Fenix Tours
Clay hills covered with infinite fields of cereals, sparse trees, and many small abandoned houses that dot the landscape. The woods are very few along the upper part of the Bradano river and you can easily have the impression of lack of inhabited centers, that man has fled and returns there a few days a year only to sow the fields, to execute in an hurry the necessary field works and finally close the cycle with the harvest of the crops.
By reading the landscape with this logic, some archaeologists have justified the abandonment of inhabited centers that disappeared just because of the deforestation that this area has known. Unfortunately, many scientific disciplines only partially explain what happened. Of the vanished centers only a few ruins remain on the top of the hills that dominate the Bradano river and each of them has a unique story to tell
With the notable exception of Irsina, rolling hills covered by cereal crops dominate the view. The landscape is beautiful and dramatic and visiting each of the proposed places is like traveling back in time and revisiting historical events that are often studied only in school books. While Rifeccia tells us the geological history of Earth with its mud volcanoes, Timmari and Monte Irsi and Monte Serico tell us about ancient peoples that for reasons related to earthquakes and plague, disappeared as well as the town of Altojanni in the seventeenth century. Borgo Taccone, on the other hand, is an example of the failed project of the Agrarian Reform of the 1950s that wanted to bring back people to countryside.
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 main feature of the Bradano Valley is wheat cultivation. Clayey soils are conducive to this extensive use of land and with the disappearance of pastoralism, the activities that make the towns thrive have ceased. The only significant town of this area is in fact Irsina. On the top of the hills, however, there are often the remains of fortifications or villages or even geological events such as mud volcanoes to demonstrate the environmental instability that characterizes the area. In half a day there is the possibility to visit some of these sites, depends solely on your curiosity: the remains of the pre-Roman city of Timmari with its environmental setting? The volcanoes that dot the Rifeccia? The solitary tower of Altojanni? The medieval and Roman remains of Mount Irsi? The fascinating Irsina? The solitary Castle of Monteserico? The villages of the Agrarian Reform? The Neolithic site of Grottelline? The ruins of the ancient Castle of Garagnone? As you can see the options are not lacking !
| 1-3 people | 4-7 people | ||||
| Full Price | Down Payment | Balance | Full Price | Down Payment | Balance |
| 467 € | 140 € | 327 € | 653 € | 196 € | 457 € |
The main feature of the Bradano Valley is wheat cultivation. Clayey soils are conducive to this extensive use of land and with the disappearance of pastoralism, the activities that make the towns thrive have ceased. The only significant town of this area is in fact Irsina. On the top of the hills, however, there are often the remains of fortifications or villages or even geological events such as mud volcanoes to demonstrate the environmental instability that characterizes the area. In a day there is the possibility to visit some of these sites, depends solely on your curiosity: the remains of the pre-Roman city of Timmari with its environmental setting? The volcanoes that dot the Rifeccia? The solitary tower of Altojanni? The medieval and Roman remains of Mount Irsi? The fascinating Irsina? The solitary Castle of Monteserico? The villages of the Agrarian Reform? The Neolithic site of Grottelline? The ruins of the ancient Castle of Garagnone? As you can see the options are not lacking !
| 1-3 people | 4-7 people | ||||
| Full Price | Down Payment | Balance | Full Price | Down Payment | Balance |
| 700 € | 210 € | 490 € | 980 € | 294 € | 686 € |
The main feature of the Bradano Valley is wheat cultivation. Clayey soils are conducive to this extensive use of land and with the disappearance of pastoralism, the activities that make the towns thrive have ceased. The only significant town of this area is in fact Irsina. On the top of the hills, however, there are often the remains of fortifications or villages or even geological events such as mud volcanoes to demonstrate the environmental instability that characterizes the area. Timmari being the closest place to Matera is our first stop on this two-day trip followed by the Rifeccia with mud volcanoes. The time travel continues in Altojanni with its tower of Norman origin to finally stop and discover the beautiful Irsina. The following day we expect the Monte Irsi, Borgo Taccone, the Castle of Monte Serico, Poggiorsini for lunch, the Grottelline and finally the majestic ruins of the Castle of Garagnone.
| 1-3 people | 4-7 people | ||||
| Full Price | Down Payment | Balance | Full Price | Down Payment | Balance |
| 1120 € | 336 € | 784 € | 1568 € | 470 € | 1098 € |
