Matera, cosa vedere nella città dei Sassi

Matera, in Basilicata, is a city to discover. Unique in its kind, it has some ancient dwellings in the Sassi and others along the ravine. Where Matera is located. Matera and Potenza (regional capital) represent the two provinces of Basilicata. It is the smallest by population. It is about 70 kilometers from Bari and 100 kilometers from Potenza. The province of Matera also includes the Ionian coast of Basilicata and the eastern area of the region.

Matera tourism. Matera has grown a lot in recent years for tourist presence. This, not only after the proclamation of Matera Capital of Culture. Tourist flows had already had a boost following the appointment of Matera UNESCO Heritage, thanks to the presence of the Sassi. Now let’s see what to see in Matera.

Matera Sassi

To best appreciate Matera, one of the safest cities in Italy, it is essential to listen to the scents coming from the small gardens of the houses in the historic center, true treasures to discover along the route that takes you to the Cathedral or through the narrow streets of Sasso Caveoso or Barisano (the first extends in the direction of Bari and the second towards the nearby Montescaglioso).

History of the Sassi di Matera

Matera has two faces, both however united by a history centuries long that built it, from when the Benedictine monks chose it as a place to create a lively community. Living Nativity Scene in Matera. At Christmas, Matera presents itself as a living nativity scene. In recent years, among other things, precisely among the Sassi di Matera, a suggestive and special event has taken place: the living nativity scene. And it is in Matera where the rock churches are found, today a highly appreciated tourist destination and once a place of worship. Houses built with tuff, whose quarries are an important testimony. Below Matera Capital of Culture.

Matera 2019

The City of the Stones, as many have nicknamed it, shows all its originality and uniqueness. There is no city like Matera European Capital of Culture 2019. Here’s what to see and what to do in Matera Capital of Culture and City of the Stones.

What to see in Matera: places of interest

1 Sassi di Matera

The Sassi di Matera are protected by Unesco and, for this reason, recognized as World Heritage. They are located in the heart of the city and represent the various evolutions of human settlements. The Sassi di Matera are divided into Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano. The Sasso Caveoso is the oldest while the Sasso Barisano, more recent, are so called because they face the city of Bari. Today the Sassi Matera, after the depopulation of the 1950s and the restoration of recent years that has preserved them in their characteristic tuff structure, have come back to life so much so that here you can find small craft shops, B&Bs, holiday homes, taverns, trattorias, and entertainment venues.

Matera what to visit

2 Cathedral of Matera

The Cathedral of Matera represents one of the symbols of the city. Located in a high area, compared to the Sassi, it can be seen in almost all panoramic photos of the City of the Sassi. In Apulian Romanesque style, the Cathedral of Matera is presented in a Latin cross shape, with three naves and ten columns with capitals dating back to the medieval era. The Cathedral was built over 40 years (1230-1270) by the will of Bishop Andrea. On the outside stands the beautiful rose window with Saint Michael the Archangel. The Main Gate is characterized by sculptures depicting the images of the Madonna, patron saint of the city (Madonna della Bruna), to whom the place of worship is dedicated, as well as Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The Cathedral of Matera also has 4 other doors. Two overlook the square and two overlook Via Riscatto. Inside the Cathedral, placed in a glass case, is the statue of the Madonna della Bruna.

3 Vico Solitario Cave House

The Vico Solitario Cave House is an excellent starting point to understand how people lived in the Sassi before they were abandoned in the 1950s of the last millennium. Located at Vico Solitario 11 in Matera, the house features: a fireplace with a kitchen area, in the center of the house a small table with the only large plate from which everyone ate, the bed made up of two iron trestles, on which wooden boards rested, and the couch consisting of a mattress filled with corn leaves; in front of the bed, the stable with the manger that housed the mule.

4 Lanfranchi Palace

Lanfranchi Palace is a building with an attached church (on the left) dating back to the 1600s. For a few years, it was the seat of a school where, between 1882 and 1884, Giovanni Pascoli taught (the square in front is named after the poet Giovanni Pascoli for this reason). Inside the Lanfranchi Palace is located the National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art of Basilicata. The Palace is named after Bishop Vincenzo Lanfranchi, who had it built to be used as a Seminary. Ticket: 2 euros full price, 1 euro reduced. Inside the Lanfranchi Palace is the famous work by Carlo Levi “Lucania ’61,” a canvas on which the Turin artist had imprinted the faces of the Lucanian people, among whom the farmer mayor, Rocco Scotellaro.

5 MUSMA Museum of Contemporary Sculpture Matera

The MUSMA of Matera is the most important Italian museum entirely dedicated to sculpture. Set within the evocative setting of Palazzo Pomarici (16th century), it is the only “cave” museum in the world, where a perfect symbiosis is experienced between sculptures and some of the most characteristic places carved into the Sassi of Matera. The museum spaces in fact cover not only the built areas of the Palace but also the large hypogea excavated, where the vast collection of art works is revitalized by the force of the rupestrian environments. Visitors can therefore experience an ideal integration, of intense emotional impact, between the centuries-old man-carved environments and contemporary sculpture. MUSMA is located on Via San Giacomo. Email: info@musma.it

What to visit in Matera: not to be missed

6 Ridola Archaeological Museum

The Ridola Archaeological Museum of Matera is set up in the former Convent of Santa Chiara. Built in the second half of the 17th century, it was first used as a hospital and then converted into a convent for the spiritual retreat of the Poor Clares. In 1872, Domenico Ridola, a great archaeology enthusiast, collected the artifacts brought to light from his excavations. From the beginning of the 20th century, the artifacts were donated to the Italian state. The museum is open every day except Monday, from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

7 Crypt of Original Sin

The Crypt of Original Sin is located a few kilometers from Matera. It was discovered by chance in the 1960s when it was used by shepherds to guard sheep flocks and offers visitors an incredible fresco painted 500 years before Giotto by the artist best known as “The Painter of the Flowers of Matera”. It is considered the Sistine Chapel of the Rock Culture. For visits, call 0835.330583 – 320.3345323 or send an email to: info@criptadelpeccatooriginale.it.

8 Diocesan Museum of Matera

The Diocesan Museum of Matera, inaugurated on April 16, 2011 by Archbishop Salvatore Ligorio, was set up in ancient renovated premises of the Diocese of Matera in the former Seminary built in 1906 by Archbishop Raffaele Rossi (Archbishop from 1899 to 1906). There are 3 large rooms on the ground floor exhibiting various works of sacred art with a considerable number of sacred silver pieces coming from the treasure of the Cathedral and from the church of Santa Chiara, dating from the 11th to the 19th century. Among the oldest objects stands out the enkolpion or pectoral cross of Byzantine manufacture from the mid-11th century, perhaps the work of the Tiraz of Palermo, one of the most prestigious workshops of the Middle Ages known not only for goldsmithery but also for textile and carpet making.

9 Church of San Pietro Caveoso

The Church of San Pietro Caveoso opens onto the square with the same name. It was built during the 17th century in a place where another place of worship existed. The church has three naves, with side chapels. The church is located on a very suggestive natural ravine, opposite the city. Entrance is free.

10 Church of San Pietro Barisano

The Church of San Pietro Barisano is located in the heart of the Sasso Barisano. It dates back to the 12th century. Besides a series of fine works kept inside, the church also has a curious feature: in the underground areas there are rooms that were used for the “draining” of corpses. These, placed in particular niches dressed in sacred vestments, were removed only after decomposition had occurred.

11 Church of the Purgatory

The Church of the Purgatory in Matera, in the city center, has a “macabre” baroque facade, entirely dedicated to the theme of death. Even the facade door is carved with figures echoing death (skulls, skeletons, bones, etc.). The main altar of the church houses the relics of San Giovanni da Matera, San Prospero, and San Callisto.

12 Casa Cava

Casa Cava of Matera represents one of the best examples of redevelopment ever applied to a public place in the Sassi. The ancient quarry, long abandoned and used as a landfill, was discovered by chance and then made accessible after careful and respectful work of the places, carried out by the Municipality of Matera. Its rocky environments, dug into the rock, make it a unique and unforgettable place. Today it is mainly used as an auditorium and for conference activities. Ticket: 3 euros full; 1.50 euros reduced. Hours: from April to September, every day from 10 AM to 1 PM, from 3 PM to 6 PM. From October to March, open only in the morning from 10 AM to 1 PM.

Visiting Matera

13 The Palombaro and the Hypogea of Piazza Vittorio Veneto

The underground of Piazza Vittorio Veneto was discovered only recently and opened to the public for guided tours in what can be considered the “belly of the city” and which is accessed from the most central place in the city where the remains of a rock church are still preserved. The Palombaro and the Hypogea represent the place where, starting from the 19th century, the community collected water, thanks to a system that naturally guaranteed survival. Free ticket up to 18 years. Full price: 3 euros. Hours: from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Open every day.

14 Rock Churches in Matera

Matera and surroundings. Around Matera opens a vast area that is very interesting from an archaeological point of view, dotted with very ancient “rock churches.” The rock churches of Matera have been grouped in the “Park of the Rock Churches.” The rock churches are located in the area of the belvedere of Murgi Timmari, facing the city, from which you can enjoy a spectacular view of the gravina and the Sassi. One of the most interesting rock churches is the Church of the Dove.

15 How to get to Matera

In Matera, Basilicata you can arrive by plane with a stop at Bari Palese airport, only 50 kilometers away. Matera is connected to Bari by the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane FAL. It is possible to reach Matera with the buses of Marino, Liscio, and Marozzi. By car. From the Tyrrhenian coast: Enter the Salerno-Reggio Calabria highway. Follow the signs for Potenza. Then continue to Metaponto along SS 407 “Basentana” until the Matera signs near Ferrandina Scalo. From the Adriatic coast: Take the Bologna-Taranto highway until the Bari Nord exit. Proceed to the industrial area, then Altamura-Matera, that is SS 96 and then SS 99, soon to be upgraded. From Calabria and Sicily: Reggio Calabria-Salerno highway. Exit at Sibari and take SS 106 Jonica towards Taranto. Take the Matera exit near Metaponto. From Salento: The most convenient route involves passing Taranto, and taking SS 106 Jonica until the Matera exit near Metaponto.

What to do in Matera

16 Matera where to eat and typical cuisine

The typical dishes of Matera cuisine draw inspiration from products such as vegetables, garden vegetables, legumes. It was the peasants who, thanks to the harvest obtained, created dishes capable of feeding the large families living in the Sassi. The typical cuisine of Matera draws on the agri-food characteristics of the Murgia, a vast area that links the nearby Puglia to Matera and its province. Very well known is the bread of Matera and traditional dishes such as cialedda and crapiata.

Matera restaurants

The Sassi of Matera, in recent years, have seen the opening of several venues including restaurants and inns. Many restaurants are of good quality and maintain a good quality-price ratio. The restaurants in Matera mostly offer Materan and Lucanian cuisine but there are also places where international cuisine can be enjoyed. Also in the city of Matera and its surroundings, there are several well-regarded restaurants and farmhouses. Among these is “Il Casino del Diavolo” (tel. 0835 261986), at the gates of the City of Sassi or “Il Terrazzino” (pan-fried pasta and peperoni cruschi in caves with a 17th-century cellar) with a panoramic terrace overlooking the Sassi of Matera.

17 Where to sleep in Matera

Sleeping in the heart of the Sassi in Matera is a very simple operation. There are several hotels in Matera, some luxurious, others less so but all evocative, in the heart of the Sassi of Matera. The offer of non-hotel accommodations such as B&Bs and holiday homes is also rich. Other structures in the city are also very interesting in terms of comfort and price. Given the large flow of tourists, it is advisable to book in advance to avoid finding everything fully booked.