The Region

Puglia, located in the heel of Italy between two seas, is known for the beauty of its landscapes and the richness of its history and culture. Its villages, each with ancient traditions and its own identity, are set within a land shaped by the Gravine, deep incisions in limestone rock that hold Europe's largest canyon, including Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This unique landscape opens up between centuries-old olive groves, Mediterranean scrub, rock churches carved through time and ancient historic centers, all the way to the golden beaches and crystal-clear waters of the Ionian Sea, offering an unrepeatable combination of nature, history and flavors, making it an unmissable destination for those seeking an authentic Italy, still little known, enchanting to discover especially in the warm light of October.

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The Terra delle Gravine, dominated by its majestic canyon carved into limestone rock, is famous for its wild nature and panoramic trails unfurling through hypogea, rock churches and centuries-old olive trees, whilst in autumn the coastline transforms into a true paradise of light and color. Culturally, it is renowned for its ancient rock-hewn settlements, evidence of communities that inhabited these rocks since the Paleolithic era, whose heritage remains visible today in Byzantine frescoes, carved architecture and local traditions. Moving through the Terra delle Gravine, accompanied by the Lato river, numerous characteristic villages are encountered: Matera, Ginosa, Laterza, Castellaneta and finally Castellaneta Marina, the latter being the arrival point of a journey that ends on the shores of the Ionian Sea.

Matera, the city of the Sassi, is a center rich in history and culture, preserving numerous traces of its past, such as the Sassi carved into limestone rock, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and rock churches that still hold Byzantine frescoes today. Walking through its streets, you can admire ancient alleyways, striking squares and find numerous cafés and restaurants where you can taste delicious local cuisine. Surrounded by the Gravine, Matera is the ideal base to discover the authentic beauty of the Terra delle Gravine and experience an unforgettable journey through history and nature.

Ginosa is a village located at the entrance to the Terra delle Gravine, known for its Norman Castle overlooking the ravine that gives the town its name. The historic center is marked by charming narrow streets and ancient stone houses, while just below opens the Rivolta Village, a rock-hewn settlement inhabited until just a few decades ago. It only takes a short walk down into the ravine to find yourself immersed in nature, among centuries-old olive trees and Mediterranean scrub, exploring the many surrounding trails that offer panoramic views over the ravine and the valley.

Laterza is a village overlooking the longest ravine in Europe, a cut in the limestone rock up to 200 meters deep. It is known as the city of bread, still baked today in wood-fired ovens according to the traditional recipe, with local semolina and sourdough passed down through generations; in August the town celebrates this tradition with the Sagra del Pane e dell'Arrosto (Bread and Roast Meat Festival). The historic center also preserves the ancient artisan workshops where, since the 1600s, master ceramicists have crafted the majolica that made Laterza famous, with work that reached as far as the courts of the Bourbons and the Vatican.

Castellaneta is the town where Rodolfo Valentino was born, the silent film legend who conquered Hollywood in the 1920s. Today the Rudolph Valentino Museum, set up in his childhood home, tells this story through photographs, original film posters and personal belongings, while the streets of the historic center still bear the mark of this legend, through murals and commemorative plaques. The municipal territory descends towards the sea through underground caves, rock churches, stretches of the ancient Appian Way and centuries-old olive groves that continue to give Puglia its olive oil.

Castellaneta Marina closes the journey through the Terra delle Gravine on the coast of the Gulf of Taranto. Its centuries-old pine forest overlooks a Blue Flag beach, where fossil dunes hold thousands of years of geological history. Along the horizon, ancient watchtowers still stand, built centuries ago to protect this coast from Saracen raids, while local fishing and the tradition of mussel farming, rooted in Roman times in the nearby Mar Piccolo of Taranto, tell the story of this land's bond with the sea.