EASTER in Basilicata and Puglia, including extensive guided tour in MATERA - European Capital of Culture 2019

20th to 24th April, 2019 - 5 Days / 4 Nights

Accommodation in luxurious
Palazzo Margherita which is located in the charming hilltop village of Bernalda near Matera, birthplace of the grandfather of famous director and producer Francis Ford Coppola.

20.04. (Saturday) - Day 1
Welcome in Basilicata
- Arrival at Palazzo Margherita and Welcome drink upon arrival
- Lunch at Palazzo Margherita
- 17:30 Cooking class preparing our traditional savory Easter cake in the warmth of the Palazzo's kitchen
- Unique dinner at Palazzo Margherita

21.04. (Sunday) - Day 2
Easter Mass in Chiesa Madre and visit of Craco
- Leisurely breakfast at Palazzo Margherita
- 10:00 For those who wish to go, the Easter Mass will be held in the Chiesa Madre in Bernalda otherwise relaxing morning walking through the streets of Bernalda to look at the great ferment for the Easter preparations
- 13:00 Back to the hotel to enjoy the traditional Easter lunch
- 15:15 Depart for Craco* to discover this atmospheric ghost town
- 17:30 Return to Palazzo Margherita and have some time to relax
- Dinner at Palazzo Margherita.

Craco* - The abandonment of the old houses transformed Craco into a ghost town often used as a film set for historical films and as a tourist destination through guided tours. The town is reached via a road that climbs from the valley up a hill, through a picturesque and suggestive landscape. Surrounded by fields and olive groves, the town is a single sculptural composition of the closely aligned houses nested on the limestone cliffs. Above the vaulted alleys and steep stairways rises a Norman tower and the 13th-century castle.

22.04. (Monday) - Day 3
19th century Masseria visit and culinary experience in Masseria
(min. 6 participants are required for the Masseria programme)
Easter Monday, also known as La Pasquetta, is a popular day to take a short break to the countryside to enjoy a picnic or an informal lunch with friends and family!!
- After a leisurely breakfast in the dine-in kitchen or courtyard of Palazzo Margherita…
- Depart for the visit to a fortified Masseria* in the Val d'Agri (the heart of Basilicata).
- Lunch at the Masseria liven up by a local music band playing popular songs with ancient popular instruments** in rhythm with “Tarantella” traditional music.
- Return to Palazzo Margherita and have some time to relax;
- Dinner with “giropizza” in family style. With the “giropizza,” a typical Italian custom, the entire group of guests is given a series of pizzas of various kinds, allowing each participant to taste the different specialties. Moreover, you will taste our best craft beers from Bernalda and local wine.

Masseria* in the Val d'Agri - This 19th century Masseria is situated on the Agri river valley and it remembers the old days when everything was homemade, it’s an organic farm of more than 300 hectares. It is still possible to see "Podolic" cows, that means cows that still eat wild food and without any extra chemical feeding, these cows are also particular because they do not live in the stable but you can only see them pasturing. Because of this, the “podolic” cows produce a little quantity of high quality milk.

This unique experience becomes even more memorable if shared with others. A minimum number of six - eight person is required.
. Experience and help to produce typical mozzarella cheese called treccione and a "podolic" caciocavallo cheese;
. Experience and help to make typical Southern Italian “focaccia” (semolina flour instead of soft wheat usually used for pizzas);

Popular instruments** - Among others, the “cupa cupa” is one of the most original instruments created by the folkloristic inventiveness of poor people. It is a tambourine that produces a characteristic sound through the friction of a long reed on a membrane positioned on top of a terracotta or tin pot.

23.04. (Tuesday) - Day 4
Visit to Matera and Crypt of the Original Sin
- After a leisurely breakfast in the dine-in kitchen or courtyard of Palazzo Margherita…
- 10:00 Depart for Matera and stop on the way and visit of the Crypt of the Original Sin (also known as the “Sistin Chapel” of the rupestrian wall painting), along the ancient Appian Way with its suggestive representation of scenes of the Old and the New Testament, in a cycle of frescoes dating back to the 9th century. A. D. of the rupestrian wall painting.
- 12:30 Lunch in Matera at a typical trattoria
- 14:00 Guided tour of the ancient Sassi area of Matera and the Park of the rock churches.**
- Spare time for tour to the Art & Craft studios in town (map and list provided by us)
- 17:00 Return to Palazzo Margherita and have some time to relax
- Dinner at Palazzo Margherita.

**The Sassi - originated from a prehistoric settlement. The Sassi are houses dug into the calcarenitic rock. The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera are the most outstanding, intact example of a prehistoric settlement in the Mediterranean region, perfectly adapted to its terrain and ecosystem. The first inhabited zone dates from the Palaeolithic, while later settlements illustrate a number of significant stages in human history, from 1992 has inscribed on the World Heritage List.

Guided Tour:
Matera is rich in so many different sites. According to your interests, we will be happy to make you visit some of the following. Please let us know, in order for us to further customize your bespoke tour with your guide.

. Casa Grotta (A traditional old cave home)
. Chiesa Rupestre (Cave churches)
. Palombaro Lungo (the hugest water system lying under the town’s main square
. Casa Cava (the unique example of negative tufa escavation from 17th century, recovered to become an auditorium)
. Palomba Sculpture Park (setting in an old Tufa mine, it boasts a permanent exhibition of metal sculpture of international contemporary Artists)
. Archeological Museum
. Modern Art Museum
. Museum of Contemporary Sculpture (one of the best of Europe)
. Museum of Olive Oil (an 15th and 16th century rock press in the heart of the historical center)

24.04. (Wednesday) - Day 5
- Breakfast at Palazzo Margherita
- Check out.

Rate per person according to room type in Palazzo Margherita:
2.763 EUR per person in double bedroom based on category Garden Room 2
Supplement for other room categories on request.

Price includes following:
- 4 nights in double bedroom in Palazzo Margherita category Garden Room 2
- Excursions and transfers as listed in the itinerary
- All meals of the package include: First and second course, entreé, and fruit or desert. Mineral water is included.

Following are not included in the prices:
- Flights / Transfers
- We will be glad to book your flights, rental car or transfers
- Wines and drinks during meals will be charged seperately

Here you can find
registration form This Easter package program is offered via Palazzo Margherita, for whom we act as agent. The terms and conditions are based on the one of Hotel Palazzo Margherita.

Please contact us under +49 - (0)89 - 833084 or by mail
info@domizile.de. We will be happy to guide you!
Enquire
Would you like an
individual guidance?

Our experienced team will be happy to provide you with detailed and personalised advice. We look forward to hearing from you!