en – de: +43 676 848 078 400
it – fr: +39 335 68 83 440
info@pugliaprivatetour.com
en – de: +43 676 848 078 400
it – fr: +39 335 68 83 440
info@pugliaprivatetour.com en – de: +43 676 848 078 400
it – fr: +39 335 68 83 440
info@pugliaprivatetour.comMatera’s ancient dwellings of Sassi are considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Partly built and partly carved out of the rocks they are truely unique. It is still possible to see some cave dwellings furnished the way they were in former times. A visit of the church of Saint Lucy of the Malve will also be a memorable experience, because there are some striking frescoes in addition to the elaborate architecture to be admired.
Please let us know, if you would like to visit the Crypt of the Original Sin, in Matera. A reservation is necessary. The Crypt is located inside a natural cave on the Murgia plateau, near the old Appian Way. Commonly known as “the Sistine Chapel of rupestrian art”, the Crypt was discovered in 1963 by a group of local youths, who noticed the splendid frescoes in what at the time, had become a shelter for sheep herds. Experts later dated the cycle of paintings back to the second half of the 8th century, with Late-Romanesque style and formal elements of Oriental inspiration, such as the Byzantine-style Triarchsand the profile of the Virgin Mary, majestically represented in the sumptuous clothes of the Byzantine empress, the Basilissa.
The anonymous, humble artist – who was soon nicknamed the “Flower Painter” – depicted biblical figures in total freedom: God the Creator, Light and Darkness, Adam and Eve, the three Apostles John, Peter and Andrew, the Archangels and Mary. The paintings on the rough walls of the cave are different and unique in Matera’s iconographic context. The scenes are the fruit of the painter’s personal creativity and certainly speak of his freedom in translating complex depictions, and of a lively spontaneity in drawing images.
Your hotel in Matera or on request in a central location in Matera (to be reconfirmed by your tour guide).
All of our full day tours start at 9.30 h and have a duration of 8 hours.
The two old districts called Sassi (that means stones) have been declared, in 1993, Unesco world heritage site because they represent “the most outstanding, intact example of a troglodyte settlement in the Mediterranean region, perfectly adapted to its terrain and ecosystem”.
The tour of the Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano is a unique experience among rupestrian churches and houses partly carved in the calcareous stone and partly built with the blocks extracted from the rock.
We will visit one (or some) of the most interesting rupestrian churches (San Pietro Barisano, Santa Lucia alle Malve, Santa Maria De Idris and San Giovanni in Monterone), we will enjoy the view of the canyon on the border of the panoramic street and we will see what a real peasant house was like before of the abandon after the Second World War thanks to the visit of a typical cave dwelling with the original furniture and tools. We can visit also the other districts and monuments of Matera: the Apulian-Romanesque stlyle cathedral, the Sedile square, the Piano district with its baroque style palaces and churches (such as the Purgatorio one), Vittorio Veneto square, the medieval church of St. John the Baptist. During the tour we will enjoy this magic, unique town of stone that has been chosen as natural set for several movies (such as Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ”) and that’s been recently declared European Capital of Culture for 2019.
