Traveleriences
The Sassi of Matera, cave houses and churches stacked above the ravine

Matera, Italy

Ideal: 2 daysBest: Apr–Jun, Sep–OctPrice: Moderate
OverviewSeeHidden gemsStayPracticalHistoryNearby

In 60 seconds

Matera in 60 seconds

Matera's Sassi are two districts of houses, churches and cisterns cut into the side of a ravine, lived in for thousands of years. By the 1950s they had become a byword for poverty and were emptied by law; since UNESCO listed them in 1993 they have been restored into one of Italy's most extraordinary places to stay. Wander down from the upper town in the morning, cross the ravine to the Murgia for the view back, and be on the terraces at dusk when the Sassi light up.

UNESCO

Best for

  • History
  • Architecture
  • Hidden gems

Known for

  • The Sassi cave districts
  • Rock-hewn churches
  • The Murgia across the ravine

Skip if

Steps and slopes are hard for you. The Sassi are a maze of stairways with very little level ground.

Your match

Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Matera fits them. Choose interests

See

Must experience

The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.

Sasso Caveoso & Sasso Barisano

The two cave districts

Lose yourself on the stairways between cave houses, rock churches and courtyards; the Caveoso is the older and wilder of the two.

SassiFreeWalk

Matera Cathedral

Apulian Romanesque on the ridge

The 13th-century cathedral crowns the spur between the two Sassi, with the best views down into both.

CivitaView

Murgia Materana park

Rock churches across the ravine

Cross the Gravina on the footbridge and climb to the Murgia for the view of the whole city — and cave churches with fading frescoes.

MurgiaHikeSunset

Beyond the obvious

Hidden gems

Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.

Palombaro Lungo

Inexpensive

Vast cistern under the main square

A cathedral-sized water cistern carved under the square, explored on walkways a few metres above the water.

Piazza Vittorio VenetoShort visitUnderground

Craco

Abandoned hilltop town

A medieval town emptied by landslides in the 1960s, its tower still standing over the clay hills.

CracoDay TripGuided

Stay

Where to stay

Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.

A cave hotel in the Sassi

Expensive

Rooms cut into the rock

The reason to stay the night: sleep in the rock and have the Sassi to yourself at dusk and dawn.

Book aheadUnique

The Piano

Moderate

The upper, newer town

Easier on the legs and the budget, a few minutes' walk above the Sassi.

FlatRestaurants

Practical

Know before you go

Getting in
Bari airport is about an hour away by car or shuttle bus. The narrow-gauge Ferrovie Appulo Lucane runs from Bari to Matera.
Getting around
On foot. Wear shoes with grip — the stone steps are polished smooth.
Booking
Cave hotels are small and fill early for spring and autumn weekends.

Context

History in 5 minutes

Enough to make what you are looking at legible.

  1. Prehistory

    People shelter in the caves of the Gravina, making Matera one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in Europe.

  2. 1950s

    After Carlo Levi's 'Christ Stopped at Eboli' draws attention to their poverty, the Sassi are emptied under a special law of 1952.

  3. 1993–2019

    The Sassi become a UNESCO World Heritage Site and, in 2019, Matera is European Capital of Culture.

Further out

Nearby escapes

Worth a day if you have one to spare.

Alberobello

The trulli of Puglia

The conical-roofed houses of the Valle d'Itria, across the border in Puglia.

About 1 hour 15 by carHalf dayUNESCO