Walking through transit lands of ancient tradition
The Cammino Materano is a slow mobility path that, starting from some places of worship in Southern Italy and following Roman and medieval secondary roads, carriageways, sheep tracks and paths, crosses parts of Puglia, Molise, Basilicata and Campania to reach Matera. .
It is a journey through lands of transit for an ancient vocation and tradition that, in their thousand-year history, have seen the passage of countless pilgrims from all over the Mediterranean basin and beyond. The idea stems from the suggestion of crossing the unknown inland areas of the South to reach the heart of a territory, now considered marginal, but which for millennia has been a fascinating point of balance between different cultures. The designed paths are six:
1. Via Peuceta, from the Basilica of San Nicola di Bari to Matera (170 km)
2. Via Ellenica, from the column of the Via Appia of Brindisi to Matera (290 km)
3. Via Sveva, from the cathedral of San Nicola Pellegrino di Trani to Matera (200 km)
4. Via Jonica, from the Sanctuary of Finibus Terrae (Santa Maria di Leuca) to Matera (300 km)
5. Via Dauna, from the cathedral of S. Maria di Termoli to Matera (400 km)
6. Via Lucana, in Matera to the temple of Hera in Paestum (400 km).
Six paths, built on the model of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe (e.g. the Camino de Santiago), which since 2015 put the city of the Sassi (Matera) at the center, along which a very rich cultural heritage is discovered (three sites Unesco: Alberobello, Matera and Paestum), consisting of cathedrals, medieval villages, rock churches, Greek and Roman remains, but also of farms, trulli, dry stone walls and an extraordinary gastronomy made of genuine flavors that refer to the true peasant tradition.
Currently, the Via Peuceta (170 km from Bari to Matera) and the Via Ellenica (290 km from Brindisi to Matera) can be traveled independently and are crossed by thousands of travelers every year.
Set out to put your spirit and body back in balance
The strength of the Materan Way is the recovery of a more authentic dimension, more intimate and closer to our being, through the re-appropriation of one’s time, one’s body and one’s senses.
Setting out on a journey means putting spirit and body back in balance, harmonizing with nature and everything that surrounds us; it means developing a new conception of one’s existence.
The implementation and promotion of seasonally adjusted and environmentally friendly tourism is an excellent tool for safeguarding the priceless natural, cultural and human heritage that characterizes the most internal and remote areas of the South. Many small and enchanting South within the South.
AKU is the technical sponsor of the Via del Cammino Materano. The Materan Way shares with AKU the commitment to reduce the environmental impact, to promote forms of circular economy and to ensure respectful development of local communities and the dignity of professions and workers.
