This tour is suitable if you don’t have much time and you want to get the best of the Sassi.
The tour starts on the upper part of the Sassi, the so called Piano, overlooking the two Sassi districts Caveoso and Barisano, starting with a beautiful view of them from the top and then continuing by going deeper and deeper in the tangle of narrow alleys, small gardens, tiny squares and neighbourhoods, to discover in detail these unusual dwellings partly carved out of limestone (improperly called tufa) and partly built using the excavated blocks of the former caves.
The guided tour will let you discover the most evocative spots of the Sassi of Matera, a representative place of the long human history from the Paleolithic to the present day. Considered as “the Italian national shame” in 1952 and therefore abandoned in the late ‘50s, you will understand why this happened and also how and why the Sassi were able from the late ‘80s to be redeemed until they became Unesco World Heritage in 1993 (first city in Southern Italy) and 2019 European Capital of Culture.
You will immerse into the silence of ancient Rock hewn Churches (Chiese Rupestri) enlightened by the beauty of sublime Benedictine and Byzantine frescoes and you will have the possibility to experience the feeling of old misery life by going inside one of the cave-dwellings still with original furniture or to understand the ingenious system to collect rain water. And don’t forget to discover the many locations used as a natural setting for about 40 movies, which turned Matera into an international tourist destination.
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Days available: |
Every day. |
| Time Length: |
1,5 hours. |
| Difficulty: | Easy. |
| Don't forget: | Comfy shoes (no heels), camera and during summer water, cap and sun cream. |
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Price and notes: |
This tour can be combined with other tours of Matera or Tours Around it. Please contact me for more info and price. |