’Ofra-Villaggio Saraceno” itinerary. At the entrance to the Agna district, we take the road to the left and, after about a kilometre and a half, we see the ravine and the rocky complex of San Nicola all’Ofra, used by shepherds as a stable. Inside, there are cavities adapted as ovens with walls and vaults blackened by smoke, beds carved out of the tufa, mangers and niches in which oil lamps were placed. All this coexists with the system of canals and cisterns for collecting water that was channelled from the plateau into the cave complex. The second stop on the itinerary is the Grotta dei Pipistrelli (Cave of the Bats) which, with the nearby burial cave, bears witness to human presence since the Palaeolithic period. Immediately after these sites, we encounter, in order, the rock church of Cristo la Selva, located overhanging the Gravina stream, and the Saraceno village, a rock settlement in which we can visit the Crypt of Vitisciulo and that of S. Luca, a true example of Byzantine culture. Basket lunch. Departure for the places of origin. End of services.

The offer includes:
accommodation in htl *** in Matera or surroundings with n. 2 half boards (1/2 min + 1/4 wine);
n. 2 lunch baskets;
guided tours: n. 1 FD + n. 1 HD;
1 free every 25 paying guests.
Recommended period: SPRING / AUTUMN

The proposal is valid till December 2022 in compliance with the indications of the current legislation regarding the Covid Pandemic – 19