Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Belvedere
(Taranto-Laterza Rd)
,
from where you have fantastic views of the plunging ravine and
Matera.
EXPLORING THE GORGE
In the picturesque landscape of the Murgia Plateau, the Matera Gravina cuts a rough gouge in the Earth, a 200m-
deep canyon pockmarked with abandoned caves and villages. You can hike from the
sassi
(former cave dwell-
ings) into the gorge (steps lead down from the parking place near the Monastero di Santa Lucia) and then up to
the Belvedere in one to two hours, but a hike along the canyon rim gives you a better appreciation of the termite-
like network of caves that gave birth to the
sassi
. Ferula Viaggi (
Click here
) offers excellent guided hikes into the
gorge, as well as a range of hiking and cycling tours throughout Basilicata and Puglia.
Sasso Barisano
Chiesa di Madonna delle Virtù & Chiesa di San Nicola del Greci
(Via Madonna delle Virtù; 10am-7pm Sat & Sun)
This monastic complex is one of the most im-
portant monuments in Matera and is composed of dozens of caves spread over two floors.
Chiesa Madonna delle Virtù
was built in the 10th or 11th century and restored in the 17th cen-
tury. Above it, the simple
Chiesa di San Nicola del Greci
is rich in frescoes. The complex was
used in 1213 by Benedictine monks of Palestinian origin.
CHURCH
Chiesa San Pietro Barisano
MAP
CHURCH
GOOGLE MAP
(Piazza San Pietro Barisano; adult/reduced €3/2, joint ticket with Chiesa di Santa Lucia alle Malve & Chiesa di Santa
Maria d'Idris €6/4.50)
Below the church is an ancient honeycomb of niches where corpses were
placed for draining, while at the entrance level are 15th- and 16th-century frescoes. The
empty frame of the altarpiece graphically illustrates the town's troubled recent history: the
church was plundered when Matera was partially abandoned in the '60s and '70s.
Sasso Caveoso
Chiesa di San Pietro Caveoso
MAP
CHURCH
GOOGLE MAP
