Matera

<< Basilicata

Matera is a city in Basilicata known for the Sassi, two ancient districts (Sasso Barisano and Sasso Caveoso) featuring houses and buildings carved in the rock and inside caves. Matera is located on the cliffside of a ravine, and has been inhabited since the Paleolithic, making it one of the oldest continually occupied settlements in the world. The town has always been one of the main centers in the area, and was the capital of Basilicata between 1663 and 1806. As the population of the city increased, the living conditions inside the caves worsened, and the Sassi became riddled with malaria and extreme poverty. In 1952, the Italian government relocated most of the population of the Sassi to a newly-built part of the city. Over the following decades, the Sassi were redeveloped and turned into a tourist attraction. The Sassi were named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993, and Matera was the European Capital of Culture in 2019. Now a famous tourist destination, the Sassi of Matera host restaurants, stores, bars, hotels, and exhibitions on the history of this unique place.

✪ Matera Cathedral

The Matera Cathedral (Cattedrale di Matera) is the main church of the city, located on top of the Civita, a rock formation that separates Sasso Barisano from Sasso Caveoso. Thanks to its position and its tall bell tower, it dominates over the city. The cathedral was built in Apulian Romanesque style during the 13th century, and its interior was later adorned with Baroque decorations. The church features an elaborate facade, while inside it features ancient frescoes, relics, and several artworks. A museum adjacent to the church houses various religious objects and artworks.

✪ Church of San Pietro Caveoso

Also known as: Church of Santi Pietro e Paolo

The Church of San Pietro Caveoso is an ancient church in Matera, located on top of a cliff overlooking the canyon on the east side of the city. This is the only church of the Sassi of Matera that is not carved in the rock, and was founded in the 13th century. The building was later reworked, with the addition of Baroque elements and various artworks. The square in front of the church features a panoramic terrace with an incredible view over the Sassi and the canyon.

Casa Noha

Casa Noha is an ancient house carved in the rock near the Matera Cathedral. The site has now been turned into a museum, and houses multimedia exhibitions dedicated to the history of the city.

Museum of Contemporary Sculpture of Matera

Also known as: MUSMA

The Museum of Contemporary Sculpture of Matera (Museo della Scultura Contemporanea di Matera) is a museum located in a historic palace overlooking the Sassi of Matera. The museum features a collection of modern sculptures made between the late 19th century and today, by both Italian and international artists.

Church of Santa Maria di Idris

The Church of Santa Maria di Idris is a rupestrian church carved inside a large rock formation next to the Church of San Pietro Caveoso. Built during the Late Middle Ages, it features various ancient frescoes and some artworks. Part of the same complex is the Crypt of San Giovanni in Monterrone, which is adorned with beautiful frescoes painted between the 12th and 17th century.

House-Cave of Vico Solitario

The House-Cave of Vico Solitario (Casa-Grotta di Vico Solitario) is an ancient house located inside a cave in the Sasso Caveoso in Matera. Now restored, the house has been furnished and decorated with historic objects, and serves as a museum that displays the living conditions of the people who inhabited the Sassi until the 1950s.

Church of Santa Lucia alle Malve

The Church of Santa Lucia alle Malve is a rupestrian church located in the Sasso Caveoso in Matera. Originally built as part of a Benedictine monastery, some parts of the church were once used as private dwellings. The church houses several ancient frescoes, with the oldest ones dating from the 12th century.

Palazzo Lanfranchi

Palazzo Lanfranchi is a 17th-century palace in Matera that overlooks the Sasso Caveoso. The building is adorned with an elaborate facade, and now houses the National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art of Basilicata (Museo Nazionale d’Arte Medievale e Moderna della Basilicata). This museum houses numerous paintings, sculptures, and artworks dating between the Middle Ages and the 20th century, and also exhibitions on the local traditional life.

Domenico Ridola National Archaeological Museum

The Domenico Ridola National Archaeological Museum (Museo Archeologico Nazionale Domenico Ridola) is an archaeological museum located just outside the Sassi of Matera. The museum houses a large collection of ancient objects and archaeological findings from the territory around Matera. These include numerous objects from the Paleolithic and others found inside prehistoric tombs in Basilicata.

Tramontano Castle

The Tramontano Castle is a 16th-century castle located on a hill just to the west of the Sassi of Matera. Construction of the castle cost a lot of money for the city, which was already burdened with heavy debts, and in 1514 dissatisfied citizens killed the Count of Matera. The castle thus remained unfinished, and restoration works only began in 2008. The fort now occasionally opens for exhibitions and events.

Palazzo del Sedile

Palazzo del Sedile is a palace in the center of Matera built in the 16th century, which once served as the administrative center of the city. The building was reworked in the 18th century, and features an adorned facade with two towers. Now it hosts a music school and an auditorium.

Palombaro Lungo

The Palombaro Lungo is an underground cistern built in the 19th century to provide water to the Sassi of Matera. The site was built by merging various caves and tunnels located under the city. Abandoned in 1927, it was rediscovered in 1991, and now it can be visited.

Church of San Giovanni Battista

The Church of San Giovanni Battista is a historic church in Matera, located just west of the Sassi. Originally built in Romanesque style during the 13th century, the church was later abandoned and then restored, and was reworked various times. The church features a really elaborate portal and houses various frescoes and artworks.

Museum Workshop of Peasant Culture

The Museum Workshop of Peasant Culture (Museo Laboratorio della Civiltà Contadina) is a museum located inside various houses carved in the rock in the Sassi of Matera. The museum features a collection of objects traditionally used by the locals for agriculture and manual work, and houses exhibitions on the history of the people of Matera.

Casa Cava

Casa Cava is an ancient house carved in the rock inside the Sasso Barisano in Matera. The site now has been turned into a theater and an exhibition center dedicated to local history, and often hosts events.

Church of San Pietro Barisano

The Church of San Pietro Barisano is the largest of the many rupestrian churches of Matera. Built in the Late Middle Ages, it was reworked various times, and in the 18th century it was adorned with a new and peculiar facade. The church also houses some decorations and various features carved in the rock.

Rupestrian Complex of Madonna delle Virtù and San Nicola dei Greci

The Rupestrian Complex of Madonna delle Virtù and San Nicola dei Greci (Complesso Rupestre della Madonna delle Virtù e San Nicola dei Greci) is a series of religious sites built inside caves on the cliffside of the Sassi of Matera. The complex includes two ancient churches with some artworks and richly adorned with frescoes, and the area also houses art exhibitions.

Church of Sant’Agostino

The Church of Sant’Agostino is a 16th-century church and convent located on top of a cliff at the northern end of the Sassi of Matera. The complex houses Baroque decorations, and also includes a rupestrian church adorned with ancient frescoes. The church is also known for offering a breathtaking view over the Sassi of Matera.

Murgia Timone

Murgia Timone is a large area located east of the canyon of Matera. Here is a panoramic point with an amazing view of the Sassi, as well as some rupestrian churches adorned with ancient frescoes, and the ruins of a prehistoric settlement. Murgia Timone is part of a nature reserve known as the Park of the Murgia Materana (Parco della Murgia Materana).

Sculpture Park La Palomba

The Sculpture Park La Palomba (Parco Scultura La Palomba) is a peculiar park located in a former open-air tuff quarry just north of Matera. The area is adorned with numerous contemporary sculptures and artworks by Italian and international artists.

Crypt of the Original Sin

The Crypt of the Original Sin (Cripta del Peccato Originale) is a rupestrian church located in the countryside south of Matera. Built around the 8th or 9th century, this site houses a large cycle of ancient medieval frescoes. Abandoned for centuries, the site was found in 1963 and then restored.