Miglionico
very characteristic village just 20 minutes from Matera
The central location of Le Ginestre offers the opportunity to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the historic center, being contaminated by all its colors and flavors. On foot, you can immediately reach the matrix church, where there are two excellent masterpieces of pictorial and sculptural art of the entire region such as the sixteenth-century Polyptych of Cima da Conegliano and the seventeenth-century Crucifix of Brother Umile from Petralia. Not far away, through the maze of narrow streets, the majestic Malconsiglio Castle, theater of the famous Barons’ conspiracy of the Kingdom of Naples of 1485. Not to be underestimated that the composer, teacher and musician Francesco Stabile was born in the same residence in 1801. He was a famous opera player to whom the main theater of Potenza is dedicated.
Matera
Le Ginestre is 23 km from Matera, European Capital of Culture in 2019. It’s considered one of the rupestrian capitals of the Mediterrean area, as here one can observe traces of rupestrian civilization, a rare instance worldwide.Because of their significant cultural value, the Sassi and the Murgia Materana Park were declared UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1993. The Sassi comprise primordial cave settlements, underground churches, cave churches, noble mansions, archways and unique galleries. They’re a mixture of historic and artistic urban areas made out of tufa stone.