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An 8-day tour of Calabria
Welcome to Apulia! At the airport, you will meet your private driver who will accompany you directly to your accommodation in Matera.
Matera is a city in the region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. The town lies in a small canyon carved out by the Gravina. Known as la città sotterranea ("the underground city"), its historical centre "Sassi", along with the park of the Rupestrian Churches, was awarded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO since 1993.
Matera has gained international fame for its ancient town, the "Sassi di Matera". The Sassi originated in a prehistoric troglodyte settlement, and these dwellings are thought to be among the first-ever human settlements in what is now Italy. The Sassi are habitations dug into the calcareous rock itself, which is characteristic of Basilicata and Apulia. Many of them are really little more than small caverns, and in some parts of the Sassi a street lies on top of another group of dwellings. The ancient town grew up on one slope of the rocky ravine created by a river that is now a small stream, and this ravine is known locally as "la Gravina". In the 1950s, as part of a policy to clear the extreme poverty of the Sassi, the government of Italy used force to relocate most of the population of the Sassi to new public housing in the developing modern city. Until the late 1980s, the Sassi was still considered an area of poverty, since its dwellings were, and in most cases still are, uninhabitable and dangerous. The present local administration, however, has become more tourism-orientated, and it has promoted the regeneration of the Sassi as a picturesque touristic attraction with the aid of the Italian government, UNESCO, and Hollywood. Today there are many thriving businesses, pubs and hotels there, and the city is amongst the fastest growing in southern Italy.
Today, after breakfast, you will meet your guide for a walking tour. You will discover the highlight of Matera and the local food market, you will learn all about how to select the best ingredients with the seasons.
You will live an immersive experience to discover all that makes Matera unique by discovering motherhood and trying to enter, even in the philosophy of life of this strange and unique city.
The City of Matera, with its ancient quarters, the Sassi, is considered among the oldest in the world. An authentic open-air museum that describes man's life from the Stone Age to the present day with spectacular continuity.
The tour develops through the most suggestive places and glimpses of ancient Matera passing through the: Sasso Caveoso, Sasso Barisano. Not really touristic tour, step by step you will discover the history of the city, the tales and the vicissitudes of those who lived in the Sassi as well as art, architecture. a 360 ° analysis of Matera "Shame of Italy" and "World Heritage Site".
After you will have a typical lunch and then you will have free time to explore. At the end, you will reach Cosenza for dinner.
Today another wonderful day is waiting for you, after your breakfast, of course!
You will leave for Civita, a town known for its Greek-Albanian community and for its natural beauty for a guided walk.
After the typical lunch in Altomonte (at your expense), you will visit the ancient “Balbia”, a medieval village all around alleys and stairways around the Church of Consolation, the greatest example of Gothic-Angevin art in Calabria.
In the evening you will reach your accommodation in Cosenza.
Today, after breakfast, your private driver will take you to discover the medieval village of Santa Severina and the Sila National Park.
First you will go up for a guided visit to the medieval village of Santa Severina, perched on a rocky outcrop in the middle of the Neto river valley: you will admire the Cathedral, the unique Byzantine Baptistery for its integrity and the majestic Castle.
Later you will leave for the Sila plateau, a National Park covered with beech, pine, fir and holm oak forests. You will return in the evening for dinner.
Today, after breakfast, your private driver will take you to visit some of the most beautiful fishermen villages. Once in Tropea, you will take a panoramic tour of the "natural balcony on the Mediterranean" with its six viewpoints overlooking the sea and the lively historic centre full of local art and crafts.
After the free lunch you will head towards Pizzo Calabro, where according to legend Ulysses stayed, and we enjoy a scenic walk up to the Chiesetta di Piedigrotta, entirely excavated in the tuff and containing a source of pure water.
You will arrive in Tropea in the evening and then you will have leisure time at your disposal.
Today, after breakfast, your private driver will take you to visit one of the most beautiful medieval villages in Italy... we are talking about Scilla.
Scilla is a stunningly-located fishing village in the Calabria region, in the south of Italy, on the toe of Italy's boot. A rocky spur topped with an ancient fortress separates two narrow strips of seashore hemmed in by steep hillsides.
Scilla is squeezed into this restricted and picturesque landscape and it is an unforgettable sight. Is a pretty little town where visitors can relax on the beach, visit the castle or wander through the old fishing settlement taking photographs.
After sunset, your private driver will take you back to
Today after breakfast you will transfer to your next fabulous destination: Policoro. Policoro, the ancient Heraclea, is located in the centre of the Gulf of Taranto, near the Agri river, on the fertile plain of Metaponto and a few kilometres from the sea, in the deep soul of the Ionian coast.
In addition to the sea and archaeology, Policoro has a particularly interesting village that deserves to be visited. The baronial castle, also known as Palazzo Belingieri, built around the year 1000, the main squares Eraclea and Segni, and then the characteristic Borgo Casilini and the pretty Walled Gardens, around which the main summer events are organized, represent the other face of Policoro, beyond the sea and archaeology.
Certainly, in Policoro the excellence of fruit and vegetable crops that make the Ionian coast one of the richest and most productive areas of Basilicata, whose products are known and exported all over the world, must be recognized. The Metapontino wines are renowned, including Bianco Malvasia and Moscato. Enjoy your free time in this amazing village!
After breakfast at your hotel, you will need to check out, because it is time to say “Arrivederci” to Italy! Your driver will accompany you to Bari Airport for your flight back home. We are sure you will have enjoyed your time in Calabria and we sincerely hope to see you again soon for another delicious experience!
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