What to see in Grottole, a town located at 481 meters above sea level in the province of Matera, itinerary including the historic center, with the mother church and the church of San Rocco, and the castle, as well as the Torre Altojanni and the Sanctuary dedicated to Sant'Antonio Abate places just outside the village.
Tourist information
Located on a hill within the area between the Basento and Bradano rivers, Grottole covers a territory divided into two parts, one of which falls within the San Giuliano regional reserve, while the other, which overlooks the Bradano valley, features The wooded area of Le Coste forest.
Many archaeological finds dating back to the Palaeolithic, Greek and Roman eras confirm the theories according to which Grottole is one of the oldest towns in Basilicata.
The name Grottole probably originates from the Latin "cryptulae", which means grottticelle, which were places used for working clay pots.
What see
In the historical center there is the Baroque Mother Church, which preserves inside some carved wooden altars, a choir, a richly decorated wooden choir, an eighteenth-century canvas, which depicts the Madonna and Child with Saints, and a stone Madonna work of the Lucanian school.
Also worth visiting is the church of San Rocco, formerly called the church of Santa Maria la Grotta, with an interior with three naves where there is a beautiful polyptych dating back to the twelfth century, the work of the painter Pietro Antonio Ferro which represents the Seven Works of Mercy .
The Diruta church, also known as the Saints Luca and Giuliano and dating back to the fourteenth century, has a Latin cross plan with a single nave and is of considerable size.
Not far from the historic center, at the top of the Motta hill, there is the Castle of Grottole, built by the Lombards in 851, which has a quadrangular base with corner towers, of which only the central tower remains.
In the surroundings of the village, you can see the remains of the Torre Altojanni, which constitute proof of the existence of a real medieval citadel, not far away is the Sanctuary of Sant'Antonio Abate, located on the top of the Altojanni hill.
