The first light of dawn tinges the tuff pink as it overlooks the ravine of the Gravina di Matera. Below you, thousands of homes carved into the rock overlap in a vertical labyrinth that defies all modern architectural logic. Here, stone is not just a building material: it is floor, ceiling, bed, altar. Matera is one of the cities with the longest continuous habitation in the world, with documented settlements dating back about 9,000 years ago, and its Sassi — the cave neighborhoods of Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano — were declared UNESCO World Heritage in 1993.
For decades, however, this same antiquity was considered a national shame. In 1952, the writer Carlo Levi described the caves of Matera in his book Christ Stopped at Eboli as a symbol of extreme poverty, and the following year the Italian government ordered the forced evacuation of over 15,000 inhabitants living in the Sassi under poor sanitary conditions. Paradoxically, that emptiness allowed for the almost intact preservation of a unique urban fabric, which today attracts visitors from every corner of the planet.
The Sassi: a neighborhood that is also a geological palimpsest
Walking in the Sasso Caveoso means traversing overlapping layers of time seamlessly. The cave dwellings develop on multiple levels: the roof of one house is often the courtyard of the one above, and the stairs carved into the rock connect alleys that seem to have no beginning or end. Many of the approximately 3,000 caves recorded in the Sassi system still bear the signs of their original functions: niches for candles, feeding troughs for the animals that shared the space with families, cisterns for collecting rainwater.
Among the oldest and best-preserved structures are the rock churches, some of which date back to the Byzantine era, between the 6th and 10th centuries AD. The Church of Santa Maria de Idris, carved into the rocky cliff of Monterrone with medieval frescoes still legible on the walls, is one of the most accessible examples. Not far away, the Murgia Materana Park hosts over 150 rock churches scattered throughout the karst landscape of the Gravina.
Sleeping in the Rock: the Cave Hotels of Matera
One of the most unique experiences that Matera offers is spending the night in a cave transformed into a hotel room. Several boutique hotels have restored rock dwellings in the Sassi, maintaining the walls in raw tuff and the original barrel vaults, while integrating contemporary comforts. The result is an atmosphere suspended between prehistory and design, where the internal temperature remains naturally constant around 15-17 degrees all year round thanks to the thermal properties of the rock.
Prices for a night in these hotels vary considerably: you can spend from 100 to 400 euros per night depending on the structure and the season, with peaks in summer and during the Christmas period. Booking well in advance is essential, especially for the weekends in spring and autumn, when Matera experiences the highest tourist influx.
The National Museum of Matera and the Palombaro Lungo
For those who want to understand the historical stratification of the city beyond the visible surface, two stops are essential. The Domenico Ridola National Museum, housed in a former 18th-century convent, collects prehistoric and Greek artifacts found in the Matera area, including burial goods dating back to the Bronze Age. It is one of the oldest museums in Basilicata, founded at the end of the 19th century.
Under Piazza Vittorio Veneto lies the Palombaro Lungo, a medieval underground cistern capable of holding up to 5 million liters of water. Visiting it means descending into total silence while artificial light reflects on the water still present at the bottom. The entrance is included in a museum circuit that costs a few euros and requires about an hour for the visit.
Practical tips for visiting Matera
Matera is not directly reachable by train from Rome or Naples without transfers. The most convenient connection is by bus from Bari, with frequent services from Flixbus or Ferrovie Appulo Lucane that take about 1 hour and 20 minutes. By car, the relevant highway exit is Matera on the SS7. Once in the city, the historic center is almost entirely pedestrian and there are numerous staircases: comfortable shoes with non-slip soles are essential, as wet tuff becomes slippery.
The best time to visit the Sassi is early in the morning, before 9:00 AM, when the alleys are still quiet and the slanting light enhances the textures of the stone. Avoid mid-August, when the heat reflects off the rock and tourist groups multiply. Spring — from April to June — offers mild temperatures and the vegetation of the Gravina in full green, making the view from the belvedere of Via Buozzi particularly spectacular.
