In 1950, the Italian government evacuated the Sassi di Matera — two ravine neighborhoods where 15,000 people lived in caves carved from tufa limestone, many sharing space with their animals, with infant mortality rates among the highest in Europe. Carlo Levi called Matera "the shame of Italy." In 1993, UNESCO listed the Sassi as a World Heritage Site. In 2019, Matera was European Capital of Culture. Today, those same caves are boutique hotels, restaurants, galleries, and museums — and the Sassi, seen from across the Gravina canyon at sunset, look like a Biblical city emerging from the rock. The transformation is extraordinary. Matera is now one of Italy's most sought-after destinations — and with good reason. There is nowhere else like it on Earth.
Plan my Matera trip →There are TWO Sassi: Sasso Barisano (north, more developed/touristic, more restaurants and hotels) and Sasso Caveoso (south, rawer, more dramatic, the "classic" view). The best approach: Start at the Piazza del Sedile (the modern upper town), walk down into Sasso Barisano, cross through the cathedral area, descend into Sasso Caveoso. The experience is three-dimensional — you walk on rooftops that are other people's floors, through tunnels that open to viewpoints, past cave churches with 12th-century frescoes. Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario: A reconstructed cave dwelling showing how families lived until the 1950s — the bed, the manger (the animals slept in the same room), the cistern, the tools. €5. Essential for understanding the Sassi's history. The Belvedere viewpoints: From Piazza Giovanni Pascoli (the classic panoramic terrace over Sasso Caveoso), from the Convent of Sant'Agostino, and — the best — from the Murgia plateau ACROSS the canyon (drive or walk to the Belvedere della Murgia for the full Biblical panorama, especially at sunset). James Bond: No Time to Die (2021) filmed the car chase through the Sassi — you can walk the exact route.
Over 150 rupestrian (rock-carved) churches exist in and around Matera — cave churches with Byzantine and medieval frescoes painted directly on the rock walls. Santa Maria de Idris / San Giovanni in Monterrone: The most atmospheric — carved into the conical rock that dominates Sasso Caveoso. Frescoes from the 12th-17th centuries. €4. Santa Lucia alle Malve: A former Benedictine convent with well-preserved 12th-century frescoes (the Madonna del Latte — the nursing Madonna — is the masterpiece). Cripta del Peccato Originale (the "Sistine Chapel of rupestrian art"): 9km outside Matera — a cave with an extraordinary 8th-century fresco cycle (the Creation, Original Sin, the Apostles). Book ahead at criptadelpeccatooriginale.it. €10.
Sleeping in a cave is Matera's unique experience. Dozens of cave hotels exist in both Sassi — ranging from basic (€60-80/night) to luxury (€200-500). Budget cave: Le Alcove (Sasso Barisano, from €70) — simple, authentic, the cave experience without the price tag. Mid-range: Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita (Sasso Barisano, from €180) — the pioneer of Matera's cave hotels, each room a restored cave with original stone, minimal contemporary design. Luxury: Palazzo Gattini (Piazza Duomo, from €250) — the most elegant, rooftop terrace with Sassi panorama, spa. Book ahead in summer and holidays — Matera's cave hotels sell out.
How many days: 2 minimum. Day 1: Explore both Sassi + Casa Grotta + rupestrian churches + Belvedere sunset. Day 2: Murgia plateau walk + Cripta del Peccato Originale + the upper town (Cathedral, Palazzo Lanfranchi museum). Getting there: From Bari: FAL train (Ferrovie Appulo Lucane) 1h30 (€5) or bus 1h (Flixbus/Marino, €5-10). From Naples: bus 3.5h (Flixbus/Marino, €15-25). Matera has NO regular train station on the national network — the FAL narrow-gauge from Bari is the only rail option. A car helps for the Murgia viewpoints and the Cripta. Where to eat: Trattoria Lucana (Via Lucana 48 — local, €20-30), Baccanti (Via Sant'Angelo 58 — creative southern, €35-50), Oi Marì (pizzeria, Via Fiorentini 66 — €8-12). Local dishes: Crapiata (mixed legume and grain soup — ancient, hearty), orecchiette con peperoni cruschi (ear-shaped pasta with dried sweet peppers — the Lucanian signature), pane di Matera IGP (the enormous, crunchy, long-lasting bread that sustained cave-dwellers for days). Hidden gems → · Bari →