Things to do in Matera
Welcome to Matera
The southern Italian city of Matera looks as if it is frozen in time—and parts of it are. The historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the most popular attraction in the small region of Basilicata (a roughly 2.5-hour drive from Naples) owing to its hillside series of prehistoric cave dwellings that are believed to date back thousands of years. It is thought that the so-called Sassi di Matera were occupied by some of Italy’s first humans, and many are still in use today, serving as restaurants, bars, hotels, and even art galleries. While travelers can visit many of the sassi (stones) independently, signs and information plaques are sparse so it’s best to go with an expert guide who can shed light on the area’s long history. Just outside Matera, the Murgia Materana Park is home to some 150 ancient churches that were carved right out of the limestone. Take a sightseeing tour that includes entrance fees, the services of a guide, and round-trip transport from Matera for a hassle-free visit to the rupestrian churches. If you’re visiting Matera from elsewhere in Italy, the small city is located about 1.5 hours away from Bari, the capital of Puglia, by train.
Top 3 attractions in Matera
Sassi di Matera
Murgia National Park (Parco della Murgia Materana)
Madonna delle Virtù Church (Chiesa di Madonna delle Virtù)
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All about Matera
When to visit
Though slightly cooler than its southern Italian neighbors, Matera is still hot in the heart of summer, with average July highs hovering around 86°F (31°C). Travelers braving the heat can see the costumed processions and fireworks of the Festa della Bruna—the town’s most important religious festival—in early July. April tends to be rainy. May and June are drier, warmer, and beat the high travel season by a month or two.
Getting around
Matera is served by buses and trains, but it’s in a relatively remote part of the Basilicata region where public transportation is not always reliable. Renting a car makes the most sense, but know that parking in the center of Matera is limited. Guided tours on foot or on Italian tuk-tuks (called Api) are a great way to experience the famed sassi—cave dwellings that were inhabited for nearly 7,000 years.
Traveler tips
Nothing completes the Matera experience like spending the night in the sassi. Once dishonoring Matera with the nickname “the shame of Italy” for their squalor, the cave dwellings are now a local point of pride, with some having been converted into hotels. Accommodation options range from modest to luxurious—the budget-minded Locanda di San Martino and the four-star Hotel Sant’Angelo are good places to start.
