What to See in Matera: 8 Amazing and Unmissable Things

The name Matera immediately brings to mind the UNESCO World Heritage Sassi, the blindingly white houses carved into the rock of the Murgia Plateau and the tasty Lucanian cuisine. We had wanted to visit it for ages, and it did not disappoint. Come and discover Matera with us in this article.

Matera, 8 things to see in a day trip

We visited Matera during our trip across the Itria Valley. When you imagine a place for so long, there’s always the risk of being disappointed. Luckily, that didn’t happen with Matera: we fell in love with it. 

In Matera, the sun falls vertically on the white houses and the paved alleys, turning the landscape into a glittering postcard. At sunset, the sky explodes with a thousand shades between purple and mauve: when the street lamps lighten up, the city turns into a living nativity scene.

Although we would have liked to stay at least one night and live the experience of sleeping in the Sassi, one day is more than enough to visit the city and explore it far and wide, discovering its history and gastronomic tradition.

Here’s our list of 8 unmissable things to see in Matera in one day:

1. The Sassi district

The Sassi of Matera consist of two neighborhoods of the historic center, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993: Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano.

The Sassi are basically buildings carved into the rock of the Matera Murgia. However, their past history is very different from the tourist postcard we see today.

As we learned during our visit, in the first half of the 20th century, the Sassi were in precarious hygienic conditions, with very large family households living together with their animals in these small dwellings carved into the rock and composed of a single room.

Then the writer Carlo Levi, sent into exile by the Italian fascist regime, shed light on the disastrous state of Matera neighborhoods. After the scandal aroused by the report contained in Christ Stopped at Eboli, the secretary of the Italian Communist Party Palmiro Togliatti also visited Matera, defining it a “national shame.”

In 1952, the Italian government ordered the evacuation of the Sassi, and half of the Matera population moved to new neighborhoods designed and built for the occasion. Recently, the Sassi have returned to being partially inhabited, in addition to hosting numerous hotels, clubs, and restaurants. However, this does not detract from the magic of Matera: today, walking through Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano is like enjoying an open-air museum.

2. Cave Houses in the Sassi

One of the most incredible places in all of Matera is undoubtedly the historic Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario, in Sasso Caveoso. Here you can enter a typical Sassi house, preserved in its layout and furnishings.

It’s not easy to imagine life here, where an entire family lived squeezed into a single domestic environment, the same where they cooked and slept. However, the house-museum does an excellent job and makes visitors reflect on the condition of the Matera dwellings of the past.

Inside the cave house, you’ll find the fireplace and the kitchen, a table at the center of the room, the bed, and immediately in front, the manger for the mule: few objects, the atmosphere of a dignified and suffering simplicity. Next to the house, you can also visit an icehouse, another room carved into the rock and used for snow preservation.

Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario – useful info

• Tickets: 5€ adult, 3€ reduced;
• Sassi tour with entrance to the cave houses

Another cave house we visited is C’era una volta (Once upon a time), a reconstruction made by master craftsmen Eustachio Rizzi and sons in Sasso Barisano. Once you enter a curtain, you find yourself in front of a room carved out of the limestone rock, in which every corner is dedicated to an aspect of daily life: the small kitchen, the stable, the bed. 

Inside the small house are a number of sculptures representing the different generations who live together inside the Sassi. The reconstruction is accompanied by a recorded voice that describes the various details, making this small house-museum a very interesting stop during a visit to Matera. 

Cave House “Once Upon a Time” – useful info

• Winter opening hours 9am-6pm, summer opening hours 9am-8pm
• Tickets: 2€
• Website

3. Rock Churches of Matera

Among the most important historical testimonies of Matera are the rock churches. Scattered between the Sassi and the Murgia, there are a very large number of them, 155. Here are the most important ones and those we recommend visiting during your tour of the city.

Rock Church of Santa Maria de Idris

Walking among the Sassi, you will undoubtedly notice the little church perched on the rocky spur of Montirone, in the center of Sasso Caveoso. And maybe you’ll go there to take some pictures of the cityscape.

In this case, you shouldn’t miss a visit to the Rock Church of Santa Maria de Idris, dating back to the 1300s-1400s. The church is the result of the fusion of several environments, partly carved into the rock and partly built. In the ancient crypt, dedicated to San Giovanni in Monterrone, there are still some frescoes, though quite deteriorated.

Rock church of Santa Lucia alle Malve

As the rock churches of Matera would all deserve a visit, we also recommend a stop at Santa Lucia alle Malve. It is also the first female monastic settlement of the Benedictine Order, dating back to the 8th century.

Its facade is carved into the rock, and on the entrance door, the coat of arms of Santa Lucia is depicted in bas-relief. The church has three naves, divided by pillars with round arches, blind arches, and a flat ceiling with a dome.

Inside the rock church, you can admire medieval frescoes depicting Archangel Michael, the Madonna delle Grazie, Saint John the Baptist, and other religious figures.

Rock Church of San Pietro Barisano

The last rock church we visited in Matera is San Pietro Barisano, the largest among the rock churches of the city.

The most interesting environments of this church are undoubtedly the hypogeal spaces under the three main naves. Here – hold on tight – you can see the niches carved into the tuff where the bodies of the priests, called Putridarium, were placed to “drain” after their death. An ancient funeral practice (luckily) no longer in use.

The altars are also quite interesting, one dedicated to Saint Joseph, another to the Madonna della Consolazione, and the last to the Blessed Sacrament. Some 16th-century frescoes are still visible inside the monastic building.

Rock churches of Matera – useful info

• Combined ticket for Madonna de Idris and San Giovanni in Monterrone, Santa Lucia alle Malve and San Pietro Barisano
• 1 Rock Church € 4,00, 2 Rock Churches € 7,00, 3 Rock Churches € 8,00
• Tour of the Sassi with entrance to the cave houses and churches

4. The Cathedral of Matera

The Matera Cathedral, built in Apulian Romanesque style, stands on the highest rocky spur that divides the two Sassi. The profile of the building can be seen from several points in the city, but it stands out even more when you look out from the Luigi Guerricchio Belvedere.

Due to time constraints, we didn’t manage to visit the baroque interiors of the church. However, if you happen to stay in Matera longer, it’s definitely worth spending some time on a visit to the cathedral.

Matera Cathedral – Useful info

• Opening hours: daily from 10.00 am to 7.00 pm (possible variations according to the seasons and religious celebrations)
• Tickets: from 1€ to 3,50€ depending on discounts or use of audioguide

5. Palombaro lungo

This enormous underground cistern, 16 meters deep and 50 meters long, was dug towards the end of the 19th century. Its rediscovery, however, is very recent and dates back to 1991, during some work in the square above. Two divers descended into the cistern still full of water, while the technical draftsman Enzo Viti explored the rooms on a rubber dinghy.

If once its purpose was clearly the collection of rainwater, essential for the supply of water to the people of Matera, today the Palombaro Lungo is one of the most fascinating and visited attractions of Matera.

Thanks to comfortable walkways suspended over the water, we too were able to walk inside the cistern. It is a real masterpiece of hydraulic engineering, with impermeable walls made of cocciopesto, a special terracotta-based plaster.

Palombaro Lungo – Useful Info

• Tickets: 3€
• Maximum visit time: 15 minutes
• Website

6. Matera Belvedere: Luigi Guerricchio and Piazzetta Pascoli

The two main points from which you can enjoy a view of Matera and the Sassi are Luigi Guerricchio Belvedere and Piazzetta Pascoli. They are located in the upper part of the city, called Civita.

Both offer unforgettable views, especially if you happen to go there during the golden hour or after sunset, when the lights of the houses have been turned on and give Matera the appearance of a huge sparkling amphitheater.

7. Tibetan Bridge of the Gravina

Another top attraction in Matera is the Gravina Tibetan Bridge, suspended above the homonymous canyon. Unfortunately, since January 2023, the bridge has been closed for safety reasons, but it may soon be reopened to the public.

The bridge is halfway between the Sassi and the Murgia Timone Belvedere, and walking the entire route back and forth takes about a couple of hours. Climbing towards the Murgia plateau, you can take photos of the profile of the Sassi from unique perspectives, with the view framed by caves and crevices. A photographer’s dream.

8. Sunset from the Regional Park of the Materana Murgia

When the sun begins to set and is about to disappear behind the profiles of the Matera houses, it means it’s time to get back in the car and reach the Murgia Timone Belvedere, about 15 minutes away.

Once there, park near the visitor center, and continue on foot. After about twenty minutes, you will reach the edge of the rocks overlooking the Gravina canyon.

In front of you, in all its beauty, there will be Matera. There is no better place than the Regional Park of the Murgia Materana to observe the sunset over the city, with the Sassi lighting up one after the other and the walls of the houses taking on the thousand shades of twilight. We never wanted to leave.

Where to eat and drink in Matera

Beautiful churches, fascinating Sassi… but the real reason we went to Matera was to taste the Lucanian cuisine. Yes, we’re exaggerating. Or maybe not.

Where to eat in Matera

After a first visit to the Sassi, we stopped for lunch at Osteria la Fedda Rossa, where we finally got to taste some of the most typical dishes of Matera cuisine.

As appetizers, we tried the meatballs with Matera bread and the Cialledda, a dish made from stale bread, caroselli (similar to cucumbers), tomatoes, boiled potatoes, peppers, and onions.

We also tasted the ferricelli alla lucana, with peperone crusco, fried breadcrumbs, and stracciatella. Osteria la Fedda Rossa is a very good restaurant in a secluded location (although central), away from the crowds of tourists of the Sassi restaurants.

Osteria la Fedda Rossa

• Address: Via del Corso, 90
• Website

Where to drink in Matera

Before moving to the Murgia Timone belvedere for the sunset, we made a relaxing stop at Zipa Café, in the heart of Sasso Caveoso: a “drink house” and cocktail bar among the best we’ve ever been to.

With a long list of truly unique cocktails, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, and the possibility to nibble on something for an aperitif, it’s the kind of place we would like to have near home to go back to again and again.

Zipa Cafè

• Address: Via Madonna dell’Idris, 15
• Website

How to get to Matera and where to park your car

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, we visited Matera during a 5-days-trip to the Itria Valley. So we reached it by car, with a journey of about 40-50 minutes from Bari. We parked at the centrally located Park Scotellaro (click here for Google Maps position), with rates starting from €1.50 per hour. It’s not the cheapest parking in Matera, but it’s probably the closest to the Sassi.

Bari Airport is the ideal starting point, both for those who decide to rent a car and for those who prefer to rely on public transport. From Bari, the most convenient means is the bus, with costs and travel times ranging from 50 to 90 minutes, depending on the company you choose to travel with.

Where to stay in Matera

Although we didn’t stay overnight, staying in Matera is the easiest choice to enjoy the city without haste and to explore it at a slow and contemplative pace.

On the advice of some relatives, we recommend the B&B Dimora del Campo, a perfect accommodation in the center of Matera, overlooking the Sassi. Or the Hotel San Giorgio, for those who want to indulge in an extra treat in the magical setting of the Sassi.

Outdoor experiences to do in Matera

If you’re looking for inspiration for your trip to Matera, on Freedome you’ll find many original experiences to discover this city. From horseback rides to guided treks, here are some of the adventures that await you:

• Horseback riding with a view of the Sassi of Matera
• Sunset trekking tour of the Sassi of Matera
• Trekking tour of the Murgia Park and the Tibetan Bridge in Matera
• Group hot air balloon flight in Matera
• Trekking tour to Parco dei Monaci near Matera

We’ve come to the end of our guide to Matera in one day. Have you ever visited this wonder of Basilicata? Did you like it? Leave a comment below!