In Matera, the rocky landscape and built history are closely connected: the Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches, a World Heritage Site, encompass houses, churches, monasteries and hermitages built into natural caves in the Murgia. You can also explore the historic centre through its distinct districts. These include Barisano and Caveoso, Casalnuovo and the city’s central spine, known as the “Piano”. Exploring Matera means encountering not just individual sights, but a city whose rock architecture and landscape together shape its character.
Rocky landscapes and paths around the Sassi
The Murgia within the World Heritage Site is a limestone plateau shaped by deep fissures, ravines, rocks and caves. The Parco della Murgia Materana also features valleys, terraces and uplands; the park is also known for species of botanical and faunal importance. From the viewpoint on Murgia Timone, the Sassi of Matera lie opposite. This vantage point makes the relationship between the settlement and the rocky landscape especially clear.
The Sentiero 406 connects the Sassi to the Murgia Timone plateau via a panoramic trail, crossing the Gravina stream on a suspension bridge along the way. The trail starts at Porta Postergola, also known as Porta Pistola, and has an elevation gain of about 200 metres. This information can help you factor the route into your plans; it does not indicate a walking time or level of difficulty. Trail conditions and access requirements may change, so it is advisable to check them before setting out. The streets that climb to the Civita and lead into the city centre are also accessible only on foot.
In the visitor area of Murgia Timone, the route includes a fortified Neolithic village, an ancient covered cistern and the rock church of San Falcione. Alongside its geological features, the landscape park also offers evidence of human activity. When planning your explorations, you can view the trail through the Sassi and visits to the plateau as different ways to experience this cultural and landscape history.
Rock churches, collections and city history
There are 155 documented rock churches carved into the tufa in Matera today. The rock monastery complex of Madonna delle VirtĂą and San Nicola dei Greci includes a foundation dating from the 10th or 11th century. The Crypt of Original Sin was the place of worship of a rock monastery from the Lombard period; its fresco cycle dates from the 8th to 9th century. The crypt can be visited by prior reservation. Check the reservation requirements in advance.
The museums also offer a range of different focuses. MUSMA is a cave museum devoted entirely to sculpture; its collection spans Italian and international sculpture from the late 19th century to the present day. Since 2003, the Palazzo Lanfranchi has housed the National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art of Basilicata. Its exhibition route is divided into three sections, and works by Carlo Levi and Luigi Guerricchio are on permanent display on the ground floor.
The Ridola Museum dedicates collections and exhibition areas to the Neolithic, Palaeolithic and prehistory. The Rizzon collection at the Ridola site includes Greek colonial ceramics from the colonies on the Ionian Gulf. The ethnographic collection includes, among other things, bread stamps and carved wooden spoons. These tangible objects offer another perspective on everyday life in Matera, while the archaeological collections explore periods far in the past.
The Museo Laboratorio della Civiltà Contadina is also located in the historic Sassi district. It is an ethnographic and anthropological museum covering more than 500 square metres. It is housed in a 16th-century underground Lamione, which extends the volume of a network of existing caves. Casa di Ortega, meanwhile, displays twenty polychrome bas-reliefs created during José Ortega’s time in Matera. They were made in collaboration with master craftspeople from Matera and using an old papier-mâché technique in an innovative way. The house offers educational activities for families and schools at all grade levels; the programme may change.
Underground spaces and practical information
Beneath Piazza Vittorio Veneto lies the Palombaro Lungo, an underground cistern for collecting water. It can be visited via walkways above the water. As visiting arrangements may change, it is worth checking the latest information before your visit. Casa Noha is a historic house where a multimedia project tells the story of Matera. It is also a starting point for walking tours through the Sassi and the Murgia; tour offerings may change.
For travel by train, the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane service between Bari and Matera serves Matera Centrale and Matera Sud stations in Matera. As routes and timetables may change, check the connection before your trip. When looking for a hotel in Matera, you could first consider whether you want to devote your stay mainly to the Sassi and rock churches, the museum collections, or the paths and landscapes of the Murgia. This way, your choice of accommodation can reflect the discoveries that interest you in Matera.
Discover more destinations: Lido Di Metaponto, Lido Quarantotto, Marina Di Pisticci, Pisticci, Bernalda, Policoro, Peschiera, Matera, Stigliano, Nova Siri, Metaponto, Tinchi, Lido Di Scanzano, Ferrandina, Montescaglioso, Rotondella, San Giorgio Lucano, Montalbano Jonico, Miglionico, Grottole, Irsina, Aliano, Pomarico, Accettura, Grassano, Tursi, Salandra, Marconia.
For the broader travel overview: Basilicata.
