Top Attractions in Matera

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.

Matera Essentials — Map

Tango7174 / GFDL

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Sassi di Matera Dwellings

The Sassi di Matera are two districts of the Italian city of Matera, Basilicata, well-known for their ancient cave dwellings inhabited …

Ggia / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Matera Cathedral

Matera Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Matera, Basilicata, Italy.

Pietro & Silvia / CC BY 2.0

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Crypt of Original Sin

Known as the "Sistine Chapel of rupestrian art," this 8th-century cave church features well-preserved Benedictine-style frescoes depicting biblical scenes of creation and the original sin.

Tango7174 / CC BY-SA 4.0

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Madonna de Idris e San Giovanni in Monterrone

Two interconnected rock-hewn churches carved into the Monterrone cliff. They contain frescoes dating from the 12th to 17th centuries and offer panoramic views over the Sasso Caveoso.

Sailko / CC BY-SA 4.0

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Palazzo Lanfranchi

This 17th-century former seminary houses the National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art of Basilicata, featuring the "Lucania '61" mural by Carlo Levi and significant sacred art collections.

Francorov / CC-BY-SA-3.0

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Sassi di Matera

The Sassi di Matera are two districts of the Italian city of Matera, Basilicata, well-known for their ancient cave dwellings inhabited …

Pietro / CC BY-SA 4.0

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Santa Lucia alle Malve

An 11th-century rock-hewn monastic complex that served as Matera's first female Benedictine monastery. It contains notable frescoes, including the 13th-century "Madonna del Latte."

Asia / CC BY-SA 4.0

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San Pietro Caveoso

San Pietro Caveoso, also known as "Saint Peter and Saint Paul Church" is a Catholic church situated in the Sassi of Matera.

Nicole & Bert / CC-BY-SA

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Piazza Vittorio Veneto

Matera's main central square, featuring glass openings that reveal the underground city and Romanesque ruins below. It serves as the entrance to the Palumbaro Lungo cistern.

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

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Casa Noha

A historic family home turned multimedia museum providing an immersive video history of Matera’s evolution from prehistoric times to its mid-20th-century evacuation and revival.

TISSERAND MARIE H / CC-BY-SA

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Belvedere Piazza Pascoli

A prominent lookout point adjacent to Palazzo Lanfranchi, offering a classic panoramic view of the Sasso Caveoso and the steep cliffs of the Murgia plateau.

Marcok / CC BY-SA 2.5

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Belvedere di Murgia Timone

Located within the Murgia Materana Park across the canyon, this viewpoint provides a direct look at the Sassi skyline and contains Neolithic settlements and ancient rock churches.

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Palumbaro Lungo

A massive subterranean cistern carved beneath the main square in the 19th century. It features 15-meter-high walls and was part of a complex historic water collection system.

Other Lists

Historic Churches & Crypts Archaeological Wonders Scenic Viewpoints