Matera, Italy: The 9,000-Year-Old City Most Tourists Never Plan to Visit

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Most travellers plan Rome, Florence, or the Amalfi Coast. Very few think about Matera Italy until they see a photo of its ancient cave city and stop cold. Once you see it, you cannot look away. Matera sits in the instep of Italy’s boot, in the region of Basilicata. People have lived here for at least 9,000 years — perhaps longer. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, served as European Capital of Culture in 2019, and featured in the Bond film No Time to Die. Yet it still flies under most travellers’ radar.

What Are the Sassi of Matera?

The Sassi are Matera’s ancient cave districts, carved directly into a deep ravine in the rocky plateau of Basilicata. “Sassi” simply means “stones” in Italian. Two districts form the Sassi: the Sasso Caveoso and the Sasso Barisano. Together, they hold thousands of cave dwellings, churches, cisterns, and streets stacked on top of each other like a vertical city. Some caves go deep into the rock. Others are built outward, using the cliff face as a back wall. The whole area forms a remarkable network of homes, chapels, and passageways that people shaped and reshaped over thousands of years.

The Two Sassi Districts Explained

The Sasso Barisano faces west and catches the afternoon sun. It is more developed, with boutique hotels, restaurants, and shops now occupying caves that families once called home. The Sasso Caveoso faces east and is rawer and more austere. It has kept more of its ancient character. Both are worth exploring. If you have limited time, start with Sasso Caveoso.

Walking Through the Sassi: What It Actually Feels Like

Standing at the edge of the ravine and looking down at Matera for the first time is a genuine “stop and stare” moment. The cave city falls away below you in layers. Each level is older than the one above. Ancient churches and homes are carved directly into the pale limestone. Staircases connect levels that should not logically connect. Cats pick their way along stone ledges. You can hear your own footsteps echo off walls that have held human life for thousands of years.

Walking into the Sassi feels different from walking through any other Italian city. There are no broad piazzas or long boulevards here. Instead, you follow narrow lanes that curve and drop without warning. Some paths become staircases. Others become tunnels. You rarely know what is around the next corner, and that uncertainty is exactly the point.

Many visitors describe the Sassi as somewhere that feels both ancient and alive at the same time. Cave dwellings that housed families until the 1950s — when the government relocated residents to modern housing, considering the caves a national embarrassment — now welcome visitors from across the world. What was once called poverty is now recognised as one of Italy’s greatest treasures.

What Most Tourists Miss in Matera

The Rock Churches of Matera

Matera has around 150 rock churches, known locally as “chiese rupestri,” carved into the cliff face. Most tourists walk past them without realising what they are. These are not small chapels. Many are substantial spaces with hand-painted frescoes still visible on the cave walls. The colours have faded over centuries, but you can still make out figures and scenes from Byzantine religious art.

The most accessible rock churches are Santa Maria de Idris, carved into the rock spur of Idris, and Madonna delle Virtù, which connects to a series of caves on multiple levels. The Cripta del Peccato Originale — the Crypt of Original Sin — lies just outside the city centre and requires a short drive, but its 8th-century frescoes are among the finest cave paintings in southern Italy.

The Ancient Underground Cistern

Beneath Matera’s streets lies a hidden water network that kept the city alive for centuries. The Palombaro Lungo cistern, located under the Piazza Vittorio Veneto, is one of the largest underground cisterns in Europe. It held up to five million litres of rainwater, collected through a system of channels and filters built into the rock. You can visit it today. Entering it feels like descending into a cathedral made of water and stone.

Matera and James Bond: No Time to Die

The opening sequence of No Time to Die was filmed in Matera. The production used the city’s ancient streets as a stand-in for a fictional Italian town. Car chases wound through the narrow lanes of the Sassi. Rooftop sequences used the same viewpoints you can visit today. The film brought Matera to global attention and visitor numbers rose significantly after its release. However, the city has not changed to accommodate that attention. It remains unhurried and genuinely itself — which is a large part of its appeal.

The Best Viewpoints in Matera Italy

Belvedere di Murgia Timone

The best view of Matera does not come from inside the city. It comes from across the ravine, on the Murgia plateau. From here, you look directly at the Sassi as they cling to the opposite cliff face. This is the view in every photograph. It is accessible by car or on a guided walk. Go at sunset. The pale limestone turns gold and then amber as the light drops, and the city looks exactly as extraordinary as you hoped it would.

The Civita Viewpoint

Within the city itself, the Civita — the high point of the old town — offers views down into the Sasso Caveoso. The Cathedral of Matera stands here, built in 1270 in Apulian Romanesque style. From its steps, you can see the full sweep of the Sassi below and the ravine stretching away to either side.

When to Visit Matera

Spring (April to June) and autumn (September to October) are the best times to visit Matera Italy. Temperatures are comfortable — typically 15‘C to 22‘C — and the city is busy but manageable. July and August are hot, often above 35‘C, and the Sassi can feel crowded around midday. December and January are quiet and cold, but Matera takes on a striking quality in winter light. The cave city with a dusting of frost is genuinely beautiful.

How to Get to Matera from Southern Italy

Matera is not on a main rail line. The closest train stations are Bari and Taranto. From Bari, the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane regional train runs to Matera and takes about 1 hour 20 minutes. Direct buses from Bari take around 1 hour 30 minutes. From Naples, the journey takes approximately 3 hours by car. Matera works well as part of a southern Italy road trip. It pairs naturally with Maratea on the Basilicata coast, the trulli of Alberobello, and the Baroque cities of Puglia. If you enjoy discovering places that most tourists overlook, you might also enjoy Civita di Bagnoregio, another ancient Italian hill city that clings to the rock in defiance of time. For a contrast between old and famous, Positano on the Amalfi Coast is a few hours’ drive north-west.

Frequently Asked Questions About Matera Italy

What is Matera, Italy, famous for?

Matera is famous for its ancient Sassi cave districts, which date back at least 9,000 years. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 and served as a filming location for the Bond film No Time to Die. It was also the European Capital of Culture in 2019, which brought significant attention to its extraordinary history and architecture.

Is Matera worth visiting?

Yes, Matera is one of the most distinctive cities in Italy and one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world. It is genuinely unlike anywhere else in the country. Most travellers who visit say it was a highlight of their entire Italy trip, particularly those who go expecting something unusual and leave moved by something they cannot quite describe.

How many days do you need in Matera?

Two days in Matera is enough to see the main Sassi districts, visit several rock churches, and cross the ravine for the Murgia viewpoint. Three days lets you slow down, visit the Cripta del Peccato Originale outside the city, and take a guided evening walk through the Sassi — one of the best ways to understand how people actually lived here for thousands of years.

Where exactly is Matera in Italy?

Matera is located in the region of Basilicata, in southern Italy. It sits in the instep of Italy’s boot-shaped peninsula, roughly between Naples to the north-west and Bari to the north-east. It is the capital of the Province of Matera and one of only two provincial capitals in Basilicata.

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