Pasolini and Mel Gibson saw the stone houses of Matera and in the sun-baked moors the landscapes of ancient Galilee, choosing Basilicata as a set for such colossals as " The Gospel According to Matthew " and " The Passion of the Christ."
Salvatores chose the golden fields of Vulture to set his film " I'm not afraid " but there are so many cinema-related stories that Basilicata can tell, such as the one linking the great director Francio Ford Coppola to the town of Bernalda, which was his father's birthplace. Coppola has repeatedly declared his love for Basilicata, so much so that he chose Bernalda as the location for his daughter Sophia's wedding to singer Thomas Mars.
Rocco Papaleo makes his debut as a director with the film "Basilicata Coast to Coast " along with Max Gazze' as an actor. The film chronicles the places and natural beauty of Basilicata from the Tyrrhenian to the Ionian Sea.
Also in Basilicata each year is the Lucania Film Festival, an important film festival of independent cinema that brings together in Pisticci directors and actors from all over the world, as in Maratea, Le giornate del Cinema Lucano - Premio Internazionale Maratea, a prestigious kermesse organized by the Lucana Film Commission, featuring distinguished guests, debates, screenings and workshops.
DAY 1 MATERA
Meeting with participants and tour of Matera - Capital of Culture 2019: visit of Casa Noha bene FAI and continue to the " Sassi " ,declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993,represent an unforgettable landscape, characterized by houses carved into the limestone rock and frescoed rock churches, making them unique in the world. This natural conformation of the Sassi, which evokes biblical scenarios, has always made them ideal sets for major films: " The Gospel according to Matthew " by Pierpaolo Pasolini -1964, " The Passion of the Christ " by Mel Gibson, a 2004 film, the most touching scenes of the colossal are shot, which will generate a stir for the rawness with which the last hours of the Messiah are told, two years later the Hollywood director John Moore, will choose Matera for the set "Omen 666" horror film, remake of " The Omen " , a 1976 film. During the visit we will visit several structures, including " La Casa Grotta ",an ancient peasant dwelling that illustrates the reality of Francesco Rosi's film " Christ Stopped at Eboli " ,based on the book by Carlo Levi, a rock church. Tasting lunch at " Azienda Dragone"-C.da Pietrapenta, producers of Matera Doc Wine and in the afternoon visit to the " Crypt of the Original Sin, " on the breathtaking scenery of the ravine of Matera, called the "Sistine Chapel of the Rocky Habitat " for the valuable frescoes inside, dating from the late 8th to early 9th century AD. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.
Admission: Casa Noha € 5.00 p.p. - Casa Grotta, Rock Church, € 5.00 p.p.- Original Sin Crypt € 10.00 p.p.
DAY 2 MONTESCAGLIOSO/SCANZANO JONICO/CRACO/ALIANO
Breakfast and departure for Montescaglioso, one of the treasures of Basilicata and since 2012 has earned the designation of " Jewel of Italy ". Location of important films such as Brunello Rondi's Il Demonio 1963 and Noi e la Giulia DI E. Leo 2015.Visit to the famous Benedictine Abbey of St. Michael Archangel (1079),the most notable of the four monastic complexes that has also earned Montescaglioso the definition of the " City of Monasteries ".Continue to Scanzano J.co, visit to the places where the final scenes of the film " Basilicata Coast to Coast " by Rocco Papaleo were filmed. Continue to Craco - Ghost Town: which has become a real ghost town, one of the rare examples in Italy, and has been thrilling travelers and numerous directors for some years now, who have chosen the Lucanian town to shoot their films: Alberto Lattuada's La Lupa-King David by Bruce Beresford-Saving Grace by Tom Conti-The Sun Also at Night by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani-Burnt Earth by Fabio Segatori-Nativity by Catherine Hardwicke-The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson-The Big Question by Francesco Cabras and Alberto Molinari-Nime Poems in Basilicata by Antonello Faretta-Agent 007 - Quantum of Solace by Marc Forster-Basilicata Coast to Coast by Rocco Papaleo. Lunch in a typical restaurant in Aliano and in the afternoon visit to the village of the Calanchi and the confinement of Carlo Levi, immersed in evocative and lunar landscape, which is also why it is included among the " authentic villages of Italy ".The intimacy of its landscape and at the same time, the harshness of the deserted Calanchi expanses give Aliano a mysterious and austere atmosphere that has attracted great filmmakers. Visit to the Carlo Levi Literary Park: Museum of Canvases, historic center to Carlo Levi's House of Confinement with multimedia review, Museum of Peasant Civilization. Location of important films such as Cristo si è fermato ad Eboli by Francesco Rosi and Basilicata Coast to Coast by Rocco Papaleo . Dinner and overnight stay in hotel.
Admission: Benedictine Abbey € 3.00 p.p. - Aliano Museums € 5.00 p.p.
DAY 3 MIGLIONICO /PIETRAPERTOSA / CASTELMEZZANO
Breakfast and departure for Miglionico the precious village in the Materano area that stands on a hill between the Bradano and Basento rivers. Majestic is the Malconsiglio Castle, which dominates the panorama of the hill, known for the historic Conjuring of the Barons against Frederick I of Naples. Location of many films among the most important Brunello Rondi's Il Demonio 1963 and Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman 2017.Continue to Pietrapertosa, located near the Lucanian Dolomites, is part of the " Most Beautiful Villages of Italy ".Visit the remains of the Castle from which there is a breathtaking view, the neighborhood of Saracen origin " Arabat " ,characterized by narrow streets, blind alleys and small single-family houses, and the Mother Church dedicated to St. James the Greater, dating from the 15th century. Arrival in Castelmezzano , which stands at an altitude of 900 meters, where you can admire Piazza Emilio Caizzo, a natural balcony, which opens onto a village arranged like an amphitheater. The tour continues with a visit to the Mother Church ,Santa Maria dell'Olmo dating back to 1544.The signs of the Templar order will gradually be the subject of the guided tour, from the municipal coat of arms to the toponymy of the streets. The visit continues through the very characteristic alleys of the village until we reach the remains of the Norman Fortress ,where we can admire the steps carved into the rock that led to a Norman lookout point, from which the view of the Gulf of Taranto is possible. Lunch at Becco della Civetta, a place of excellence in the enhancement of typical Lucanian products. Castelmezzano was a location for the filming of the movie " Un paese quasi perfetto " directed by Massimo Gaudioso. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.
DAY 4 IRSINA /VENOSA/MELFI
Breakfast and departure for IRSINA Guarded among its medieval fortifications, ancient Montepeloso peers over and dominates the Bradano and Basentello valleys, among which peeps out the ancient village, a network of civil and religious buildings that can be reached by crossing narrow streets and alleys following the boundary walls that lead to the village gates. Among the many small churches, attention is drawn to the Nanto stone statue depicting Santa Eufemia, attributed to Renaissance artist Andrea Mantenga . Location of the film Del Perduto Amore Michele Placido 1998.We continue to Venosa - the City of Horace: old and rich in history in ancient Venusia Horace was born there in 65 BC, the most famous poet of Latinity. Visit the archaeological area ,the amphitheater, the domus, the Aragonese Castle home of the Archaeological Museum, the Unfinished and the Cathedral. Tasting lunch at Cantina di Venosa producers of Aglianico Doc. In the afternoon, continuation to Melfi where the gold of the wheat fields spreads as far as the eye can see, the deep green of the beech forests, it is no coincidence that Gabriele Salvatores chose these places in Basilicata to set the film " Io non ho paura " , based on the novel of the same name by Niccolò Ammaniti, the film was chosen as Italy's nominee for the Oscars in 2003.Visit the Norman-Swabian Castle that dominates the entire town, now home to the National Museum of the Melfese, the Cathedral, the Bishop's Palace . Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.
Admission: National Archaeological Museum of Venosa € 2.50 - National Archaeological Museum of the Melfese " Massimo Pallottino " € 2.50 p.p.
