Scenic & Viewpoints
Watch the sun set over the Sassi from the Murgia
Matera · Basilicata
QUICK INFORMATION
- CATEGORY
- Scenic & Viewpoints
- COUNTRY
- Italy
- REGION
- Matera · Basilicata
- DURATION
- An hour around sunset
- DIFFICULTY
- A 20-minute walk on a path, with some uneven ground.
- BEST TIME
- Year-round; the sunset is most dramatic in spring and autumn.
ABOUT THIS EXPERIENCE
The single most celebrated view of Matera is from the Murgia plateau across the gorge, looking back at the Sassi as the sun sets. The stone of the cave city turns gold in the last light, then pink, then the lights of the caves and the lanes come on one by one until the whole cascade glows against the dark gorge. The view is the reason Matera is one of the most photographed cities in Italy, and the path to the rock church park across the gorge is the way to reach it. Bring a layer for the evening and stay until the lights are fully on.
WHAT YOU’LL EXPERIENCE
What you’ll experience
THE EXPERIENCE IN DETAIL
What it’s really like
HIGHLIGHTS
Moments worth savouring
The Sassi in the last light — the stone of the cave city turning gold and pink as the sun drops.
The lights coming on — the caves and the lanes lighting up one by one against the gorge.
The view from the rock churches — the classic Matera panorama from the Murgia side of the gorge.
The silence — the gorge is quiet at dusk, with only the birds and the bells.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Good to know before you go
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before you go
MAP & LOCATION
Watch the sun set over the Sassi from the Murgia
Watch the sun set over the Sassi from the Murgia, Matera, Basilicata, Italy
40.6597, 16.6117
ATTRACTIONS NEARBY
Pair it with these sights
MORE EXPERIENCES
More to do in Matera
FOOD & DRINK
Where to eat nearby
Baccanti — a refined restaurant in a cave in the Sasso Caveoso, for traditional Lucanian cooking, book ahead
Trattoria del Caveoso — a trattoria in the Sassi for the local dishes and the view over the gorge
L’Abbondanza Lucana — a restaurant on the plateau for the cucina povera of Basilicata
Il Terrazzino — a family-run restaurant in the Sasso Barisano for home cooking and local wines
Regiacorte — a garden restaurant in the Sassi for slow Lucanian cooking, book ahead
HOTELS & STAYS
Where to stay nearby
Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita — a cave hotel in the Sasso Caveoso, the most singular stay in Italy
Palazzo Gattini — a luxury hotel in a restored palazzo on the Civita, with a spa
Locanda di San Martino — a cave hotel and spa in the Sasso Barisano
Hotel Sassi — a comfortable hotel in the Sassi, with a rooftop terrace over the gorge
NEARBY DESTINATIONS
Continue the journey
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