Matera Guided Sunset Tour: Murgia Timone&Belvedere with Transfer
Description
Discover the wild and ancient side of Matera on a guided walking tour through the Regional Park of the Rupestrian Churches. After a shared transfer from Matera’s city center, access the protected area of Murgia Timone with the entry ticket included as part of the experience. This special access allows you to explore one of the most important archaeological areas surrounding Matera, including the ancient Neolithic village, the panoramic Belvedere overlooking the Sassi, and the rupestrian churches carved into the rock. Together with a knowledgeable guide, walk scenic trails above the Gravina canyon and visit the rock-hewn churches of San Falcione and Madonna delle Tre Porte, featuring Byzantine frescoes dating from the 12th to 17th centuries. Continue to the dramatic Golgota hill, selected by Mel Gibson as a filming location for The Passion of the Christ thanks to its dramatic and timeless scenery. End the tour at sunset from the Belvedere, where Matera’s Sassi glow in golden light.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your group in Matera’s city center and board the minivan/minibus heading toward the Park of Rupestrian Churches.
Access the protected archaeological area of Murgia Timone with the included entry ticket. Explore traces of the ancient Neolithic village carved into the rock, where some of the earliest human communities in southern Italy once lived. Discover caves, cisterns, and remains that reveal prehistoric life in the area.
Visit the Crypt of San Falcione, one of the oldest rupestrian churches in the park. Admire the ancient rock-cut architecture and learn about the religious communities who inhabited these remote caves.
Continue to the Church of Madonna delle Tre Porte, known for its Byzantine frescoes and spiritual significance. Your guide will explain the symbolism and history hidden within these centuries-old paintings.
Before reaching Belvedere, cross the dramatic Golgota hill, famous as a filming location for The Passion of the Christ. End the experience at the iconic Belvedere viewpoint, the most panoramic terrace overlooking Matera’s Sassi districts.
After enjoying the sunset from the Belvedere viewpoint, relax during the shared transfer back to Matera’s city center.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Shared tour. This experience will be shared with other guests
- The actual tour time may vary from the scheduled time as it depends on the sunset time.
Reviews(121)
Our guide was vey knowledgeable on the flora/fauna as well as the history of the area. His pride and enthusiasm for his city was clear and he shared that with the group.
This was one of the best tours we have been on. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and the view points and experience was wonderful. Highly recommend. Just don’t forget shoes for hiking and a water bottle.
The guide Federico is very knowledgeable.
Grazie, Antonella! Siamo lieti che tu abbia apprezzato la competenza della nostra guida Federico. Speriamo di rivederti presto per un'altra fantastica esperienza!
The tour was wonderful, but unfortunately I left with a heavy heart seeing two skeletal kittens in terrible condition left there wandering without water or food in the Belvedere area of the Murgia park. One piece of advice, and please listen: take care of those creatures, bring water and food, and involve the local animal welfare organization for veterinary care. Your knowledgeable explanations and the breathtaking beauty of the experience are overwhelming, believe me, and the most vivid memory is leaving those poor creatures to die of hunger and thirst. As a tourist, I urge you not to ruin the prestige and high standard of this Italian gem, Matera: do not make us endure these pains amidst such beauty; take care of your kittens 🥹. P.S. Great Giusy, exceptional guide 🙂 I hope you can receive this appeal of mine and do something concrete. Thank you
Grazie per il feedback, Madame. Comprendiamo la tua osservazione e ne terremo conto attentamente per migliorare l'esperienza generale e l'ambiente circostante. Per ulteriori dettagli non esitare a contattare il nostro servizio clienti.
The tour is enchanting. Wonderful place, the rock churches are fascinating. The guide Francesco, who is very knowledgeable in multiple areas, made the tour truly interesting. The organization was just sufficient.
Everything was great. Ivan was an amazing guide. Highly recommended
Vielen Dank, Steffen, für Ihre positive Rückmeldung! Es freut uns sehr, dass Sie die Tour genossen haben und Ivan dazu beitragen konnte. Wir hoffen, Sie bald wieder begrüßen zu dürfen.
A lovely tour lasting over 3 hours around sunset. Included a couple of churches, one of which is closed to public and has a good collection of frescos not able to visit without tour. As much a nature tour as history as the scenery is beautiful. Ivan the guide was brilliant - he clearly loved the area and the scenery and nature. You can get up here by foot but it’s a long walk and doesn’t have access to the church.
Paid for English tour but they gave us an Italian tour. The tour was specifically Italian. When we brought it to tour guides attention he attempted to do some English but much of the tour was not translated so putting the history together and understanding everything was difficult and much was lost. Some of the smaller elements of the tour were also missing. The tour was basically just the park and what could be seen there. The casle was never visited. On the up side the scenery and structures are spectacular. The guide tried his best to accommodate the English. We went to the tour company office and were finally offered a refund for the difference between the cost of English tour and Italian tour. They maybe could have done better since we missed out on most of the spoken part of the tour. A wonderful tour if you speak Italian.
Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry the language service did not fully meet your expectations. We appreciate that you recognized the guide’s effort and the beauty of the site. As discussed at our office, a partial refund for the language difference was offered, and we’ll use your comments to improve organization and clarity.
Experience with very interesting and pleasant driving
Grazie mille, Andrea! Siamo davvero felici che tu abbia trovato l'esperienza interessante e piacevole. È sempre fantastico sapere che i nostri sforzi vengono apprezzati.
I had booked months in advance the tour of the Murgia Materana at 6 pm on April 18. Two days earlier almost randomly, just because I had asked for a confirmation, I discovered that the tour was brought forward to 5.30 pm. I take note of the disappointment at the failure to communicate and they tell me that they would have warned me. In fact, on the same day some people complained about the failure to communicate time variation discovered by chance at the counter on the same day. Moreover, the automatic confirmation arrived for 6 pm, so very unclear!!! I put aside the disappointment at the little organization and prepare to live the experience, dreamed of for a long time. Unfortunately, this was not the case. I booked a tour that included a visit to the rock churches Madonna delle Tre Porte and San Falcione and I didn’t see any of this. We visited other equally interesting sites but that's not how it works! We were on the opposite side of the above attractions. Many other customers were puzzled. You don't change the schedule of a tour without even warning! Considering also the little organization in the previous phases I will certainly not turn to the same agency again. Too bad because the guides are really competent!
grazie per aver condiviso la sua esperienza, ci dispiace sinceramente per il disappunto. Ci teniamo però a fare chiarezza su alcuni aspetti importanti, così da aiutare anche altri viaggiatori a comprendere meglio le differenze tra i tour. Il tour da lei acquistato è quello nella zona della Murgecchia, al costo di €20, che include la visita alla Chiesa della Palomba. Come ricordato anche durante il suo passaggio in reception, aveva espresso proprio un dubbio su questa chiesa, avendo letto online che fosse chiusa: in realtà era regolarmente aperta ed è stata visitata durante l’esperienza. Diverso è invece il tour della Murgia Timone, che include siti come Madonna delle Tre Porte e San Falcione, e che ha un costo di €25 a persona, comprensivo anche di specifici accessi. Comprendiamo che possa esserci stata confusione tra le due esperienze, ma si tratta di itinerari distinti, con contenuti e prezzi differenti. Detto questo, prendiamo molto seriamente il tema della comunicazione: se qualcosa non è stato percepito in modo chiaro, è un aspetto su cui possiamo sicuramente migliorare. Ci dispiace che l’esperienza non abbia rispecchiato le aspettative, anche perché – come ha giustamente sottolineato – le guide fanno sempre del loro meglio per offrire un servizio di qualità. Rimaniamo a disposizione per qualsiasi chiarimento e speriamo di poterla accogliere nuovamente, guidandola nella scelta del tour più adatto alle sue aspettative.
