This weekend offers an immersive exploration of Southern Italy’s ancient landscapes, where archaeology, environment, and cultural memory intersect.

Trip Highlights:

Matera (Sassi & Historic Landscape):
Explore Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Sassi district presents a unique urban form carved into limestone, where domestic spaces, streets, and places of worship are integrated into the natural rock.

Ruvo di Puglia:
The journey begins in Ruvo di Puglia, through an archaeological introduction to ancient settlement patterns, funerary contexts, and material culture of the early Mediterranean world.

Rupestrian Churches:
Visit rock-hewn churches preserved with fresco cycles that document the religious and artistic traditions of medieval Southern Italy. These spaces reflect a direct interaction between landscape and spiritual practice.

Landscape and Movement:
Walk through selected routes in Matera where topography and human settlement form a continuous historical environment. The landscape itself becomes a medium for interpreting ancient narratives and ways of life.

Cultural Experience:
Participate in an educational activity based on ancient Mediterranean hospitality practices. The experience combines structured storytelling, shared meals, music, and symbolic elements related to water and purification rituals.

Accommodation Experience:
Accommodation is provided in a structure designed to evoke and reproduce architectural and spatial elements inspired by the ancient Greek world, offering an additional layer of cultural immersion aligned with the themes of the program.

What’s Included:

• 2 nights in accommodation within the historic Sassi district of Matera
• Private round-trip transportation
• 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 2 dinners
• Guided archaeological visits in Ruvo di Puglia and Matera
• Entry to rupestrian churches and selected sites
• Curated walking and trekking itinerary
• Structured cultural experience

Trip Information:

• Participants must be at least 18 years old at the time of departure
• Registration deadline: September 15
• Withdrawal deadline: September 20
• Trip switch deadline: October 15
• Late cancellation or no-show fee: €425
• Minimum participants: 20
• Additional meals and personal expenses not included
• NuIn students should verify any overlapping mandatory academic commitments

By registering, participants confirm acceptance of the terms and conditions published on the JCU Activities and Trips website.

Note: The itinerary is subject to modification due to weather or logistical requirements.