MATERA AND SOME OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES IN ITALY A journey in Basilicata among semi-unknown villages and magical views

 

 

 

Day 1: REPUBLIC OF SAN MARINO - MATERA

Departure for the Republic of San Marino built on the summit of Mount Titano. Time available for lunch (not included) and to stroll in the small alleys, the squares and the belvedere, from which you can enjoy an incomparable view over the entire Riviera Romagnola. You will continue your journey to the hotel in Matera where you will be served a delicious dinner before taking a good night’s rest.

 

DAY 2: MATERA

After breakfast, you will be taken on guided tour of Matera, one of the oldest cities in the world declared a Unesco World Heritage Site for the rock settlements of the Sassi that have made it worldwide famous. Its original urban core developed from natural caves carved into the rock and was subsequently modeled into increasingly complex structures within two large natural amphitheaters. Time for lunch (not included)  and free afternoon before returning to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

 

Day 3: CASTELMEZZANO - PIETRAPERTOSA - MIGLIONICO

Breakfast at the hotel and departure for Castelmezzano, a spectacular medieval village, considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, perched on the Lucanian Dolomites. Time available for a walk in the charming old town whose houses have particular roofs made of sandstone slabs inserted into the bare rock. Later we will reach Pietrapertosa, another village that is one of the most beautiful in Italy set in the Lucanian Dolomites, in full symbiosis with the rock. Time for lunch (not included). We will then move on to the small village of Miglionico, which stands on a hill dominated by the Malconsiglio Castle, before returning to Matera for dinner and overnight at the hotel.

 

Day 4: CRACO - ALIANO - METAPONTO

After breakfast, you will drive to Craco. Through a variegated landscape we will reach the suggestive ghost town that rises on a hill of soft whitish rock. The town was abandoned by its inhabitants in 1963 due to a disastrous landslide. Short photo stop before reaching Aliano, a pretty village perched on one of the most suggestive clayey hills of Basilicata, immersed in a lunar landscape overlooking the Val D'Agri. The town is famous for the confinement of Carlo Levi and every corner recalls the past. Later we will reach Metaponto, a town that rises in the center of the Gulf of Taranto on the Ionian Sea. Surrounded by vast areas of Mediterranean scrub, it is a place rich in history and testimonies of the Ancient Greek Civilization which find their maximum expression in the Archaeological Park which will be visited with a local guide. Free lunch during the excursion. Return to the hotel in Matera for dinner and overnight stay.

 

Day 5: POTENZA - PIETRAGALLA - ACERENZA

After breakfast at the hotel, departure for Potenza, the capital of Basilicata, nestled along the Apennine ridge. It is famous as a vertical city for its urban structure that sees the historic center on the highest elevation and the remaining districts at lower altitudes. Guided tour of its ancient heart rich in history, culture and testimonies of past centuries. After the free medieval lunch, departure for Pietragalla, a village dominated by the imposing bell tower of the church dedicated by San Nicola di Bari and the castle. The small village is famous for the Palmi, a complex of caves carved into the rock still used today for wine storage. We will then reach Acerenza,  built on a cliff between the Bradano river and the Fiumarella stream dominated by itsimposing temple, it is called the city-cathedral. Time available to get lost in the alleys of its historic center full of ancient palaces, internal courtyards, stone portals that reveal corners of unique beauty. Return to the hotel in Matera for dinner and overnight stay.

 

Day 6: SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO

Breakfast at the hotel and departure for San Giovanni Rotondo famous for San Pio da Pietrelcina. The new Church of the Pilgrim commissioned to Renzo Piano was inaugurated in honor of the most revered saint in the world and since 2010 it has housed his body in the crypt. The architect's signature gives the new church a great artistic value for the architectural choices, which are innovative but always respecting Christian symbolism. Free time for a walk and for lunch (not included). In the afternoon you will start the return trip home.

 

OPTIONAL:

- Guides
- Entrance and guided tour of the Archaeological Park of Metaponto upon request
- Meals 
- Transfers