Looking for a unique Italian destination that combines history, culture, and stunning landscapes? Look no further than Matera, the city of the Sassi. Matera is a charming city located in the Basilicata region of Southern Italy, and it’s home to some of the country’s most fascinating historical sites and natural wonders. From exploring the ancient cave dwellings to indulging in local cuisine and wine, there are plenty of epic things to do in Matera that will make your visit unforgettable.
In this travel guide, I will take you through some of the must-see sights and activities in Matera, so you can plan your itinerary and experience the best of this enchanting city. So, get ready to explore Matera and all it has to offer!
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10 ultimate things to do in Matera; the Sassi & the caves
Why should you visit Matera
Italy has always been renowned for having some of the most dreamiest villages and cities in the world, boasting with architecture, history, art and churches like you have never seen before. But Matera is undeniably one of its finest and most stunning gems. Matera offers magnificent sights all over town, fantastic restaurants and a history that is truly unique on its own. Did you know that it is one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities? There are so many wonderful things to do in Matera, you can easily fill two or three days exploring this exquisite city.
Matera used to be Italy’s biggest shame (more on that later), but now it is considered to be one of its most beautiful villages and even declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO! The city consists of a new and an old part. It is the old one that holds the most epic things to do in Matera. The old part is called “i Sassi”, meaning “the Stones” and it is divided in two separate districts. The Sasso Barisano is located in a bowl-shaped area within the old part of town. The Sasso Caveoso is situated on the mountainside descending from the Duomo towards the Gravina. In the Sassi you will find all the rock-cut cave houses, historical landmarks and narrow streets to get lost in!
I have spent three days in Matera and I was completely in awe with everything this magical place had to offer! So of course, I want to share all the fantastic things to do in this marvelous place!
Where is Matera & how can you get there
Matera is tucked away in the Basilicata region of Southern Italy, in the province of Matera. It is perched on a rocky outcrop in the Apennine Mountains, overlooking the Gravina di Matera, a breathtaking deep ravine which has been eroded over time by the river of the same name.
The nearest airport to Matera is Bari. When you rent a car it is a 64 km – 1 hour drive. It is important to know that you are not allowed to drive in the old town. Find out where you can park here. You can also come to Matera by train from Bari. It does not operate on Sunday though!
If you cannot park near your hotel or you come by train, you can always take a shuttle bus called Linea Sassi to get closer to your hotel. Trust me, you do not want to drag your luggage through the town with its many stairs!
When is the best time to go
The best time to visit Matera depends on your preferences and what you plan to do while you’re there. Generally, the best time to visit Matera is in the shoulder seasons of spring (March-May) and fall (September-November), when the weather is mild and pleasant, and the crowds are smaller. During these seasons, you’ll have a better chance of finding affordable accommodations and experiencing Matera’s sights and attractions without the summer crowds. I was there at the beginning of October and I could explore without massive groups of tourists and very pleasant weather.
However, if you’re looking to enjoy the city’s warm and sunny weather, then the summer months of June through August are the best time to visit. Keep in mind that these months are also the busiest, with higher prices and larger crowds.
Winter (December-February) is also a good time to visit Matera if you don’t mind the colder temperatures and occasional snowfall. The city is beautifully decorated for Christmas, and you’ll find fewer crowds and lower prices during this time. But keep in mind a lot of places are closed during that period.
How to make the most of your trip
The best way to explore Matera is to explore from sunrise to sunset! This city is simply mesmerizing and seeing it coming to life and turning back to its dark mysterious self, is an experience you shouldn’t miss! The best way to get to know the town is on foot and getting lost. Forget taking a map and just wander around!
Don’t forget to do some research about restaurants or shops you want to visit. A lot of shops and restaurants are closed on Monday or Wednesday.
If you are interested in the history of Matera you can read the book Christ Stopped at Eboli
Dream away with this beautiful photography coffee table book of Matera
10 Best things to do in Matera
1. Visit a typical cave house & discover Matera’s history
Casa Grotta Narrante
To get a good idea of Matera’s history and how its citizens used to live in the caves, you should first visit a cave house. There are several you can visit spread throughout the Sassi. I visited one named Casa Grotta Narrante located in the Via Madonna delle Virtù. Once you enter the cave and see how people used to live, you start to comprehend why this town became “la vergogna nazionale“, the disgrace of the nation.
Until 1952 Matera stayed under the radar and its citizens lived in grottoes originally intended as animal stalls. They shared these caves with dogs, sheep, goats, pigs and donkeys. There was no running water, no electricity or toilet. Daylight only came through the front door. Malaria and dysentery were widespread diseases. This is exactly what you get to see when visiting a typical cave house. A cave filled with furniture, often with a private well and space for animals. All together in one area. To be honest it was more spacious than I’d thought, but never in my life would I want to live that way!
Entrance fee: 3€
Matera, la vergogna nazionale
Matera’s secret was revealed when Carlo Levi, an Italian artist, painter and author, published his book Christ Stopped at Eboli in 1945. Levi had written about his year-long political exile in the village of Aliano in Basilicata during the Fascist regime. His sister had stopped in Matera on her way to visit him and drew his attention to the misery of its residents. Levi had described the poverty and suggested that Christianity and civilization had stopped just on the outskirts of Naples.
Matera became the shame of Italy and in 1950 the Prime Minister of Italy gave Matera a visit. He was so shocked by everything he saw that he made plans to relocate the Sassi’s entire population to new housing complexes. The Sassi needed to be cleaned and renovated. By the 1970s, the Sassi were completely empty. Everything was overgrown with greenery and garbage, like the ruins of a long-abandoned tropical civilization.
In the 1990s the first people started to return to the Sassi. The Sassi became the trendy, glamorous area of the city. Cave dwellings were renovated and became boutique and luxury hotels, guest houses, fancy restaurants, cute bars and shops. Some cisterns have been transformed into small swimming pools and spas.
Today, the Sassi are about 40% re-inhabited. Known as la città sotterranea (“the underground city”), the Sassi and the garden of the Rupestrian Churches were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. Matera was named a European Capital of Culture in 2019.
2. Stay in a cave: one of those cool things to do in Matera
Staying in a cave is beyond any doubt one of the best things to do in Matera! After all this is where its citizens traditionally lived until 1952. Luckily the current living conditions have quite changed from then. So do not worry, you will not have to sleep with sheep and donkeys surrounding you. Most caves are now renovated and house luxury hotels, guest houses and cute restaurants.
When looking for a cave to stay, make sure to pay attention to its location in the Sassi as well! The Sassi are an area consisting of hundreds of steps going up and down. So, my advice is to choose one that is not too far from the road, so you can park your rental car nearby (first check if it is allowed to enter, you are not always allowed to drive into town) or take the shuttle bus. That way you won’t have to do too many steps with your luggage.
I found the perfect cave apartment named Le LUMINARIe Sassi perched right within the caves of the Sasso Caveoso area. It is carved within the mountainside and completely surrounded by a maze of steps and other cave dwellings. The first thing I saw every morning stepping outside was the opposite side of the Gravina canyon and the Chiesa Rupestre di Santa Maria di Idris, a church dug in the large limestone rock of Monterrone.
My little cave apartment had the most elegant interior with a large comfortable bed including a spectacular headboard with a light installation. The kitchen was well equipped, and its walls decorated with the most beautiful tiles. I absolutely adored the bathroom with the cut-out shower in the rocks.
There is a possibility to order breakfast from a local bar and parking is advised at Parcheggio Via Saragat (0.50€/hour). This parking is served by the Sassi line bus which stops nearby at the Piazza San Pietro Caveoso.
If you are looking for more luxury and prefer to stay in a hotel I would recommend:
- Palazzo Del Duca Luxury Hotel: this luxurious cave hotel has a panoramic terrace, elegant rooms (there’s even a suite with a private pool) and is located in the same area as LE LUMINARIe Sassi
- Palazzo Gattini Luxury Hotel: located right by Matera’s Duomo and famous for being the hotel where James Bond actors Daniel Craig and Léa Seydoux stayed while filming No Time to Die. The spa is set in the former cisterns and features a thermal pool. Highlight is the suite with a rooftop hot tub!
- Aquatio Cave Luxury Hotel & Spa: located in the southern border of the Sassi and more futuristic furnished. Guests can enjoy the free use of 60 minutes at the spa.
3. Enjoy the views at the many fantastic “belvederes”
Something that should not be missing from your things to do in Matera list are the several amazing viewpoints spread all over the old town in Matera. The Sassi are distinguished by the fact that all of the homes are constructed on the steep slope of a hillside. Many of them are extensions of caves dug sideways into the limestone that makes up the hills. The houses are stacked one on top of the other. The roof of one may serve as the floor of another. They are arranged along a maze of streets, steps, and narrow passageways that allows each home to be visible as it looks out onto the void in front of it. Every “belvedere” shows another awe-inspiring perspective from the dreamy town and all its cave dwellings!
- Belvedere Piazza Pascoli: This viewpoint can be found at the Piazzetta G. Pascoli next to the Museo Nazionale di Matera and offers views of the Sasso Caveoso and the Chiesa Rupestre di Santa Maria di Idris. Get an icecream in the Via Ridola, sit on the bench at the viewpoint and enjoy the view!
- Piazza Duomo: Not only do you get to admire the magnificent duomo in all its glory from up close and personal, but you also get a fantastic view of the Sasso Barisano.
- Belvedere Luigi Guerricchio detto dei “Tre Archi”: This was definitely one of my favorite belvederes! I enjoyed it mostly early in the morning, when the sun is rising from behind the Duomo. Or in the afternoon, when the sun lights up the entire Sasso Barisano. It is located at the Piazza Vittorio Veneto.
- Belvedere San Pietro Barisano: The official lookout point is situated on the left side of the tower of the Chiesa di San Pietro Barisano. But I loved the view from the right side of the church tower much more. It is a little harder to find within the maze of all the narrow alleys and steps. Which is probably the reason why I often found myself alone there. But the view on the Sasso Barisano is so lovely!
- Convento di Sant’Agostino: This viewpoint has probably the most spectacular view of all! Not only are you able to see the Gravina canyon, but also the hill with the two Sassi and the Duomo on top!
- Belvedere Madonna de Idris: Located at the upper part of Montirone’s rocky spur it offers views on the Gravina canyon and the Sasso Caveoso.
4. Get lost in the narrow streets of the Sassi
One of my favorite things to do in Matera is definitely just wandering around the cobbled alleys and getting lost. I got the feeling that most people stayed in the main streets where the boutiques and restaurants were. Once I took a side alley, I often found myself alone. Maybe people were too lazy to do all the steps, but that is how you discover all the amazing views and cute little corners! There is nothing better than strolling around the Sassi districts! It often gave me the feeling as if I was transported into a different century. I just could not stop taking photos of every little street. No wonder they chose Matera as a filming location for The Passion of the Christ and Ben-Hur.
A lot of walking tours are also organised in Matera. Locals, whose ancestors used to live in the caves, guide you around telling everything about the town’s history. Book a guided walking tour in the Sassi and get to know everything about Matera!
5. Visit the churches
Matera still maintains its historic religious and popular traditions. The exceptional quantity of stone-built and rock churches, chiese rupestri, historically supports the population’s intense religion. So of course visiting churches is one of Matera’s top activities! The biggest rupestrian church in the Sassi is Chiesa di San Pietro Barisano. Its interior is completely carved out of the rock and built over a cave complex that served as a repository for the dead. As you enter the church, you’ll see stunning frescoes from the 15th century that depict numerous saints and the Annunciation.
Santa Maria de Idris and the Church of Santa Lucia alle Malve are located next to each other on top of Montirone’s rocky spur. The most famous is the first one, a small church carved into the limestone cliff. There is just one nave inside. It has 12th-century paintings that are in terrible shape.
Santa Lucia alle Malve was constructed next to a Benedictine nuns’ convent in the 8th century. A collection of 13th-century frescoes, including a rare breastfeeding Madonna, can be found in this rupestrian church.
Cattedrale di Maria Santissima della Bruna e Sant’Eustachio, also known as the Duomo, is perched on top of the hill in the center of the town and mostly visible from everywhere in Matera. It was built in the 13th century and has a magnificent bell tower and ornate interior decorations.
The interior of Convento di Sant’Agostino is not that impressive, but the little square in front of it offers one of the most stunning views of whole Matera. Especially around sunset this is the place to be!
Matera has countless churches to visit, so it is impossible to visit them all in just a few days. But these are some other churches I found beautiful or interesting as well: Chiesa del Purgatorio, Chiesa di San Francesco d’Assisi and Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista.
6. Mix with the locals at Piazza Vittorio Veneto
The Piazza Vittorio Veneto is the beating heart of Matera. It is situated in the newer part of Matera and here you will find locals and tourist groups gathering all day. In the morning locals will come here to get their cappuccino and cornetto. In the afternoon it is time for aperitivo and also in the evening it is the liveliest place of Matera. Nearby you find a lot of bars, restaurants and also the main shopping streets start here.
You can also find some interesting places on this square; the Belvedere Luigi Guerricchio detto dei “Tre Archi” that I mentioned before, the Palombaro Lungo (read more in the next point) and the Fontana Ferdinandea. This fountain was a very important water source since 1351. With the construction of the Apulian Aqueduct, cast iron fountains were installed all over the Sassi and the modern area. So, citizens could get water in their own districts.
For some reason this Piazza was also a place where I had a lot of interaction with the locals. They spontaneously started chatting with me and I had some pretty interesting conversations. For example, I learned that the Lesser Kestrel, a priority bird for the European Community, lives in the Sassi and that climate change has a severe impact on the survival of these birds in the region.
7. Go underground at the Palombaro Lungo; one of the most surprising things to do in Matera
I saved this place for last while visiting Matera, because I did not have high expectations of it. It ended up being one of the most surprising things to do in Matera! The Palombaro Lungo is the biggest cistern of the town. It dates back to the 16th century and is a man-made excavation of many pre-existing caves combined together. It can contain 5 million liters of water, being 16 m deep and 50 m long. When the public fountains were dry (mostly during summer), people could withdraw water from the cistern using aluminum buckets through a well in the square. Unfortunately, you cannot find the well anymore at Piazza Vittorio Veneto. It was destroyed in 1927.
When you enter the cistern, you have to take the stairs down. You are immediately overwhelmed by its size and mystery. The mouths of the well are still visible in the ceiling. You can walk through the cistern on a boardwalk suspended over the water. I found it pretty impressive, and I was glad I visited this place!
Entrance fee: 3€
8. Hike the gorge of Parco della Murgia Materana
If you are looking for something completely different to do in Matera, then you should hike the Gravina canyon at the Parco della Murgia Materana! The first part down is quite slippery with all the loose rocks, so be sure to wear some decent hiking shoes. Then you have to cross the Ponte Tibetano della Gravina, a fun wobbly hanging bridge, to walk all the way up to some historic caves and fantastic views. There is also a small church to explore; the Chiesa Rupestre di Madonna delle Tre Porte. James Bond lovers will probably want to extend the hike to visit the Chiesa Rupestre della Madonna delle Vergini, since this is where the cemetery scenes were filmed for No Time to Die.
9. Indulge in good food & don’t forget aperitivo
There are many places to eat and drink in Matera, but it was not always easy to find! Google opening hours often did not match with reality. So, take that into account! I decided to share the ones I have found and loved!
- Il Rusticone: a very popular, local and lively place. It is nothing fancy, but a small restaurant where people immediately arrive when it opens, to stand in line for their delicious pizzas, pucce (local sandwiches) and snacks. A lot of locals come here for take away food. I had dinner at the furnished terrace and was glad I got to experience it. (During the Summer closed on Tuesday, the rest of the year closed on Monday)
- Dulcis In Fundo: The owner of my cave apartment recommended me this place. It was less than 100 m from my stay, so I needed to give it a try! Its terrace overlooks the Gravina canyon and the Montirone rock. I had the pasta with salmon (forgot its name) and it was very good! Also, the staff was very kind. (Closed on Wednesday)
- La Cola Cola: Another popular place among both locals and tourists! On warm days you can sit on its big terrace overlooking the Sasso Barisano. When temperatures are cooler you can enjoy your meal in the vaulted 1700s cellar. They are known for their wood-oven pizzas, the use of local products and their meat dishes. When in Matera you must at least try the local salsiccia (sausage) once! (Open from 20:30 / Closed on Wednesday)
- Crialoss: The perfect place for aperitivo located in the Palazzo degli Abati hotel with a terrace overlooking the Sasso Barisano. (Open 13:00 – 20:30 / Closed on Wednesday)
10. Don’t miss sunrise & sunset
Matera is always looking gorgeous. But seeing Matera in the light of sunrise and sunset is absolutely magical! Belvedere Luigi Guerricchio detto dei “Tre Archi” was my favorite place to see the sunrise. But sunset is even better! Day trip tourists are leaving and the town turns pink and takes on a mystical aura. The street lanterns go on and the town starts to twinkle. The best places to experience sunset were Convento di Sant’Agostino and Belvedere San Pietro Barisano.
Pin this post to plan your things to do in Matera
So that is it! I hope you enjoyed this “Best things to do in Matera; the sassi & the caves” blog post and that it will help to plan your own trip! I really tried to cover everything you need to know. Do not hesitate to leave your comments or questions down below! That way I can add more information if necessary!
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