The experience
The experience
The Melandro Valley, embellished by the river of the same name, is among the most beautiful and evocative in the southern Apennines, hidden and little known, it is even more mysterious and fascinating.
Inhabited for centuries by a quiet and industrious people, it is rich in traditions, history and nature that blend into a magical and exciting formula. A valley that dialogues with modernity, given the numerous colourful murals that have embellished the façades of the houses in the villages of Satriano, Vietri and Sant’Angelo le Fratte for several decades. The proposed itinerary continues through a small green lung of the region, the Gallipoli Cognato Park with the small Lucanian Dolomites and its villages of Castelmezzano, Pietrapertosa and Accettura, where to discover the ancestral rite of May that brings back home the many emigrants from all over the world. There will be cheese and oil tastings, typical of San Mauro Forte, and strong emotions to be experienced if you are not afraid of heights, such as the ‘Ponte alla Luna’ in Sasso di Castalda and the ‘Volo dell’Angelo’ in Castelmezzano. We will continue on to Craco to reflect on the power of nature, which often conditions the development of an area, and arrive in Matera, the final stop on a tour where we will discover man’s ability to adapt, which, as often happens, produces beauty and enchantment, the Sassi di Matera being an admirable example of this.
Here, there will be no shortage of experiences and fragrances that will take a leap back in time and make our travellers relive the emotions of their ancestors with an activity linked to bread, the main commodity in every household.
The proposed itinerary aims to recount, through discovery, the quality of the micro-dimension of this area of the Basilicata region, where hospitable people welcome visitors, hikers and tourists in an authentic way, also taking advantage of the naturalistic contexts that are the strong point of these places.
Technical organisation: Ferula Viaggi, Via Cappelluti, 34 – 75100 Matera | Tel. +39 0835336572 – info@ferulaviaggi.it
– VAT NUMBER 01291770772
License Prov MT n. 14 of 14/01/2016
Travel liability policy no. 1/85078/319/149476065/2
ADV/TO Insolvency Policy: NOBIS n. 6006002472/C
Shortly
Tour
Satriano
Visit to Satriano, the village of Murals, whose historic center is an open-air art gallery. Since the 1980s, true frescoes have adorned its architecture.
Sasso di Castalda
In the afternoon, transfer to Sasso di Castalda, a small village with typical stone houses.
In the afternoon, transfer to Sasso di Castalda, a small village with typical stone houses. Cross the “Ponte alla Luna,” a suspended bridge 102 meters high and 300 meters long over a large canyon, dedicated to the figure of Rocco Petrone, an American engineer originally from this village. He was a pioneer of the space race in the 1960s.
After experiencing the adrenaline rush of this great attraction, enjoy a tasting of local products and a relaxing walk through the alleys of the village.
Overnight stay in Satriano.
Sant’Angelo le Fratte
Visit to the small village of Sant’Angelo le Fratte with its 150 murals depicting the customs and traditions of the small community on the walls of houses, and a walk among the ancient cellars built among the rocky masses.
Vietri di Potenza
Afternoon in Vietri di Potenza to admire some murals on the theme of legality and stroll through the historic center among noble palaces and religious architecture. After visiting the Capuchin Convent, transfer to Castelmezzano for the overnight stay.
Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa
A day dedicated to the two villages of the small Lucanian Dolomites, Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa. Perched almost on the rocky spires, they enjoy a unique landscape. There is the possibility to hike along the 7 stones hiking trail, a 2 km farmer’s path that connects the two municipalities. For the more adventurous and those willing to experience the adrenaline rush of being suspended in the void, there’s the Flight of the Angel.
Castelmezzano was the birthplace of Charles Paterno (Canio Paternò on the registry). At 7 years old, he was already on board the ship that would take him, as an immigrant, to New York. After earning a degree in medicine, he decided to dedicate himself to the family business, investing money and energy in construction until he became one of the largest builders in New York. He is still remembered for Hudson View Gardens, Casa Italiana, which hosted the Paterno Library for decades, and for the five “towers” of Castle Village overlooking the Hudson River.
Accettura
Transfer to Accettura, a small village in the Matera area, among the most famous thanks to its Festa del Maggio, a celebration of arboreal rite during which the marriage between the trunk called “Maggio” (the groom) and the top (the bride) of two trees, grafted and raised to the sky, takes place. It is a propitiatory rite of Lombard origin for the fertility of the fields. The event takes place during Pentecost and on the occasion of the Patron Saint, San Giuliano, and sees the small village filled with emigrants who, through processions, music, songs, folk dances, wine, and typical products, relive their sense of belonging to their homeland. Visit to the Museum of Arboreal Rites and stop at the dairy for a tasting of cheeses including the typical Podolico Caciocavallo.
San Mauro Forte
Transfer to San Mauro Forte, a small village where it will be a pleasure to wander through its alleys and reach the ancient Norman Tower, not far from which you will visit the multimedia museum “In Viaggio in Basilicata” dedicated to the journey of the writer Cesare Malpica (1847). At the end of the visit, there will be an olive oil tasting, one of the flagship products of this region.
Craco
Transfer to Matera with a brief stop in Craco, the ghost town abandoned in the 1960s due to a landslide.
Overnight stay in Matera.
Matera
An itinerary to discover the districts of the Sassi.
Walking through the labyrinthine alleys and the “vicinati,” the characteristic courtyard structures, in a succession of charming views and breathtaking panoramas, accompanied by the guide narrating the city’s ancestral history.
You can visit a complex of rock churches, wine cellars, and a cave-house, a typical peasant dwelling furnished with original farming tools.
In the afternoon, an easy excursion to the Murgia Timone viewpoint to admire the panorama of the Sassi overlooking the Gravina, the canyon that gave rise to the rock civilization.
Overnight stay in Matera.
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