Matera Travel Guide – Attractions & Tours

Featured Lists

Matera Essentials

Matera is one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities, defined by its UNESCO-listed Sassi districts. This selection covers the city's unique architectural evolution, from the 13th-century Romanesque cathedral to rock-hewn churches like the Crypt of Original Sin, featuring 8th-century frescoes. The list includes the Palumbaro Lungo, a massive underground cistern system, and various museum houses that illustrate traditional cave life. Strategic viewpoints across the Gravina canyon provide context for this complex urban landscape carved directly into the calcarenite rock.

13 places

Ggia / CC BY-SA 3.0

Historic Churches & Crypts

Matera’s spiritual landscape spans centuries, from the 13th-century Apulian Romanesque Cathedral to ancient rock-hewn churches carved directly into the calcarenite cliffs. This collection features the Crypt of Original Sin, known for its 8th-century frescoes, alongside the Baroque facades of the piano district and monastic cave complexes like Santa Lucia alle Malve. These sites showcase a transition from early medieval Byzantine art to grand 18th-century architecture, reflecting the city’s evolution from a monastic settlement to a regional religious center.

11 places

Pietro & Silvia / CC BY 2.0

Archaeological Wonders

Matera’s archaeological landscape spans from prehistoric cave dwellings to sophisticated medieval rock-hewn churches. This collection highlights the "Sistine Chapel" of rupestrian art at the Crypt of Original Sin and the massive Palombaro Lungo, a 19th-century underground cistern carved beneath the main square. Across the Murgia Materana Park, sites like the Villaggio Saraceno and various rock sanctuaries reveal how early inhabitants adapted limestone cliffs into religious and residential complexes, preserving Byzantine-style frescoes and ancient hydraulic engineering.

7 places

Leandro Catelli / CC-BY-SA

Scenic Viewpoints

Matera’s unique topography, defined by the ancient Sassi districts and the deep Gravina canyon, offers diverse vantage points across the Sasso Barisano and Sasso Caveoso. These viewpoints range from central urban squares like Piazza Pascoli and Piazza Duomo to the rugged cliffs of the Murgia Park. They provide perspectives on the city's complex layering of cave dwellings, rock-hewn churches such as Madonna de Idris, and the 13th-century Apulian Romanesque Cathedral from varying elevations.

7 places

Matera — Map

Climate & when to visit

Best time to visit: May, June, July, September, October

Select a month

Typical weather in January

Poor

11° (feels like 6°) · extremes 1°–15°
5° at night
10 rainy days
8 sunny days
4 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Light breeze
UV index 1 · low

Typical weather in February

Poor

12° (feels like 7°) · extremes 1°–16°
5° at night
10 rainy days
8 sunny days
5 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Light breeze
UV index 2 · low

Typical weather in March

Fair

14° (feels like 9°) · extremes 2°–18°
6° at night
10 rainy days
11 sunny days
6 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Light breeze
UV index 4 · moderate

Typical weather in April

Good

17° (feels like 13°) · extremes 5°–22°
9° at night
9 rainy days
13 sunny days
8 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Light breeze
UV index 5 · moderate

Typical weather in May

Great

22° (feels like 20°) · extremes 9°–27°
13° at night
8 rainy days
14 sunny days
9 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Light breeze
UV index 6 · high

Typical weather in June

Great

27° (feels like 26°) · extremes 13°–33°
18° at night
6 rainy days
19 sunny days
11 hours of sunshine per day
Comfortable humidity
Light breeze
UV index 8 · very high

Typical weather in July

Great

31° (feels like 30°) · extremes 17°–36°
21° at night
4 rainy days
24 sunny days
12 hours of sunshine per day
Comfortable humidity
Light breeze
UV index 8 · very high

Typical weather in August

Good

31° (feels like 30°) · extremes 18°–35°
21° at night
5 rainy days
21 sunny days
10 hours of sunshine per day
Comfortable humidity
Light breeze
UV index 7 · high

Typical weather in September

Great

26° (feels like 25°) · extremes 13°–31°
17° at night
9 rainy days
13 sunny days
8 hours of sunshine per day
Comfortable humidity
Light breeze
UV index 5 · moderate

Typical weather in October

Great

21° (feels like 19°) · extremes 10°–26°
14° at night
10 rainy days
13 sunny days
6 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Light breeze
UV index 3 · moderate

Typical weather in November

Good

16° (feels like 13°) · extremes 5°–21°
10° at night
12 rainy days
8 sunny days
4 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Light breeze
UV index 2 · low

Typical weather in December

Fair

12° (feels like 8°) · extremes 2°–16°
6° at night
11 rainy days
8 sunny days
4 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Light breeze
UV index 1 · low

Climate data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2) · 1996–2025

Practical information

Currency: Euro EUR € · Card payments · Widely accepted
Emergency numbers: 112
Electricity: Type C / Type F / Type L
230 V · 50 Hz

Languages: Italian
Tap water: Safe to drink
Driving side: Right
Calling code: +39

Learn more

Tours & Activities

Related destinations

Basilicata

Matera

Featured Lists

Matera Essentials

Historic Churches & Crypts

Archaeological Wonders

Scenic Viewpoints

Matera — Map

Climate & when to visit

Typical weather in January

Typical weather in February

Typical weather in March

Typical weather in April

Typical weather in May

Typical weather in June

Typical weather in July

Typical weather in August

Typical weather in September

Typical weather in October

Typical weather in November

Typical weather in December

Practical information

Tours & Activities

Matera – Plan Your Days

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