Nature & Hiking
Walk the Gravina gorge and the bridge
Matera · Basilicata
QUICK INFORMATION
- CATEGORY
- Nature & Hiking
- COUNTRY
- Italy
- REGION
- Matera · Basilicata
- DURATION
- Two to three hours
- DIFFICULTY
- Moderate — a steep path down into the gorge and back up; sturdy shoes essential.
- BEST TIME
- Spring and autumn; avoid the heat of summer.
ABOUT THIS EXPERIENCE
The Gravina is the deep gorge that separates the Sassi from the Murgia plateau, and a walk down into it and across the suspension bridge gives the view of the cave city from below — the Sassi stacked up the cliffs above the river, the rock churches in the opposite cliff, and the gorge itself with its caves and its vegetation. The bridge, the Ponte della Gravina, spans the gorge and gives the view up at both sides; the path down to the riverbed gives the view up at the Sassi from the very bottom. It is the way to see the city from the angle that the plateau view does not give, and the most physical experience of the gorge that defines Matera.
WHAT YOU’LL EXPERIENCE
What you’ll experience
THE EXPERIENCE IN DETAIL
What it’s really like
HIGHLIGHTS
Moments worth savouring
The view up at the Sassi — the cave city seen from the riverbed below, the underside of the place.
The suspension bridge — the Ponte della Gravina, with the view up the gorge to both sides.
The rock churches from below — the cave churches in the Murgia cliff, seen from the gorge.
The gorge itself — the deep limestone canyon, with its caves and its vegetation.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Good to know before you go
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before you go
MAP & LOCATION
Walk the Gravina gorge and the bridge
Walk the Gravina gorge and the bridge, Matera, Basilicata, Italy
40.6611, 16.6089
ATTRACTIONS NEARBY
Pair it with these sights
MORE EXPERIENCES
More to do in Matera
FOOD & DRINK
Where to eat nearby
Baccanti — a refined restaurant in a cave in the Sasso Caveoso, for traditional Lucanian cooking, book ahead
Trattoria del Caveoso — a trattoria in the Sassi for the local dishes and the view over the gorge
L’Abbondanza Lucana — a restaurant on the plateau for the cucina povera of Basilicata
Il Terrazzino — a family-run restaurant in the Sasso Barisano for home cooking and local wines
Regiacorte — a garden restaurant in the Sassi for slow Lucanian cooking, book ahead
HOTELS & STAYS
Where to stay nearby
Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita — a cave hotel in the Sasso Caveoso, the most singular stay in Italy
Palazzo Gattini — a luxury hotel in a restored palazzo on the Civita, with a spa
Locanda di San Martino — a cave hotel and spa in the Sasso Barisano
Hotel Sassi — a comfortable hotel in the Sassi, with a rooftop terrace over the gorge
NEARBY DESTINATIONS
Continue the journey
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