parcomurgia

The Murgia Materana Park

Menu> Matera and the Park
Geology
Prehistory
Rock churches
Rural structures
Flora
Fauna
Matera
The Murgia Materana Park

THE PARCO DELLA MURGIA MATERANA
Establishment of the Park: L. R. 3 April 1990, n. 11
Establishment of the management entity: L. R. n. 7 of 7 January 1998
Location: Regione Basilicata – Province of Matera
Municipalities: Matera, Montescaglioso (MT)
Surface: 6.128 ha (Has)
Rivers and streams: River Cities, Torrente Gravina, Torrent Jesce
Symbol of the Park: the lesser Kestrel Falco with wings.

In Sassi of Matera and overlooking the regional park of the Murgia Materana, included in the UNESCO list, are among the most spectacular rock landscapes of Italy.
From the caves of the Paleolithic to the Neolithic villages entrenched, dell’età del bronzo e del ferro, There are numerous prehistoric sites that tell the human presence in these territories, from early times.
The soft nature of limestone caves (commonly known as tufa) , large outcrop of rock in a large part of the territory, played a key role in the forms taken by landscape. In the ravines, deep valleys that influence the limestone plateau of the murgia , whole villages are excavated in the rock agropastorali, singolari testimonianze di quella tecnica definita architettura in negativo dove non si costruisce, but the field is removed from the rock, to derive architectural structures.
Inoltre 150 are the chiese rupestri, diverse architecture and iconography, that tell a middle ages saw collide in these places the Byzantine Greek culture with the Latin world.
In a terrain so rugged that seems to reject the presence of man, a surprising natural wealth includes approximately 1.200 botanical entity.
The low population density and isolation of some areas favouring the presence of a rich fauna (fox, hare, porcupine, boar, Bobcat) but especially important birds of prey like the kite, Lanner falcon, the Egyptian vulture and especially of the lesser Kestrel falco, the small raptor symbol of the Park.
Finally, there are also fortified farms, jazzi ed affascinanti percorsi incisi nella roccia per la raccolta dell’acqua in cisterne, troughs and wells, testimonianze del secolare sviluppo agropastorale.

Per vivere ed amare tutto questo è nato il CEA Centro di Educazione Ambientale di Matera, che ogni anno invita, accoglie ed accompagna migliaia di visitatori, piccoli o grandi che siano, nel loro percorso di scoperta del Parco della Murgia Materana.