Matera

A cave city among the world's oldest continuously inhabited places: stay in a cave hotel for views of the city lights, and hike across the gorge to the rock churches on the far side.

Matera lies on the eastern edge of Basilicata in southern Italy, right by the Puglia border. The old town is built on limestone slopes on the west side of the Gravina gorge. Its core is the cave city known as the Sassi: the Sasso Barisano to the north and the Sasso Caveoso to the south enclose the Civita hill, topped by the cathedral, and people have lived in caves here since the Paleolithic. In the mid-20th century, poverty and poor sanitation earned it the name "the shame of Italy," and from 1952 residents were forcibly relocated. After restoration, the Sassi were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 together with the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of the Murgia on the opposite side. Matera was named European Capital of Culture in 2019 and has appeared in films such as The Passion of the Christ and No Time to Die. The climate is Mediterranean: April–June and September–October are the most pleasant, July–August days are hot, and winter occasionally brings rain or snow. A visit has three parts: the Sassi cave district (rock churches, cave dwellings, underground cisterns); the upper town with Piazza Vittorio Veneto and its museums; and the viewpoints and hiking trails of the Murgia park across the gorge. Day trips nearby include Gravina in Puglia, Altamura, Castel del Monte, the ghost town of Craco and the Lucanian Dolomites. Getting there: the nearest airport is Bari (about 65 km), with buses or the private FAL railway to Matera; driving is more convenient, but the Sassi area is a restricted zone. We suggest 1–2 nights in a cave hotel and watching the city lights come on in the evening. Expect many stone steps and steep slopes; wear non-slip shoes, and bring water and sun protection in summer.

Top sights

Where to eat

Itineraries