San Giorgio Lucano

San Giorgio Lucano stands on a hill at about 400 metres overlooking the Sarmento valley, a tributary of the Sinni, in the far south-west of the province of Matera. It was founded in 1534 by Albanian refugees, and its name recalls the hero George Castriot Skanderbeg.

Sights include the mother church of San Francesco d’Assisi and the sanctuary of the Madonna del Pantano, in a picturesque spot near the cave where the statue was found. The statue comes down to the village on Easter Monday and returns to the sanctuary on the first Sunday of May in a solemn procession.