Laterza: Gravina, Art and Religious Heritage

Laterza combines the 12-kilometre-long Gravina di Laterza with historic cultural heritage. At its widest point, the Gravina reaches 500 metres. Palazzo Marchesale, MuMa, the sanctuary and rock churches take visitors from Renaissance architecture through majolica to religious art.

Gravina and protected natural area

The Oasi Gravina di Laterza has been part of the Terra delle Gravine Regional Park since 2005. The Oasi and this part of the regional park are designated both as an SPA (Special Protection Area) and as an SAC (Special Area of Conservation). At present, the Oasi can be visited by prior request and reservation with the person responsible. The Oasi includes a car park, a visitor centre with a classroom and diorama about the Gravina, as well as a network of nature trails with educational and informational panels.

Palazzo Marchesale and Majolica

In the 16th century, Giovanni Battista I D’Azzia had the old castle of Laterza transformed into a late-Renaissance residential palace, today’s Palazzo Marchesale. The palazzo houses the IAT tourist assistance and information office, the MuMa and the La Cavallerizza conference hall. MuMa was founded in 2015 to preserve the memory of Laterza’s majolica art. In the courtyard, a fresco from the mid-17th century depicts Saint Anne with the Virgin Mary represented as a child.

The Tondolo Collection includes a richly decorated plate with riders, created towards the end of the 17th century and attributed to Angelo Antonio D’Alessandro. The Mater-Domini Collection at MuMa includes a monochrome blue panel depicting the Crucifixion, dating from 1703.

Religious Art and Rock Churches

On the main altar of the Maria SS.ma Mater Domini Sanctuary is a painting of the apparition before the shepherd Paolo Tria, painted in Rome in 1861 by Nicola Nisio. The patronal feast of Maria SS. Mater Domini originated in 1728 and is celebrated in Laterza from 18 May to 21 May.

The rock church in Contrada San Vito is located on the edge of the Gravina, to the left of the bridge. The altar features a niche with a fresco of Saint Vitus; next to it are frescoes of Saints Cosmas and Damian. The fresco cycle as a whole is dated to the 13th to 14th centuries and documents the development from a Greek-Byzantine-influenced style of painting to Apulian Gothic.

A rock church is located in the northern area of the rock settlement in the Gravina Valle del Cervo, which is partly incorporated into Laterza’s southern outskirts. It lies west of today’s Via Raffaello Sanzio, on the western edge of the Gravina.

Routes through the Gravina

The section from Laterza to Ginosa is stage 6 of the Via Ellenica, which is part of the Cammino Materano project, and is 14 km long. The section from Laterza to Matera is stage 8 of the Via Appia and is 28 km long. Under suitable conditions, the Oasi Lipu is the starting point for a challenging but manageable 7-km hike. It begins at the viewpoint and the small visitor information centre, leads down into the depths and out of the Gravina di Laterza.

Other destinations

For further trip planning, you can also find: Torre Columena, San Giorgio Ionico, Massafra, Roccaforzata, Ginosa, Grottaglie, Marina di Lizzano and Talsano.

For the higher-level travel overview: Taranto.