Sasso Barisano
AtmosphereThe larger of the two Sassi, with restored cave houses and places to stay.
Matera city guide
Things To Do In Matera
A city of cave houses and rock churches carved into the side of a ravine, lived in for thousands of years, evacuated as a national shame in the 1950s and now one of the most extraordinary places in Europe.
4
Hostels in the city
8.8
Average, from 1,151 reviews
1993
UNESCO World Heritage Site
2019
European Capital of Culture
150+
Rock-carved churches
From national shame to European Capital of Culture
Matera's two old districts, the Sassi, are built into the side of a deep ravine, the Gravina, and many of the houses are caves dug into the soft rock. People have lived here since prehistory, and it is often called one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
By the twentieth century the Sassi were overcrowded and desperately poor, with families living alongside their animals and no running water. After Carlo Levi's book Christ Stopped at Eboli brought them to national attention, the government called them a national shame and moved the population out in the 1950s. The Sassi stood empty for decades.
They were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, slowly brought back to life, and in 2019 Matera was European Capital of Culture. Two days is right, and the best time to see the Sassi is at dusk, when the lights come on.
Where to stay
Stay in the Sassi if you can, many of the places to stay are in restored caves. The modern town above is cheaper and a few minutes' walk.
Sasso Caveoso
The old MateraThe more cave-like of the Sassi, with rock churches.
Civita
ViewsThe ridge between the Sassi, with the cathedral.
Piano
ValueThe modern town above the Sassi. Cheaper and a short walk down.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 4 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Matera
Walk the Sassi, the two old districts, Sasso Barisano and Sasso Caveoso, with the Civita and the cathedral on the ridge between them. The streets are stairs, and the roofs of one row of houses are the street for the next.
The rock churches are the great sight: more than a hundred and fifty churches carved into the rock, many with medieval frescoes. Santa Maria de Idris, on a rock outcrop, and San Pietro Barisano are among the easiest to visit.
The Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario is a cave house kept as it was before the evacuation, with the furniture, the tools and the space for the animals. The Palombaro Lungo, under the main square, is a vast underground cistern you can walk through.
For the view, cross the ravine to the Murgia plateau opposite, on foot down into the gorge and up the other side, or by car. The view of the Sassi from there, especially at sunset, is the image of Matera.
Free things
Free things to do in Matera
The Sassi are free to walk, and they are the main attraction. Walking them in the early morning and after dark, when they are lit up, is the best thing in the city.
The viewpoints around the edge of the Sassi, at Piazza Vittorio Veneto, the Belvedere Luigi Guerricchio and the Civita, are free.
The walk down into the Gravina and up the other side to the Murgia viewpoints is free, steep and wonderful.
Some rock churches charge a small entry; others can be seen from outside.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Matera
Matera's food is poor-country food, and very good. The bread, pane di Matera, is made with durum wheat and shaped like the hills around the city; it keeps for days.
Peperoni cruschi, sweet dried red peppers fried until they crunch, are the local speciality, crumbled over pasta or eaten as a snack. Crapiata, a soup of pulses and grains, and cialledda, a bread salad, are the traditional dishes.
A trattoria meal is €18 to €28. Restaurants in the Sassi charge more for the setting.
Nightlife
Going out in Matera
Matera is quiet at night. Evenings are for walking the lit-up Sassi and for aperitivo on the terraces with a view over the ravine.
The modern town, around Piazza Vittorio Veneto and Via del Corso, has bars and the evening passeggiata. A glass of wine is €4 to €7.
Getting around
Getting around Matera
Matera is walkable, but the Sassi are all steps and steep paths. Wear good shoes.
Matera has no mainline railway. The regional Ferrovie Appulo Lucane trains and buses run from Bari in about an hour and a half. The nearest airport is Bari, with shuttle buses to Matera.
For Alberobello, Craco and the countryside, a car is far easier than the buses.
The Sassi are closed to most traffic.
Costs
What Matera costs
Matera has become popular and prices have risen since 2019. There are few hostels; most budget visitors stay in guesthouses or B&Bs, some in restored caves. Beds are cheaper in the modern town above.
A careful day is €55 to €75. The costs that add up are the rock churches, the Casa Grotta and guided tours, and accommodation in the Sassi.
Walking the Sassi and the ravine is free.
Safety
Staying safe in Matera
Matera is very safe.
The hazard is the ground. The Sassi are steps, uneven paths and polished stone, slippery in the rain and in the dark. The path down into the Gravina and up the Murgia is steep and exposed; wear proper shoes and carry water in summer.
Emergency number is 112.
Day trips from Matera
Puglia's trulli and a ghost town are within reach.
Alberobello
The town of trulli, the conical stone houses of Puglia.
Craco
A medieval hill town abandoned after landslides, now a ghost town.
Polignano a Mare
A town on the cliffs over the Adriatic.
What's on
What is on while you are there
The Festa della Bruna in July ends with the crowd tearing the float to pieces.
2 July
Festa della Madonna della Bruna
Historic centre
A papier-mâché cart carries the Madonna through the city, then the crowd tears it apart for pieces to keep.
December
Christmas in the Sassi
The Sassi
Nativity events and lights in the ancient streets.
Hostels
Where to stay in Matera
Matera has only a few hostels; most places to stay are guesthouses, B&Bs and cave rooms. Those Hostelworld lists appear below, live.
When to go
April to June and September to October are ideal. Summer is hot and winter cold, sometimes with snow.
Jan
Cold, sometimes snow
Feb
Cold and quiet
Mar
Spring
Apr
Easter. Good
May
Excellent
Jun
Warm. Long evenings
Jul
Festa della Bruna on the 2nd
Aug
Hot
Sep
Excellent
Oct
Superb
Nov
Quiet
Dec
Christmas in the Sassi
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs. Matera is inland and on a plateau, so it is colder in winter than the coast.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros.
Beds are shared rooms or B&Bs, as there are few hostels. Transport assumes walking.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Matera travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
Is Matera worth visiting?
Yes. There is nowhere else like it in Europe: a city of cave houses and rock churches in a ravine, lived in for thousands of years.
How many days do you need in Matera?
Two, so you can see the Sassi at dusk and at night, and walk the ravine.
How do I get to Matera?
By regional train or bus from Bari, about an hour and a half. Matera has no mainline railway.
Can you stay in a cave in Matera?
Yes. Many guesthouses and B&Bs in the Sassi are in restored cave houses.
Why were the Sassi abandoned?
By the 1950s they were overcrowded and desperately poor. The government called them a national shame and moved the population out. They were restored after being listed by UNESCO in 1993.
What should I wear in Matera?
Good shoes. The Sassi are all steps and polished stone.
When is the best time to visit Matera?
April to June and September to October.
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