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Matera · Basilicata

Things to see in Matera

In Matera the atlas lists 66 historic places: 24 museums, 24 archaeological sites, 12 historic villas and palaces, 3 abbeys and monasteries, 1 castle, 1 fortress or tower and 1 historic theatre.

Of these, 8 list opening hours and 2 are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Don’t miss: National Museum of Matera, museum in Italy.

By date of construction, the most common period is the Modern era (40% of dated places) and the Middle Ages (40% of dated places).

The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera
  • 66historic places
  • 59,685inhabitants
  • 401 maltitude

The town

Matera is the capital of the Matera province in the Basilicata region of Italy. It boasts the sassi: well-preserved rock-cut settlements that are a World Heritage site and one of Southern Italy's many important attractions.

Matera is a fairly big city of around 60,000 people. One of its quarters is the old city. Just outside the old city are the Sassi - cave houses dug into the limestone rocks. The sassi are located on both sides of a valley. On the north side the Sasso Barisano have been partially commercially developed as offices and housing. The Sasso Caveoso, on the south side, is the most historically interesting.

Matera is a "European Capital of Culture" for 2019, an honour it shares with Plovdiv.

Text from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA, abridged · Wikivoyage

66 places

Museums 24

Show all 24 places
Casa grottaMuseum Museo diocesano di MateraMuseum Casa NohaMuseum Museo storico "Generale Ignazio Pisciotta"Museum La Casa di OrtegaMuseum Museo del pane MateraMuseum TAM - Tower Art MuseumMuseum Casa CisternaMuseum Ipogeo MateraSumMuseum Casa Grotta del CasalnuovoMuseum Flying StonesMuseum CANTINA AFFRESCATA DEL SOLEMuseum Casa grotta C’era una voltaMuseum Madonna delle virtùMuseum MUdeSCA - Museo dello ScavoMuseum Museo Del PaneMuseum Palazzo dell'ArcivescovadoMuseum Palazzo PomariciMuseum

Archaeological sites 24

Show all 24 places
Ipogei di Piazza Vittorio VenetoArchaeological site Raccolta delle acqueArchaeological site Area Archeologica Timmari "San Salvatore"Archaeological site Chiesa Rupestre Madonna degli AngeliArchaeological site Chisa ruprestre santuario Madonna delle Tre PorteArchaeological site Tomba a grotticella a Doppio Cerchio di Murgia TimoneArchaeological site Chiesa Rupestre Madonna della CroceArchaeological site Piazza Vittorio VenetoArchaeological site Chiesa Rupestre di San FalcioneArchaeological site Chiesa Rupestre di Santa Maria di LamaquacchiolaArchaeological site Chiesa ruprestre di Sant'AgneseArchaeological site Cimitero BarbaricoArchaeological site FossatoArchaeological site San Nicola all'OfraArchaeological site Tomba a grotticella del fossatoArchaeological site Villaggio neolitico di murgecchiaArchaeological site Villagio rupestreArchaeological site Villagio rupestreArchaeological site Villagio rupestreArchaeological site Villagio rupestreArchaeological site

Villas and palaces 12

Palazzo dell'AnnunziataHistoric villa / palace Palazzo AcitoHistoric villa / palace Palazzo della PrefetturaHistoric villa / palace Palazzo VescovileHistoric villa / palace Palazzo GattiniHistoric villa / palace Palazzo VenusioHistoric villa / palace

Abbeys and monasteries 3

Castles 1

Fortresses and towers 1

Historic theatres 1

Teatro DuniHistoric theatre

Getting there

Matera is most easily reached from Bari in the Apulia region. The Ferrovie Appulo Lucane (FAL) runs trains from Bari to 1 Matera Centrale, taking 1 hr 30 min (sometimes needs a change of train in Altamura) with departures every 1-2 hr during the daytime. The FAL train station in Bari is just outside of Bari Centrale and is toward the left as you walk out onto the large piazza with the buses and fountain. The FAL does not run trains on Sunday (a substitute bus runs instead), and does not accept rail passes. Tickets are €6 each way (Oct 2025) and available online. There is a direct bus connection to Bari Airport with SITAsud trasporti (1 hr 15 min, tickets from €3.4).

Long distrance buses to cities in the region (Taranto, Lecce, Bari, Salerno, Naples) leave at the bus station on Via Don Luigi Sturzo in the new quarter, around 2 km from Matera Centrale.

Text from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA, abridged · Wikivoyage

What to see, according to Wikivoyage

Old city. From the station walk down via Roma to Piazza Veneto and take the stairs down into the old city.

Churches: Church of San Pietro Barisano. Matera Cathedral (Duomo di Matera). San Pietro Caveoso (Saint Peter and Saint Paul Church).

Caveoso cave churches. Entrance to the four main ones is €6.

Church of San Giovanni Battista. Church of San Francesco d'Assisi. Church of Purgatorio. Church of San Domenico. Church of Santa Lucia. Church of Mater Domini.

Text from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA, abridged · Wikivoyage · Underlined names link to our own pages.

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