Fenix Tours
The lower valley of the river Bradano is surprisingly very interesting and among the main attractions of this itinerary, there is the Crypt of the Original Sin, rock church also called the Sistine Chapel of the rock art, Metaponto, with the ruins of the ancient Greek city; and finally Montescaglioso with its magnificent abbey whose origins date back to the early Middle Ages. By-the-way there are other treasures that deserve to be discovered
Near the Crypt there is the lake of San Giuliano, very frequented by migratory birds and natural oasis of the W.W.F. Overlooking the lake there is the small town of Miglionico dominates the valley of the river Bradano with its powerful castle. Despite its precarious state, the provincial road linking Miglionico to Metaponto passes by the pretty town of Pomarico from where you can enjoy spectacular views over the Materano's hills. Pomarico was founded around 850 AD after the destruction of the ancient site that was pillaged by the Saracens seeking slaves to be sold at North-African markets. The ancient center, commonly called "Castro Cicurio" or more properly Pomarico Vecchio, has Oenotrian origins and recent escavations date back the foundation at the period of Metapontum from where it is not that far. Few kms farther and we pass by Bernalda, a Jonic town dear to the director Francis Ford Coppola, whose family comes from. Afterward the ruins of Metepontum let us dive into the ancient period of Magna Graecia. Very ancient too, Montescaglioso gem is Saint Michael's abbey founded soon after that the Micaelic cult spred all over Europe. Along the route taking us back to Matera from Montescaglioso we can visit beautiful rock churches and/or rocky settlements of the Murgia Materana Park such as the Madonna della Loë, the Saraceno Village and Cristo la Selva. A tour full of pleasant surprises.
Please do not forget to read the Terms and Conditions before booking. The reservation is valid after the payment of the advance or the full amount.
For the same tour there are two prices based on the number of people: 1 to 3 and 4 to 7 people. For groups of 8 or more people, please contact us.
After deciding which excursion you want to do, click on the booking button that will open a partially pre-filled e-mail. You must indicate the date, the number of participants and your special requests. Probably it will take more than one e-mail to define the excursion but as soon as you receive our confirmation email, you can make the payment (in advance or in full).
By clicking any payment button opens a window and you can choose whether to pay with your Paypal account (if you have one) or by credit card or any other online payment method existing in your country that is affiliated with Paypal. This alternative changes depending on the country.
If your currency is not the euro (€), you can pay via the Wise or XE platforms. Paypal applies commercial exchange rates (those of the bureaus of exchange for example) very unfavorable, while Wise and XE apply the official rates with very low fees. Simply open a Wise or XE account and make the payment via the mobile app or PC by making the transfer to the bank account of Fenix Tours. The bank account will be communicated to you in the confirmation e-mail
The balance can be be paid by PayPal, Wise or XE or at the latest, at the start of the tour by credit card 
or cash (euro)
.
The proximity of the localities in Matera gives the opportunity to organize a half-day excursion choosing the one you consider the most interesting and suitable for your needs: Montescaglioso with its micaelic abbey, Miglionico with its castle, The Crypt of Original Sin, Pomarico Nuovo and Castro Cicurio, Metaponto with the Greek ruins. Some secondary sites such as the Wildlife Oasis of San Giuliano or some rock churches of the Park of Murgia Materana in the countryside of Montescaglioso can complete the itineraries.
| 1-3 people | 4-7 people | ||||
| Full Price | Down Payment | Balance | Full Price | Down Payment | Balance |
| 467 € | 140 € | 327 € | 653 € | 196 € | 457 € |
The lower course of the river Bradano runs through a valley that, above all, from the ancient Pleistocene lake now called Dogana, below the hill of Montescaglioso, has a succession of irrigated and very fertile soils. These are the lands that during the Magno-Greek period (VII-III BC) made Metapontus one of the most prosperous cities of Magna Graecia. On the territory of Montescaglioso falls a part of the Regional Park of Murgia Materana and probably as the Ionian coastal area remained in Byzantine hands even after the maximum expansion of the Lombards in the seventh century AD, there are the oldest rock churches of the park. The Abbey of Montescaglioso in fact seems to date back to the first centuries of the Middle Ages. Miglionico whose castle was the scene of the conspiracy of the barons, is an ancient Lucan center whose origins are uncertain but enjoys a dominant position on the artificial lake of San Giuliano. The latter, formed after the construction of the dam on the course of the Bradano, is an important wildlife oasis managed by the WWF. And in the vicinity of the latter, along the course of the Gravina di Picciano, a tributary of Bradano, a rock church known as the "Sistine Chapel of Rupestrian Civilization" called the Crypt of Original Sin for the frescoes that decorate it, is a magnificent testimony of the art of these districts in the Early Middle Ages. Metaponto with its Palatine Tables and its archaeological park and necropolis scattered in the area are finally the last pearl of this interesting territory
| 1-3 people | 4-7 people | ||||
| Full Price | Down Payment | Balance | Full Price | Down Payment | Balance |
| 700 € | 210 € | 490 € | 980 € | 294 € | 686 € |
A visit to the lower Bradano valley which includes all the destinations of the itinerary. We start from the crypt of original sin and make a short stop at the oasis of San Giuliano WWF a few kilometers away. In Miglionico we visit the castle and the mother church with the magnificent polyptych of Cima di Conegliano. In the afternoon we visit Pomarico Nuovo and on the way to Metaponto we make a stop at the ancient settlement of Pomarico Vecchio whose ruins date back to the 4th-3rd century BC. Bernalda, the birthplace of Francis Ford Coppola’s grandfather, owns a beautiful castle and the same director has a hotel in a noble palace. It could be an incentive to spend the night there. The following morning is dedicated to Metaponto with its museum and its archaeological park. In the afternoon the abbey of Montescaglioso and if there is spare time, a visit to a rock hamlet on the way back to Matera
| 1-3 people | 4-7 people | ||||
| Full Price | Down Payment | Balance | Full Price | Down Payment | Balance |
| 1120 € | 336 € | 784 € | 1568 € | 470 € | 1098 € |
