Cultural Tours

An itinerary to discover the ancient quartier of Sassi. Walking through the labyrinth of alleys and the “vicinati”,characteristic court structures, in a succession of evocative views and breathtaking views, accompanied by the explanation about the ancestral history of the city of a qualified tour guide.

You can visit the complex of rock churches, cellars for the production of wine and a cave-house, the typical farm house of Sassi, furnished and equipped with original work tools.

Duration: 2/3 hours. Entry fees are not included

An entire day in the Sassi, in the heart of Matera. From Piazza Vittorio Veneto you reach the Romanesque Church of S. Giovanni Battista (1233). Continue to the Sasso Barisano to visit Casa Cava, an example of a contemporary reconversion of an ancient cave in the heart of the Sassi, and then, in a typically furnished cave-house, an example of an old farmhouse.

After a break in the sixteenth century Piazza del Sedile, the cultural heart of the city, the tour move on to reach the Romanesque Cathedral (1270), surrounded by sumptuous noble palaces. Following, the visit of Casa Noha, FAI headquarters. Inside, the showing of about 20 minutes film projected on the walls of the seventeenth-century house, tells through evocative images, the history of the city, from the origins to the displacement of the Sassi. The original scenes from the 1950s are very emotional, taken from the archives of the Luce Institute. Then the tour continues with the walk towards the Sasso Caveoso, where cave houses becomes more than tuff builded houses. Following, a visit to a rupestrian church with medieval frescoes. The walk ends in Piazza Pascoli, baroque street “al piano” where there are the Medieval and Modern Art and the Archaeological Museum “D. Ridola” and the Museum of Palazzo Lanfranchi.

Duration: 5 hours max. . Entry fees are not included.

The tour begins with the visit of Montascaglioso with its majestic Abbey and the ancient testimonies of the Norman dominion. After admiring the Crypt of the Original Sin, a 9th-century rock church, called the “Sistine Chapel of the Rupestrian”, the tour includes a tasting of “Primitivo di Matera” wine in a nearby farm. Finally, walk to Miglionico, a small town where stands the medieval castle, called “Castello del Malconsiglio”, where in 1685 the “Congiura dei Baroni” took place, ordered to kill the King of Naples, Ferdinando I of Aragon. At the end of the visit, stop at a local bakery, to taste the typical almond biscuits and dried figs.

Duration: 5 hours max. Transfers not included, entry fees included.

An itinerary trough the enchanting lunar landscape of the heart of Basilicata, the valley of the “Calanchi”. The tour includes a visit to Craco, the “ghost town”, located on top of a cliff on which stands the square tower of the old Norman fortress. A village abandoned in the 1960s following a landslide.

On the way back, the tour continues with the visit to the Crypt of the Original Sin, called “Sistine Chapel of rock art”, considered the oldest of the rock churches in the area, within which you can admire an extraordinary cycle of frescoes of the ninth century.

Duration: 5 hours max. Transfers not included, entry fees included.

A pleasant and relaxing promenade in Puglia, Alberobello, a World Heritage Site and the capital of the “Trulli”. Here you can admire the unique white circular houses, with their characteristic cone shape roof made of dry-stones. The tour will continue in the ancient districts of “Aia piccola” and “Monti”, where there is a concentration of over 1000 trulli.

Duration: 5 hours max. Transfers and entry fees not included.

Considered one of the symbols of Puglia in the world, Castel del Monte is an extraordinary example of medieval military architecture. The tour includes the visit of the ancient manor,result of the fusion of cultural elements of the classical age, the Islamic East and the Cistercian Gothic of Northern Europe, elected in 1996 UNESCO World Heritage and immersed in the picturesque landscape of Alta Murgia.

Duration: 5 hours max. Transfers and entry fees not included.

Autogiro tour,ultra light aircraft, to change point of view and soar on the territory of Matera and Puglia, flying over the Gravine and the territory of the Murgia. A unique experience to admire from above the city of the Sassi and the lunar scenery of Valle dei Calanchi or the pristine Ionian coast. In a few minutes an expert pilot will lead on the most picturesque area of ​​Matera.

Duration: about 1 hour. Transfer to the take-off area not included.

Matera is not only Sassi, but also Palaces and historic houses. From the top of the medieval Civita,today like in the past, around the cathedral, the majestic residences that dominated the humble houses of the people, scattered in the Sassi, still stand out. Today, some of these houses host luxurious hotels and spectacular contemporary art exhibitions.
The tour includes a visit to three noble palaces, to discover the stories and treasures they preserve, as well as the legends about kings, counts and princes of the past. During the walk, you will not miss a tasty stop,a traditional aperitif with local products, served on a panoramic terrace.

Duration: 3 hours max. Entry to Musma (Museum of Contemporary Sculpture) and aperitif included.