In a nutshell
- We love Matera and just can’t get enough of it! In this article, we’ve rounded up the best things to do in Matera along with our honest personal tips from multiple visits.
- The heart of Matera is the Sassi neighborhood, with its countless cave dwellings, art studios, staircases, and alleyways. Seriously — just wander and see where it takes you.
- For where to stay, we highly recommend the Palazzotto Residence & Winery — we stayed here ourselves and it was a truly one-of-a-kind experience!
- There are some really great restaurants in Matera — many of them are set inside caves, which makes dinner feel like a proper adventure.
What you should know about Matera
Matera is the top highlight of the Italian region of Basilicata and one of the greatest must-sees in Italy overall. The city is simply unlike anything else.
Why? Matera is one of the oldest cities in the world. People have been living here since the Stone Age — meaning Matera has been continuously inhabited for approximately 10,000 years.
You might be wondering how that’s even possible. Were there houses back then? Not houses exactly, but what lies behind the building facades: caves.
The neighborhood Sassi di Matera — meaning “stones of Matera” — consists entirely of cave dwellings.
Here you can wander through countless alleyways, staircases, and terraces, spend the night in one of the cave hotels, or visit art studios and cave restaurants.
Matera is seriously a place you can’t miss.
Matera map: Where are the highlights of Matera?
Matera is located in southern Italy, in the little-known region of Basilicata.
The most important things to see in Matera are found in the Sassi neighborhood. Our map gives you a sense of where all the highlights are located:
The most beautiful sights in Matera
Sassi di Matera
The old town is called Sassi di Matera and is built into the rocky slopes of the Gravina gorge.
The Sassi are a massive labyrinth of stone staircases, terraces, narrow alleyways, and cave dwellings.
Until the 1950s, this part of the city was home to the poorest residents. Entire extended families lived in the caves alongside their livestock, without electricity and without running water.
Today the Sassi have been lovingly restored and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thanks to the Sassi, Matera was also named European Capital of Culture 2019.
Many caves are still residential homes or have been converted into shops, restaurants, and hotels.
You can happily wander through the alleyways without a plan, or join a guided tour:
Book the 2-hour guided tour through the Sassi
Piazza Vittorio Veneto
The first sight you’ll likely encounter in Matera is the main square, Piazza Vittorio Veneto. It sits at the top entrance to the old town and serves as something of a gateway to the Sassi.
With its bright tiled floor and historic palazzos all around, it gives you a real preview of what’s in store.
The square is also the entry point to the Palombaro Lungo, Matera’s enormous underground cistern.
On one side of the piazza there are three arches, right next to the tourist information office. Walk through them and you’ll reach a terrace with your first glimpse of the Sassi.
Make sure you have your camera ready here!
Palombaro Lungo
The entrance to the Palombaro Lungo is hard to miss — it’s right in the middle of Piazza Vittorio Veneto, with stone steps leading down to a pit where the cistern entrance is.
The Palombaro Lungo is the largest man-made cistern in Europe and can hold up to 5 million liters of rainwater.
You can explore this underground water labyrinth with its 18-meter-high walls via metal walkways with railings.
The tour takes about 15 minutes and admission costs 3 euros.
Cave church San Pietro Barisano
There are several churches within the Sassi. From the outside they look like ordinary churches, but once you step inside, you realize you’re actually in a cave.
Within the Sassi there are six rock-hewn churches. The most impressive is the Chiesa San Pietro Barisano.
Here you can also descend into the crypt, which consists of additional smaller caves. The rooms feel a bit claustrophobic — if tight spaces aren’t your thing, it’s better to stay up top.
Admission to the church costs three euros. You can also grab a combo ticket for two additional churches for eight euros.
Casa Grotta nei Sassi
If you want to see what life in the Sassi was really like, you absolutely have to visit the Casa Grotta.
A cave dwelling has been furnished with original furniture and everyday objects from the 1940s and 1950s, giving you a genuine window into daily life here.
An audio guide — available in English — explains how the cave was laid out and what life was like for its residents. Since the cave is small and consists of just one room, the visit takes about 20 minutes.
Admission costs 5 euros. Totally worth it!
MUSMA
Matera has a seriously cool contemporary art scene too. The MUSMA is a standout museum where contemporary artists display their sculptures.
The museum is housed in the Palazzo Pomarici, and the whole exhibition is really well done.
You’ll see not only sculptures from the 19th century to the present, but also the unique exhibition spaces — some of which are caves and others grand halls with vaulted ceilings.
Admission costs 7 euros and is absolutely worth every cent!
If you want the perfect photo of Matera’s old town, you have to make it to the Belvedere viewpoint.
It sits on the other side of the gorge and offers the most stunning panorama of Matera.
Getting there is a bit of an adventure: you descend into the gorge and cross to the other side via a Tibetan bridge, then follow a trail up to the viewpoint.
It’s not a walk in the park — wear sturdy shoes. But the effort is absolutely rewarded with an unforgettable vista of Matera.
The easier alternative is to drive or take the tourist bus Matera City Tour, which runs a 90-minute circuit through the regional park with a 30-minute stop at the viewpoint.
Matera at night
You should definitely spend at least one night in Matera — if only to see the old town after dark. The alleyways and staircases are lined with lanterns and are absolutely breathtaking.
The most impressive views of the old town are from one of the various vantage points — for example from Piazza Vittorio Veneto or from deep within the Sassi itself.
The piazza and surrounding streets are lively in the evenings, with plenty of bars, gelato shops, restaurants, and in summer, open-air events too.
The coolest cave hotels in Matera
In Matera, you absolutely have to stay in a cave hotel in the Sassi. There are some genuinely beautiful boutique hotels that have carved out cool, modern rooms inside the caves.
Some rooms even come with extras like a whirlpool or sauna.
These are the cave hotels we recommend in Matera:
Lies auch:
Our restaurant recommendations for Matera
Within the Sassi there are some really excellent restaurants with large outdoor terraces and cave-like dining rooms. The focus is mainly on traditional Basilicata cuisine — hearty, regional, and seriously good.
Note: Many restaurants close between 2 PM and 6 PM. If you want to eat lunch at 4 PM in Matera, you’ll need to find a snack bar instead.
These are the restaurants we recommend in Matera:
- Antica Trattoria Lucana: A traditional restaurant with over 100 years of history in Matera. Home cooking just like an Italian grandmother’s!
- Regia Corte: Upscale regional cuisine with a terrace and a beautiful view of the Sassi. Perfect for a romantic dinner.
- Trattoria del Caveoso: A cozy trattoria serving southern Italian home-style cooking in a relaxed atmosphere. Very popular with locals too!
- Enoteca dai Tosi: A stylish wine bar spread across several caves.
Getting to Matera
The nearest airport is Bari, located about 60 kilometers from Matera.
From Bari, the easiest way to reach Matera is by rental car. The drive takes less than an hour.
We always compare rental car deals on Discovercars — you can check prices from different providers and reserve your car directly at Bari airport.
Alternatively, you can also get to Matera by shuttle bus, though it only runs a few times a day:
Book the shuttle bus ticket to Matera
Parking in Matera
The Sassi are largely a pedestrian zone, and the few streets that are accessible by car are reserved for residents only. You’ll need to leave your car in one of the parking garages in the new town and continue on foot.
Note: Some cave hotels also offer a pickup service so you don’t have to carry your luggage through the Sassi yourself.
We parked at Parkhaus Nicoletti Michele, which is just a few minutes’ walk from the Sassi. You drop off your car and it’s parked for you — the keys stay with the operator. Parking for 24 hours costs around 20 euros.
We’ve also heard only good things about the parking garage at the main train station, Parcheggio Stazione Centrale. Prices are similar to those at Parkhaus Nicoletti.
The best time to visit Matera
We’ve been to Matera in summer, winter, and spring, and we’d say it’s most rewarding in spring — for example as a destination in March — and probably in fall as well.
With a bit of luck, winter can also be a great time to visit. We once went in February and only needed a sweatshirt during the day at around 16–17°C. The city is wonderfully quiet then, and you can stay in the most stylish cave hotels at really good prices.
Summer works too, but expect more tourists and peak hotel prices. It does get hot, but from around 4 PM the Sassi start to fall into shade, making all those steps much less exhausting.
What to pack for Matera
In Matera, you absolutely need a pair of sturdy shoes.
Exploring the uneven alleyways in flip-flops or sandals is pretty uncomfortable — trust us on this one.
You should also try to travel with as little luggage as possible. If you’re staying in the Sassi, you’ll need to reach your accommodation on foot — and that can be quite a challenge with a large suitcase. A backpack is much more practical!
