THINGS TO DO
Watch the sun set over the Sassi from the Murgia
The classic Matera experience — the view of the Sassi from the rock church park across the gorge, as the stone turns gold and the lights come on at dusk.
History & Heritage
Matera
A city of ancient cave dwellings carved into a ravine — a UNESCO site and 2019 European Capital of Culture.
QUICK INFORMATION
- COUNTRY
- Italy
- REGION
- Basilicata
- BEST TIME TO VISIT
- April to June and September to October
- DURATION
- 1 day
ABOUT THE DESTINATION
Matera is a city in Basilicata whose Sassi districts are ancient cave dwellings carved into the limestone slopes of a deep ravine, continuously inhabited for millennia. Once a byword for southern poverty, the restored Sassi are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Matera was the 2019 European Capital of Culture, set above the Gravina gorge.
MAP & LOCATION
Matera
HISTORY & CULTURE
The Story Behind the Place
Matera is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with evidence of settlement going back over nine thousand years. The Sassi, the cave dwellings carved into the limestone of the Gravina gorge, grew over the centuries into a city of caves, and by the 18th century they held some 15,000 people in conditions of extreme overcrowding and poverty. In 1952 the Italian government evacuated the Sassi and moved the population to new housing on the plateau above, leaving the cave districts abandoned and decaying. The rediscovery began in the 1980s, when the writer Carlo Levi’s account of the poverty of the Sassi brought them to national attention; in 1993 they were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the first in southern Italy, and a slow restoration turned the caves into homes, hotels and museums. Matera was the 2019 European Capital of Culture, the transformation from a national shame to a cultural capital complete.
TOP THINGS TO DO
Experiences Not to Miss
TOP ATTRACTIONS
Sights & Highlights of Matera
FOOD & DRINK
WHERE TO EAT
01
Baccanti — a refined restaurant in a cave in the Sasso Caveoso, for traditional Lucanian cooking, book ahead
02
Trattoria del Caveoso — a trattoria in the Sassi for the local dishes and the view over the gorge
03
L’Abbondanza Lucana — a restaurant on the plateau for the cucina povera of Basilicata
04
Il Terrazzino — a family-run restaurant in the Sasso Barisano for home cooking and local wines
05
Regiacorte — a garden restaurant in the Sassi for slow Lucanian cooking, book ahead
HOTELS & STAYS
WHERE TO STAY
01
Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita — a cave hotel in the Sasso Caveoso, the most singular stay in Italy
02
Palazzo Gattini — a luxury hotel in a restored palazzo on the Civita, with a spa
03
Locanda di San Martino — a cave hotel and spa in the Sasso Barisano
04
Hotel Sassi — a comfortable hotel in the Sassi, with a rooftop terrace over the gorge
ITINERARIES
Keep Driving
More here soon — the road is still being mapped.
NATURE & WILDLIFE
The Living Landscape
Matera sits on the edge of the Gravina, a deep limestone gorge carved by the river over millennia, and the gorge is the natural fact that defines the city. The Murgia plateau across the gorge is a protected park of Mediterranean scrub, rock churches and caves, with the wild landscape that the Sassi grew out of. The gorge itself is a habitat for the birds of prey and the birds of the cliffs, and the river at the bottom runs through the caves and the vegetation of the canyon. The Parco della Murgia Materana protects the plateau and the gorge, and the paths of the park give the wildest views of the city and its setting.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Practical Information
Getting There
Matera is reached by train from Bari (about 1h30) on the Ferrovie Appulo-Lucane line, or by bus from Bari, Naples and Rome. By car, the A14 and the SS96 reach Matera from Bari; the SS407 reaches it from the south. The city is a natural stop between Puglia and the south.
Park Entrances
The Sassi are a public district, free to walk; the Casa Grotta museums and the Crypt of the Original Sin are ticketed. The rock church park is free, with some churches ticketed.
How Long to Stay
Allow one full day for the Sassi, the cathedral and a walk to the rock churches. A second day lets you walk the gorge and the Murgia park.
When to Go
April to June and September to October are ideal — warm, bright and perfect for the gorge walks. July and August are hot; winter is cold but quiet, and the Sassi under the snow are unforgettable.
What to Wear & Bring
Sturdy shoes for the cobbled lanes and the gorge paths, a layer for the evening, and a booked cave hotel for the most singular stay.
Accessibility & Mobility
The Sassi are steep, cobbled and stepped, which makes wheelchair access very difficult; the modern city above is accessible, and some cave hotels and museums have adapted rooms. The gorge paths are not accessible.
WEATHER
Matera — Current conditions & forecast
Forecast data from Open-Meteo. Updated regularly.
TRAVEL GUIDES · STORIES
More here soon — the road is still being mapped.
NEARBY DESTINATIONS
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