Routes of cinema

The ancient stones of Matera, the lunar landscape of the badlands, the sunny lands of the Vulture, the nuances of the Sea of Basilicata have been described through the images of movies who chose these places to enchant and amaze.
Over time, Basilicata, with its beauty, its monuments of art and its natural landscapes has become the protagonist of the cinema grammar, and the preferred set of large international filmmakers.

Since 1950 there have been numerous movies filmed in this area, including “Cristo si è fermato ad Eboli“directed by Francesco Rosi based on the homonymous novel by Carlo Levi, “La lupa” by Alberto Lattuada, “L’uomo delle stelle” by GiuseppeTornatore and “The passion” by Mel Gibson.

Basilicata is the ideal region for cinema lovers, that by choosing it, will have the possibility of entering into the dream scenes that have marked the cultural history of our country.

The magic of christmas

At Christmas, Matera, becomes an island suspended in time, thanks to Living Nativity, of extraordinary beauty, among the stones of the city.

There are no statues: to animate it there are hundreds of people coming from all over Italy who wear the garb of the shepherds, they dress as angels and all the characters of the Nativity, in a unique corner of the world.

Suggestive and moving are the right adjectives to describe an experience that give you the feeling to return to the past, silent streets, in a remote and archaic time

Museum culture and history

The treasure casket of the city of Matera does not only keep the extraordinary natural beauty, but also holds buildings and cultural centers that allow you to discover an area rich in art and innovation.

  • National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art of Basilicata-Palace Lanfranchi
  • National Archaeological Museum Domenico Ridola
  • Musma: Museum of Contemporary Sculpture of Matera

National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art-the Palazzo Lanfranchi

The National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art of Basilicata, located in Building Lanfranchi, an ecclesiastical college built in the mid-seventeenth century near the Sasso Caveoso, symmetrical building, mirroring the monumental complex of Saint Augustine.

The museum is divided into four sections: Sacred Art, Collection d’Errico, Art Contemporary Demoethnoanthropological.

The Sacred Art is devoted to works of the most significant Lucan heritage received from churches in the area, currently not accessible or have lost their original location. The works on permanent display alternate those temporarily granted on loan by the Ecclesiastic Organization, selected from time to time to develop topics of particular interest and draw the lines of evolution of the artistic culture of our region. The section of the collection of Palazzo San Gervasio d’Errico is an important and rare testimony of nineteenth-century collectors in Basilicata, owned by the Moral Authority. The Contemporary Art hosts paintings by Carlo Levi (Turin 1902 – Rome 1975) eminent and versatile intellectual figure who has had great importance in cultural emancipation of the Basilicata and paintings by Luigi Guerricchio (Matera 1936 – 1996), interpreter and witness of life and traditions of the people of Lucania. On display are also clay-works owned by Rocco Molinari (Accettura, 1924), depicting the peasant and the May Festival of Accettura.

Finally Section Demoethnoanthropological with the exhibition of objects from State material culture and collected into two sections: one is a property of the Superintendence and the other of the Archaeological Museum Ridola.

Superintendence for the Historical Artistic and Ethno-anthropological Basilicata Vico II D’Addozio, 15 75100 MateraTel 39.0835.256211Fax 39.0835.256246

[email protected] www.palazzolanfranchi.it

MUSMA: museum of contemporary sculpture Matera.

The Musma is the most important Italian museum dedicated to sculpture. Posted in the spectacular setting of the seventeenth century Palazzo Pomarici, the MUSMA is the only museum “in cave” in the world where you can experience a perfect symbiosis between the sculptures and some of the most picturesque places in the heart of carved stones. The museum spaces, in fact, covering not only the built-up areas of the building, but also the large excavated underground halls, boast a vast collection of works of art regenerated by the power of rocky environments.

The visitor can experience an ideal complement of intense emotional impact, between the secular environment “gouged” by man, and contemporary sculpture. The programming of the museum activities, which is divided between the exhibition of the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions, educational activities and initiatives promoted by the museum, reflects the vocation of MUSMA of being not only an exhibition of heritage, but also a promotion center for culture and education of all contemporary art forms.

Museum of Contemporary Sculpture Palazzo Pomarici Via San Giacomo (Sasso Caveoso) 75100Matera Tel 0835.330582 Fax 0835.336439

[email protected]

The Grancia Park

Are you ready to leap back in time?
Among the impenetrable and dangerous forests during the post-unification bloody uprising that involved the whole of South Italy, with bands of brigands and crowds of farmers eager to assert their rights on side, and armies of soldiers intent, by force, to restore order and put out any attempt to revolt, on the other side.

The Grancia Park will conduct the visitors in a unique and exciting experience, for all those who do not want to travel only in the space, but also in time.

Three thousand seats and 25 thousand square meters on which, dancers in costume and horse riders move between specific reconstructions, music, water screens and special effects that simulate explosions, fires and battles.
This is all you need in order to cross the border of adventure.

Women’s Fiction Festival

An event dedicated to words and to women and has the intention to celebrate writing and creativity in all its forms.

The Women’s Fiction Festival, in its special formula, is the only festival in Europe dedicated to women’s fiction with a high consequences on the tourists incoming in Basilicata.
An international conference for writers, master classes led by best seller writers, “Briefings for thriller writers” dedicated to crime fiction writers, face to face meetings between writers, editors and literary agents, with public meetings, happy hours, concerts and
literary awards. This is the Festival.

Dedicated to those who make or want to make writing a profession, the conference includes seminars, information and training on the dynamics and processes related to the publishing and translation of published or unpublished novels. The international conference for writers allows to investigate the peculiarities of all genres: literary, crime stories, romance novels, young adult, fantasy, urban fiction. The discovery of new and existing cultural landscape is an unforgettable experience for those who want to travel with the body and with imagination.

The National Archaeological Museum Domenico Ridola

The National Archaeological Museum “Domenico Ridola” of Matera is the oldest museum of Basilicata. Found in February 9th 1911 by Senator and physician Domenico Ridola, who donated the fruit of its important archaeological collections of years of research and excavation. It shows numerous evidences found in the the province of Matera and the Murge. The Museum is housed in the premises of seventeenth-century Convent of Santa Chiara and collects materials from prehistoric times up to the third century BC.

The material preserved in the museum is divided mainly into five different rooms. First is the prehistoric section, the most typical. Here we find the material dating back to the Paleolithic period: arrows, spears and axes, found in various locations of Materan Murgia, in particular in the so-called bat cave; then there are the testimonies from entrenched Neolithic villages found in the village of Tirlecchia, Murgia Timone, Murgecchia and Serra d’Alto. This town is famous for the presence of precisely this type of pottery, namely “Serra d’Alto”, characterized by brown varnish and complex geometric patterns. The presence of these villages dating back to Neolithic times attests the introduction of agriculture and the establishment of the population, which in earlier times was nomadic in stable settlements. Finally, there are finds from the Bronze Age, including the tombs of Murgia Timone. There are two halls where the objects are on display from centers located in valleys of the two main rivers of the area of ??Matera, the Basento valley and the Bradano valley: the first belongs to the documentation of the old centers corresponding to the current Pisticci Ferrandina Pomarico, Garaguso and Calle of Tricarico. Especially from the latter site, come materials from a Roman necropolis. From Pisticci come Iron Age burial kits and archaic cemeteries materials, some dating back fifth centuries BC, including the red-figured vases by the Painter of Pisticci. From other centers come materials like tomb kits dating several periods of time. In the hall of Bradano valley there are the testimonies relating to the ancient centers corresponding to the current Montescaglioso, Miglionico and Irsina; to the first center belong several burial kits ranging from the seventh century BC to the fourth century B.C. From Miglionico come Materials dating from the geometric era up to the third century BC. Finally, there are also several examples of decorated ceramics.

In another room are the materials from the excavations of Matera and its surroundings. This is primarily, an archaeological evidence of the Archaic period, Lucan and Roman. In this section of the old burial kits, archaic coins and bronzes were found, including the figure of Hercules with club and bow dating somewhere between the sixth and fourth centuries BC, as well as bronze ornaments from Roman times. The most important documentation relates to Timmari, a few kilometers away from Matera. From the votive offerings and the necropolis of Timmari, dating fourth century BC, come in fact many terracotta votive statues and funerary kits with bronze armours and monumental red-figured vases. The Ridola hall hosts ian exhibition of manuscripts, documents and memorabilia testifying the work of Domenico Ridola, founder of the museum and local researcher of history and antiquities, as well as physician and senator.

Days and opening hours: Monday 02:00pm-08:00pm Tuesday – Sunday 09:00am-08:00pm Closed: Monday morning

Via D. Ridola 75100 Matera Tel 0835310058 Fax 0835310058

[email protected]