Matera gravel: bike loop in the Murgia park

• Technical data
• Files GPS

Technical data

Matera gravel loop to the Murgia Materana Park

ITINERARY DETAILS

---

Start/Arrive	Matera
Time	2-4 hours
Elevation gain	430 m
Lenght	31 km
Terrain type	Asphalt 20% Gravel 80%
Suggested bike	Adventure bike Gravel bike

RATING

---

Difficulty
Panorama

WHEN TO GO

---

   
  

It's not the first time I've cycled in Matera, but every time this city (re)conquers me by giving me new and unexpected views, like those of this gravel itinerary to be enjoyed.

Matera by bike: the margherita is better!

No no, I'm not talking about pizza but about bikes. Yes, because if you want to discover the Matera area on horseback, the most comfortable and suitable solution is that of the daisy tour: choose accommodation, get settled, take the bike in the morning, explore the surroundings and in the evening you get pampered in the hotel, perhaps taking a walk in the city among the Sassi.

If you have to choose the hotel, I recommend the Alvino Relais - Mulino Contemporaneo, a bike hotel that offers all the best services for cycle tourists and with a super-equipped bike room ready to welcome even the most demanding bike. Precisely thanks to the wall map on which there are 8 itineraries downloadable with QRcode, I discovered this gravel ring tour in Matera, in particular towards the Murgia Timone panoramic point which I had often put in my sights but where not I had never managed to arrive in my first sorties into the city.

Gravel tour in the Murgia Materana park

A gravel excursion from Matera to the Murgia Materana park, among dirt roads, forgotten asphalts and indescribable landscapes on the city's Sassi. The ring starts from the hotel which is located in a strategic position in the northern area of ​​the city, on the Eurovelo 5 which arrives from Rome and takes you to Alberobello and Brindisi.

Precisely for this reason, just cross the road and you are already on the cycle path, which immediately descends towards the countryside north of Matera. After the first bend it is necessary to stop immediately to admire the Santuario Santa Maria della Palomba in front of us, beyond the Gravina stream. At the bottom of the slope, a few hundred meters further on, there is the entrance to the La Palomba Sculpture Park, characterized by the presence of various installations in Corten steel inside the Matera quarries, from which the tuff for buildings was obtained.

If you like, stop for a visit before heading into the countryside covered in wheat and poppies in bloom (in May). Immediately after the cemetery, turn right and enter a road that will soon become white. The hills are dotted with farms that integrate harmoniously with the landscape. The colors vary from the green of the newly sprouted shoots to the ocher of the already mature grass: spring is a period of strong color contrasts.

The chaos of the city alleys populated by tourists is already a memory and along the narrow streets that alternate between gravel and forgotten and melancholy asphalt, it is difficult to meet a living soul. Lesser kestrels perform angel flights above their heads in search of prey while lizards and snakes in love chase each other among the crops.

Pedaling on ups and downs that are never difficult, you first pass the provincial road that connects Matera to Gioia del Colle and then the Appia that leads towards Taranto. These are the only two arteries where I will encounter traffic, traveling on them for less than 100 m each.

The Murgia Timone viewpoint and the Sassi

After passing the state road near a cement factory, you leave it behind and enter the Murgia Materana park. To do this you travel along a wonderful dirt road with a well-trodden surface, slightly uphill.  

Between precise and well-aligned dry stone walls, you find the asphalt and a short descent near the aqueduct tank. Deviating to the right onto a somewhat bumpy path, the journey is a little longer to pass by the trenched village of Murgia Timone and find the road again near the park visitor centre.

Another stretch of cycle path on the belvedere road leads right in front of the Sassi di Matera, to the Murgia Timone belvedere. The view from here is spectacular: the Sasso Barisano on the right and the Caveoso on the left are divided by the Civita district on which the Duomo stands out. Even a married couple is immortalized in this magical place where I just have to stop for a while in contemplation.

The return is quick, on the same road as the outward journey to the visitor center and then straight onto the main access road. I travel a few hundred meters of the state road before taking a beautiful dirt road to access the city, again on the route of the Via Francigena del Sud (EV5). The final ramp to return to the Alvino Relais coincides with the cycle path also used on the outward journey.

If you also want to visit the city you can quickly reach the Sassi, pass along Via Madonna delle Virtù past the convent of Sant'Agostino and then follow the entire Gravina and go back up to approximately the height of Piazzetta Pascoli.

I still suggest you leave your bike somewhere and explore Matera and its alleys on foot, you won't regret it!

Alvino Relais

Sleeping in Matera

Alvino Relais is your ideal base in Matera, equipped with a well-equipped Bike Room, SPA, outdoor swimming pool and large spaces to relax after discovering the surroundings of the city of the Sassi on two wheels.