What to visit

A visit to Matera is a unique experience, and the must-see sites are: the Sassi di Matera, Sasso Barisano, and Sasso Caveoso, the historic center and its 18th-century axis, and the Murgia Materana Park. These places are all interconnected, offering a fascinating journey through Matera's historical and cultural evolution.

The Sassi of Matera

The Sassi of Matera extend over 32 hectares, a settlement initially carved into the rock and later divided into overlapping buildings, testifying to the evolution of this ancient urban center over time.

Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993, the first site in southern Italy, they are a unique and extraordinarily charming place nestled in the fairytale-like rocky landscape of the Murgia Materana. The Sassi of Matera testify to the evolution of a natural site into an urban context, beginning with the primordial settlement.

The Sassi of Matera are connected to the current historic center of the city, located on the plain, by numerous accesses that create a continuous exchange between these two urban environments. To access the Sassi, simply take one of the many streets or alleys leading from the city center toward the ancient neighborhoods.

The historic center

The current historic center of Matera is located on a plateau bordering the Sassi di Matera.
In Matera's historic center, several squares are located along an axis known as the "eighteenth-century axis" because it took shape in the late 17th century. The center of Matera is home to a series of important palaces and churches that have played a significant role in the city's history.

Here, too, the city displays its various layers, stratified over time. In the central squares, Piazza Vittorio Veneto and Piazza San Francesco, it's possible to visit the original level of the spaces, now called hypogea, located immediately beneath the squares. The hypogea are arranged in a continuous line, forming a veritable submerged city. Here, exceptional structures are found, such as the large cistern known as Palombaro Lungo, with 15-meter-high walls that was navigable until recently.

Dominating Piazza Vittorio Veneto is the grand Palazzo dell'Annunziata, a former convent now home to the Provincial Library.
Opposite is the large Prefecture building, the Church of San Domenico, and the Church of the Knights of Malta.
In the middle, four large openings delimit the underground passages, which also contain the large Palombaro Lungo cistern and the 10th-century rock-hewn Church of the Holy Spirit.

A short distance away is another former convent, that of Santa Lucia alla Fontana, which divides the 18th-century church of the same name on the right and the Ferdinandea fountain on the left.

Continuing, you reach Piazza San Francesco d'Assisi, where the imposing 17th-century church of the same name stands.
Here, too, there are underground passages that testify to the original level of the site beneath the square.
To the right of the square, you enter Via Ridola, dedicated to Domenico Ridola for his studies and research into the city's archaeological past. To the left is Piazza del Sedile, home to the Conservatory, formerly the Palazzo di Città and seat of the Municipality of Matera. From here, a succession of the most important noble palaces extends from the square, passing through the narrow Via Duomo, to surround the Cathedral of Matera.

From Piazza del Sedile, ascending Via Duomo, you reach the Cathedral, dating back to 1270, flanked by a majestic bell tower that dominates the entire city skyline. The Cathedral is in Apulian Romanesque style, but is characterized by unique and highly valuable artistic details and elements both inside and out.

Around the Cathedral are the palaces of the noble families who lived there, such as Palazzo Gattini (the Counts of Gattini), Palazzo Venusio (the Marquises of Venusio), and Palazzo Malvinni Malvezzi (the Dukes of Malvinni Malvezzi). These families, in addition to these enormous palaces, also owned extensive estates in the Murgia and the Matera countryside. These palaces were built to serve as defensive garrisons for the mother church.

Continuing right from Piazza San Francesco, you enter Via Ridola, where you'll immediately find the Church of Purgatory. On the right is the Domenico Ridola National Museum, which displays many of the finds from Ridola's archaeological research in the Matera area.

At the end of the street is Piazzetta Pascoli, bordered by another large building, Palazzo Lanfranchi, now home to the National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art of Basilicata. On the left, a panoramic viewpoint overlooks the Sasso Caveoso, with the rocky spur of Monterrone at its center, home to the rock churches of Santa Maria de Idris and San Giovanni in Monterrone.

The Murgia Park

The Sassi of Matera stand on one side of a canyon carved out over time by the Gravina River. On the other side lies the Natural Historical Archaeological Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera, also known as the Murgia Materana Park. Its landscape represents the original context of the area, which developed over time with urban settlements only on the side of the Sassi.

Among the most evocative places to visit is the park's viewpoint on Murgia Timone. It is located directly opposite the Sassi of Matera, from where the rock landscape unfolds in all its spectacular beauty and offers a unique view of the ancient city.