Matera sits on the edge of a limestone ravine in Basilicata, one of Italy’s least-visited southern regions. The city is most famous for its Sassi — two districts of stone houses, cave dwellings, and rock-cut churches carved directly into the hillside. In 1993, UNESCO added the Sassi to its World Heritage List. In 2019, Matera was named a European Capital of Culture.
People have lived in this landscape for at least 9,000 years, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements on earth.
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What Are the Sassi of Matera?
The word Sassi means “stones” in Italian. The Sassi of Matera are two distinct districts — Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano — that spread across the slopes of the Gravina ravine below the old upper town, known as the Civita.
The dwellings here were not built in the conventional sense. They were cut from tufa rock, a soft limestone found throughout the region. Tufa is easy to carve but hardens when exposed to air, which made it practical for hollowing out homes, churches, stables, and cisterns directly into the cliff face. Many openings in the rock have been used continuously, in one form or another, since the Stone Age.
By the 1950s, around 15,000 people still lived in the Sassi, many of them in single rooms shared with their livestock. In 1952, the Italian government declared the living conditions a national disgrace and forcibly relocated residents to new housing estates across the ravine. The caves were sealed off and left empty for decades.
From the 1980s onwards, attitudes shifted. Restoration work began in earnest. Today, the Sassi are home to hotels, restaurants, museums, and private residences. The basic architecture — rock-cut rooms, stairways carved into stone, cave openings facing the ravine — remains largely intact.
Sasso Caveoso: The Older District
Sasso Caveoso is the lower of the two districts and faces directly onto the Gravina ravine. Walking through it, you pass open cave mouths at every level of the hillside, many now used as storage or converted into private spaces. The lanes are steep, narrow, and cut from the same stone as the buildings around them.
The Church of San Pietro Caveoso stands on a terrace at the cliff edge. Built in the 13th century and rebuilt several times since, its position — directly above the ravine, with the rock churches of the opposite canyon wall visible across the gorge — makes it one of the most striking church settings in southern Italy.
Nearby, two rock churches are carved entirely into the cliff face: Santa Maria de Idris and Santa Lucia alle Malve. Both contain Byzantine-era frescoes that have survived inside the tufa for centuries. Entry requires a combined ticket costing a few euros.
Sasso Barisano: The Larger District
Sasso Barisano is the larger and historically more desirable of the two Sassi districts. It faces north-west and receives more sunlight, which is reflected in the architecture: buildings here tend to have more elaborate carved facades and small balconies attached to cave entrances.
The main route through Sasso Barisano descends from the Civita down through a series of stepped lanes. Most of the restaurants and boutique hotels that have opened in the Sassi are concentrated here. If you are looking for a place to eat or spend the night inside the cave districts, Barisano is where to start your search.
The Gravina Ravine
The Gravina di Matera is the gorge that runs along the eastern edge of the city. It was carved over thousands of years by the Gravina river, which still flows at the bottom, though much reduced from its ancient volume.
The ravine serves as a natural boundary. On the Matera side, the Sassi districts climb the slope. On the opposite canyon wall, you can see dozens of cave openings — ancient rock-cut churches and hermit dwellings that can be reached on foot if you cross at the bottom of the gorge. This walk takes about two hours and requires sturdy footwear.
The view from the edge of the Civita, looking across to the opposite canyon, is the image most associated with Matera. It is best in the early morning or at dusk, when the light on the limestone is direct and the shadows between the cave openings are at their deepest.
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The Cathedral
The Cathedral of Matera stands at the highest point of the Civita, visible from across the Sassi and from the opposite ravine. Built in the Apulian Romanesque style in the 13th century, its bell tower rises 52 metres and acts as a permanent landmark that orients you throughout the districts below.
Inside, the cathedral contains a notable 16th-century nativity scene carved in stone and several medieval frescoes. It is still an active place of worship. Entry is free, though modest dress is required.
How to Get to Matera
Matera is not connected to Italy’s main rail network. The closest major city is Bari, in Puglia, approximately 65 kilometres to the north-east.
From Bari, you have three options:
- FAL railway (Ferrovie Appulo Lucane): Trains and connecting buses run from Bari Centrale to Matera Sud. Journey time is roughly 1 hour 30 minutes. Check timetables in advance — services are not frequent.
- Coach: Direct buses run from Bari airport to Matera. Journey time is around 1 hour 15 minutes and is often the most straightforward option if you are flying in.
- Car: The drive from Bari takes about 1 hour via the SS99. Driving gives you flexibility, but parking inside the Civita is limited — use the designated car parks at the edge of the Sassi.
From Rome, the fastest route is by car or long-distance coach, approximately 4 hours. There is no practical direct train connection.
When to Go
The best months to visit Matera are April, May, September, and October. Summer — particularly July and August — is hot and considerably busier. Winter is quiet and cool, with shorter daylight hours, but the stone city empties out pleasantly and accommodation prices drop.
The Festa della Bruna is Matera’s main annual celebration, held on 2 July each year. It centres on a procession through the streets featuring an elaborate papier-mâché float. At the end of the procession, the crowd tears the float apart — a tradition that has continued for over 600 years.
Where to Stay
Several hotels have opened inside the Sassi, using restored cave spaces. These range from budget hostels to high-end design hotels with views across the ravine. Staying inside the Sassi is the most direct way to understand the layout and scale of the districts — waking up inside a cave that was inhabited thousands of years ago is an experience you are unlikely to forget.
Book well in advance during summer and around the Festa della Bruna. Outside peak season, good options are available at reasonable prices.
Practical Information
- Entry to the Sassi: Free. You can walk through both districts without paying anything.
- Rock churches: A combined ticket covers the main churches inside the Sassi. Expect to pay around €5–10.
- MUSMA (Museum of Contemporary Sculpture): Located in a restored palace inside the Sassi. Admission around €5.
- National Museum of Matera (Domenico Ridola): Covers the prehistoric archaeology of the region. Small admission fee.
- Footwear: The lanes throughout the Sassi are stone, uneven, and often steep. Solid shoes with grip are essential.
- Time needed: A full day is the minimum to see both Sassi districts and the cathedral. Two days allows you to also walk the ravine, visit the rock churches on the opposite canyon wall, and explore at a pace that does the place justice.
Matera takes some effort to reach. It is not on the way to anywhere else in particular, and Basilicata as a region receives a fraction of the tourists that flood into neighbouring Puglia or Campania. That is, in many ways, the point. The Sassi are not a reconstruction or a theme park version of the past. They are the real thing — a living city built over the bones of thousands of years of human habitation, still carrying the marks of every era that has passed through it.
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