Adventurous Kate incorporates affiliate hyperlinks. In the event you make a purchase order by these hyperlinks, I’ll earn a fee at no further price to you. Thanks!
Welcome to Matera, Italy — a metropolis carved fully from stone, considered the third-oldest settlement on the planet after Aleppo and Jericho. Matera and its historical cave homes generally known as sassi sit on a rocky canyon in Basilicata, Southern Italy.
Individuals lived in these caves in Matera, with neither electrical energy not operating water, as late because the Nineteen Fifties. When this got here to mild, town of Matera was known as “Italy’s Nice Disgrace.”
Matera escaped the radar of international vacationers for many years. Nonetheless, being designated a UNESCO World Heritage Website in 1993 put the Metropolis of Caves on the map for tourism — and film scouts. Elements of The Ardour of the Christ and Marvel Lady had been filmed on location in Matera.
After which got here 2019 — once I lastly visited Matera as a part of a Puglia highway journey. (Whereas Matera is technically a part of Basilicata, it’s simply barely over the border from Puglia and is among the hottest locations for vacationers in Puglia. I’m categorizing it in my Puglia content material for that motive.)
That yr, Matera was designated a European Capital of Tradition; shortly after, a automobile chase within the James Bond film No Time to Die was filmed within the stone metropolis. Customer numbers skyrocketed as vacationers “rocked” as much as {photograph} the vistas and sleep in luxurious cave lodges.
Matera lived as much as my sky-high expectations — and I feel it’ll for you, too. There’s not a single place in Italy that appears like Matera. That’s precisely why it’s best to plan a go to.
This submit was printed in December 2023 and co-written by Adventurous Kate and Hannah Cooper.
Finest Issues to Do in Matera, Italy
Stroll by the Previous City
For all first-time Matera guests, I like to recommend getting the lay of the land with a wander across the historic middle. Piazza Vittorio Veneto is the pure place to begin to your first time in Matera, as this huge public sq. is house to a number of sights on this checklist, together with Palombaro Lungo and Belvedere Luigi Guerricchio detto dei Tre Archi. Look out for Salvador Dalí’s Area Elephant, too.
Matera is nice enjoyable to discover independently, though this historic stroll with an area information will deepen your understanding of Matera’s distinctive historical past. As a non-public guided tour, some customization to the itinerary is feasible. Usually, the route focuses on the Sassi di Matera aspect of the traditional city and offers a possibility to listen to extra concerning the tradition, historical past, and structure in addition to the “Disgrace of Italy.”
And in the event you’re a photographer, this sundown tour in Matera coincides with sunset when town is saturated in gold and amber mild. This exercise is among the greatest issues to do in Matera in summer time.
In the event you’re a photographer, it’s best to completely prioritize photographing town at sundown (or dawn, in the event you’re an overachiever), as a result of there’s nowhere else on the planet like this.
Go to the Church of San Pietro Barisano
Matera incorporates round 150 non secular websites, lots of that are rupestrian church buildings: rock church buildings dug into the tufa stones of Matera. That’s an formidable quantity to tick off, so make a beeline for one of many massive ones: Chiesa di San Pietro Barisano.
As the biggest of Matera’s rupestrian church buildings, this is among the key sights to find whereas roaming the outdated city. Its foundations date again to the twelfth century, though the frescoes marking the doorway are from the sixteenth century. Step inside and also you’ll see a sequence of burial niches.
It’s free to go to the Church of Saint Peter Barisano.
Tour Matera by Tuk Tuk
Hurtling round Matera in a tuk tuk is an expertise you received’t neglect anytime quickly! This non-public panoramic tuk-tuk tour of Matera lasts 45 minutes. The route focuses on such main landmarks because the Piazza Vittorio Veneto, the sassi of Matera, and the rupestrian church buildings.
Observe that this isn’t an academic tour; it’s extra of a whirlwind picture expedition. Common stops are factored in for images and selfies. Additionally, it’s best to know that the drivers will not be fluent in English.
Even so, it’s a cool solution to see the outdated city inside a restricted timeframe or on a baking sizzling summer time day. It’s additionally among the finest issues to do in Matera with youthful kids or anybody with who could wrestle being on their ft all day.
See the Church buildings of Matera
Out of the opposite 149 church buildings in Matera, Chiesa Rupestre di Santa Maria di Idris is among the most spectacular rupestrian church buildings. Teetering over the ravine on the Monterrone hill, you possibly can admire it from a distance nevertheless it’s price visiting the crypt to see the frescoes. Admission is 4 EUR ($4.40 USD).
Chiesa di San Pietro Caveoso sits slightly below in a curious juxtaposition with the rock church. It’s free to go to and you’ll see a superb view of each church buildings on the Belvedere the place By way of Muro meets By way of San Giacomo.
The Cattedrale di Santa Maria della Bruna e Sant’Eustachioc (or just, Matera Cathedral) instructions consideration with its Romanesque rose window. Chiesa del Purgatorio is uncommon because it was supposed as a spot of prayer for these in purgatory. These are each free to go to.
Whereas exploring Piazza San Francesco, it’s additionally price trying out the Baroque Chiesa di San Francesco d’Assisi.
Go to the Sassi of Matera
The Sassi di Matera are divided into two classes: the Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano. Proof suggests these cave homes have been round for the reason that Paleolithic period, which is what helped earn that coveted UNESCO World Heritage standing.
It’s a good suggestion to go to Matera’s sassi as a part of a tour; there may be a lot info that offers you the historic context you want. This Sassi di Matera tour explores each cave districts and contains visits to church buildings and homes. It hones in on the historical past of Matera and the pure caves with a good bit of strolling.
In its place, this official open bus tour spares your ft. It’s a tad shorter and commentary is by way of an audio information. Whereas not as thorough because the strolling tour, it’s nonetheless an insightful expertise and contains admission to Casa Grotta Sassi di Matera.
Casa Noha is fascinating, because the minimalist exhibition is delivered by movies. These recordings don’t shrink back from the difficulties confronted by inhabitants of the caves. I’d advocate following up with a go to to Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario. It is a extra conventional expertise the place rooms are laid out with furnishings and homeware.
Cross the Tibetano Suspension Bridge
Stretch your legs by mountaineering to the Ponte Tibetano della Gravina, a suspension bridge strung throughout the Gravina di Matera. It’s not as excessive up as you assume, so even in the event you’re a bit afraid of heights, you could be okay with this bridge!.
The Tibetan-style bridge is accessible by way of a brief however strenuous hike from By way of Madonna delle Virtù. Correct footwear is necessary and warning must be taken within the warmth or after rainfall. Matera will get sizzling by a lot of the yr, particularly summer time. Make sure to deliver a bottle of water and put on solar safety.
The views are excellent right here, and it’s free to go to.
Head underground to Palombaro Lungo
Matera is filled with surprises, and few locations are extra surprising than this whopping massive underground cistern. Palombaro Lungo was carved into the caverns beneath Piazza Vittorio Veneto and as soon as held 5 million liters of water. Whereas it’s not the one tank lurking beneath town, it’s the biggest by far.
This was one in all my favourite locations to go to in Matera, and it provides perception to the engineering marvel that town was previously and immediately.
Coined the Cathedral of Water, Palombaro Lungo is an unlimited labyrinth the place you possibly can settle down on a sizzling summer time’s day. (For that motive, I like to recommend saving this for the most well liked time of day — the early afternoon.) Regardless of the dimensions, it solely takes quarter-hour to wander by the exhibition.
Admission is 3 EUR ($2.50 USD).
Take within the Belvedere
In a hilly city like Matera, each road nook is worthy of belvedere standing. Nonetheless, the Belvedere Luigi Guerricchio detto dei “Tre Archi” claims the highest spot for really spectacular views.
These sweep proper throughout the Sassi di Matera and body the cathedral. Truthfully, there’s no unhealthy time to go to the belvedere. Sundown is the plain time, however the views are attractive always of day. In the event you’re staying a number of days in Matera, I like to recommend visiting at completely different occasions of day to get photographs with completely different varieties of sunshine.
The Belvedere di Piazza Giovanni Pascoli is an alternative choice.
Discover Ipogeo MateraSum
Ipogeo MateraSum is one other underground attraction close to the cistern. Because it’s lesser identified, it’s usually skipped off a typical day journey to Matera and is among the greatest uncommon issues to do in Matera.
The museum illustrates the lifestyle within the cave complicated. It’s not fairly as spectacular as Palombaro Lungo or the cave homes, nevertheless it’s nonetheless price visiting you probably have greater than a day in Matera.
Admission is 7 EUR ($7.50 USD) and contains an audio information.
Take a look at the Rock Complicated a Madonna della Virtù
Constructed within the Center Ages, the Complesso Rupestre Madonna delle Virtù e San Nicola dei Greci is a monastery and church complicated. It teeters on the sting of the sassi and grants sneaky views of town and ravine at sure factors.
The Salvador Dalí set up ushered within the crowds for a few years. Even with out the exhibition, the caves are adorned with fastidiously preserved frescoes to pore over. The simplicity of the church makes it all of the extra stunning and the compound has fallen quieter for the reason that removing of the Dalí exhibit.
Hike in Murgia Materana Park
Located east of the Sassi di Matera, Murgia Materana Park is a large regional park on the alternative aspect of the Matera Ravine. You mainly cross the suspension bridge and simply hold strolling.
As soon as there, you’ll spot a cluster of viewpoints and rupestrian church buildings on the best level of this aspect of the park. It’s a well-trodden path and there’s no must enlist a information except you need to enterprise deeper into the wilderness.
Climbing in Murgia Materana Park is among the greatest issues to do in Matera you probably have longer than a day. The payoff is epic views of the entire space surrounding the gorgeous metropolis.
Guide a Restaurant with a View
Spherical off a busy day of sightseeing with dinner spent feasting on the caves and church buildings of Matera.
Regiacorte is among the greatest locations for upscale eating with views galore on the seasonal terrace. Go for the degustation menu and wine pairing in the event you’re trying to splurge. Parts are on the smaller aspect however they’re full of taste with a presentation as scrumptious because the style.
Pattern regional specialties like burrata and orecchiette pasta at Osteria al Casale – the pizza isn’t half unhealthy both. Common with native households, the restaurant sits on the sting of the Sassi di Matera with the choice to take a seat contained in the cave or on the terrace.
Pleasant and fuss-free, Vicolo Cieco is the right place to get pleasure from aperitivo on the patio in summer time, simply earlier than sundown. The vintage-style inside is cozy on a cooler day in Matera.
Be taught (and Play) at Native Museums
Pad out an extended itinerary (or a wet day) in Matera with one or two further museums. The Museum of Modern Sculpture (MUSMA) is contained inside the Seventeenth-century Palazzo Pomarici. Emphasis is positioned on fashionable statues which strikes a kooky distinction with the palatial cave setting.
Laboratory Museum of Rural Life is a treasure trove of instruments utilized by craftspeople within the area. It’s deceptively giant – particularly contemplating the marginal entry charge of 4 EUR ($4.35 USD) – and considerably chaotic. Though, it’s the cheerfully chaotic nature that makes it a lot enjoyable to discover.
The Matera Olive Oil Museum (MOOM) takes you all the way down to an underground olive oil mill. MOOM can solely be visited on a guided tour, which lasts about 20 minutes. You should make your reservation at the least 3 days prematurely. Get extra info, and the hyperlink to make your reservation, on the official web site.
Mission to Matera, anybody? Sparkme Area Academy is an immersive museum of astronomical proportions! Good for all the household, this tour of the Museum of Area in Matera is the antidote to all of the historical past.
See Sassi in Miniatura
If wandering round Matera’s sassi isn’t sufficient then you possibly can look at the caves in micro-form. Sassi in Miniatura is a memento retailer with a limestone duplicate mannequin of the Sassi di Matera. Simply pop in and you’ll go to it without cost within the rear of the store.
Seeing as Sassi in Miniatura is firstly a present retailer, this is among the greatest locations to select up mementos or trinkets.
The sculptures are available in all completely different sizes with costs catering to backpackers and luxurious vacationers.
Dine with Locals
Being invited to dinner in an Italian house is nearly among the finest issues that may occur to you in Italy. This eating expertise is a solution to just do that — and it takes place on the house of an area cook dinner in Matera.
Huddled across the kitchen desk, glass of wine in hand, you’ll observe a cooking demonstration and chow down on a four-course meal. The exercise is supported with cooking suggestions, methods, and knowledge — plus mountains of anecdotes.
This distinctive cultural expertise in Matera is on the market for lunch or dinner.
Enter the Crypt of Authentic Sin
The Crypt of Authentic Sin is a 15-minute drive southwest of Matera. This church is hewn into the pure caves and was a part of a Benedictine rock monastery when the Lombard tribes had been in Italy.
Richly embellished with frescoes from the Center Ages, the church is nicknamed the “Sistine Chapel of Rupestrian Artwork.” Wall work depict typical scenes of the Apostles, the Archangels, the Virgin Mary, and child Jesus. Nonetheless, it’s the illustration of Adam and Eve within the Backyard of Eden that hogs the limelight.
Public transport doesn’t go right here so that you’ll must drive or be part of a tour from Matera. Hold your eyes peeled for indicators saying “Cripta del Peccato Originale” and keep in mind to make a reservation in the event you go to independently.
Go to Altamura
Twenty minutes north of Matera, Altamura is a Pugliese city with stunning structure and a legacy for bread-making. In the event you’re doing a day journey from a city on the coast to Matera — or transferring on to your subsequent location — that is the right cease after leaving.
On the very least, cease briefly at Antico Forno Santa Caterina to select up some focaccia. They’ve the oldest oven on the town, courting again to medieval occasions. Their focaccia is stupendously good — in all probability the perfect I’ve had in my life (sorry, Liguria) — and comes topped with an assortment of regional meats, cheeses, or veggies.
In the event you’d like, carry your slice to Piazza Duomo and admire the carved facade of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. The church blends Romanesque and Gothic components and is free to enter. In case you have time, wander across the outdated city and medieval gates.
How A lot Time to Spend in Matera, Italy
Matera is arguably the preferred day journey vacation spot in and round Puglia — and certainly, in the future in Matera is sufficient to see the primary sights and the sassi. There are many choices to go about your day journey both independently or with a tour.
That mentioned, you possibly can completely get pleasure from your self and discover Matera in larger depth in the event you spend a number of days right here. And in the event you’re ready to take action, I’d advocate staying in a cave lodge. They’ve lots at completely different worth factors, which I am going into beneath.
In the event you’re a photographer, it’s important to have a number of days in Matera to make the most of a number of sunsets and provides your self a buffer in case of unhealthy climate. (However in fact, in the event you’re a photographer, you already know that.)
Learn how to Get to Matera, Italy
Bari Worldwide Airport (BRI), Puglia’s major airport, is the closest airport to Matera. It’s round an hour’s drive in a rental automobile or non-public taxi. Direct buses from Bari Airport to Matera take 1.5 hours and are simple to rearrange on the airport.
If you wish to have somebody ready for you on the airport, you possibly can pre-book a shared switch to Matera Centrale or a non-public switch to your lodge.
In the event you’d wish to e book a day journey to Matera from one other city, there are many group excursions, like at the present time journey to Matera from Bari.
Some vacationers do a southern Italy highway journey that begins in Naples and ends in Bari. If that’s your plan, Matera makes a great halfway level and is 2 hours and 45 minutes from Naples. I’d advocate staying two nights in a cave lodge to offer you a full day to discover Matera (to not point out two completely different sunsets).
There are trains and buses to Matera, however nothing high-speed. Take into account that on this a part of southern Italy, if it’s not a high-speed practice, it is going to be fairly gradual.
The place to Keep in Matera, Italy
In the event you plan to in a single day on this historical stone metropolis, a cave lodge is a MUST! Take into account that a lot of Matera is closed to automobile site visitors, and you might have to hold your baggage to your lodge from the closest drop-off.
I picked out three completely different cave lodges in Matera at three completely different worth ranges. Right here they’re:
Luxurious: Rooms on the Corte San Pietro are carved immediately into the stone of an outdated cave within the UNESCO World Heritage Website. The decor is saved easy with minimal gildings moreover sunken whirlpool tubs within the non-public rest room. Breakfast is served within the courtyard in summer time.
Midrange: Comprising 4 models, Endea Suite Rooms is among the boutique lodges in Matera for intimacy. The most effective suite has a grotto spa tub for relieving the muscle mass after a day of hills and mountaineering. This a part of Sasso Barisano is quiet but moments from the primary church buildings.
Funds: Deliver all the household to Hydria Rooms the place sizable rooms function cave components and conventional supplies. {Couples} can go for a room with a balcony or splash out on the spa suite. All of the Sassi sights are inside strollable distance of this contemporary lodge.
Finest Time to Go to Matera, Italy
In the event you can select anytime to go to Matera — or southern Italy as an entire — I’m a giant fan of shoulder season, spring and fall. These months are good for exploring the sights with out struggling by the searing warmth.
July and August are extraordinarily busy and I like to recommend avoiding Italy presently if potential. In the event you’re trying to get pleasure from summer time climate in Puglia and southern Italy, I like to recommend planning your journey for early June or late September.
Winter is an fascinating time to go to Matera. It may well drop into the 30s on the coldest days which implies bundling up in heat clothes however the depleted streets are a serious benefit. Whereas Matera is a year-round metropolis, the outdated city of Matera isn’t — and remember the fact that many lodges and eating places can be closed within the winter.
Is Matera price it?
I feel that Matera is an absolute should for any Italy-phile. Not only for its magnificence and distinctive attributes — however due to the historical past. It’s completely surprising that individuals had been residing within the caves of Matera for therefore lengthy, together with people who find themselves nonetheless alive immediately. It’s necessary to acknowledge the harder components of life in Italy together with the nicer components.
Irrespective of whether or not you go to for a day or a number of days, Matera is a fully bewitching vacation spot. I’m certain you’ll get a few of your favourite photographs of Italy right here.
I hope you’ve gotten essentially the most great time in Matera! I do know it’s cliche to maintain saying it, however there’s actually nowhere else in Italy prefer it.
Extra on Puglia, Italy:
Planning a Journey to Italy:
Cool Locations in Southern Italy:
Cool Locations in Northern Italy:
Have you ever been to Matera, Italy? Any options? Share away!