A few kilometers from Matera, along the ancient Appian Way, in one of the ravines that furrow the Murgia plateau, is one of the most evocative places in Southern Italy: the Crypt of the Original Sin.
In a cavity carved out of a rocky side of the Gravina di Picciano, the skilful hand of the “Painter of the Flowers of Matera” narrated scenes from the Old Testament in a frescoed cycle dating back to the 9th century. A.D.
After having been used for a long time as a shelter for shepherds and their flocks, the place has been rehabilitated for tourist fruition thanks to the restorations carried out respecting the originality of the paintings and to the lighting devices which have made it possible to structure a cadenced reading of the cycle, giving it even greater value.
Il cost of the ticket for the crypt is:
- adults: 10,70 €
- Reduced ticket (age from 7 to 18): 08,56€
- Groups composed of more than 15 people: 08,56 € per person
free entrance:
- children up to 6 years accompanied by parents
- people with disabilities
To book a visit to the crypt, you can contact the direct number +39 320 3345323 or make a direct reservation on the official website www.criptadelpeccato originale.it, checking the available time slots and prepaying the visit online.
Alternatively, we can take care of making the reservation for you, if consider to include the visit to the crypt as part of a wider activity together with a visit to the city of Matera and the Sassi districts, or the city of Montescaglioso, or following one of the hikes that we offer in the “Park of the Rupestrian Churches” of the Murgia area of Matera. You can think of scheduling the visit to the Crypt of Original Sin, after one of the activities mentioned above, after having lunch in a agriturismo in the area.
