Discover Matera: Sassi, Art and Murgia

Matera’s World Heritage site, “The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera,” comprises houses, churches, monasteries and hermitages built into the natural caves of the Murgia. It is an outstanding example of a settlement carved into rock, with a continuity that can be traced over more than two millennia. In the historic centre, the two districts of Barisano and Caveoso have been preserved.

The Sassi therefore represent more than a distinctive way of building: the site includes living spaces as well as sacred places and communal buildings. If you would like to explore Matera’s history, the districts and museums offer different ways to discover this long continuity of settlement.

Cave spaces, water and architectural history

The Palombaro Lungo was created in several phases from the 16th century onwards as an artificial underground space. The large cistern for collecting water has a capacity of five million litres, is 16 metres deep and 50 metres long. It can be visited via convenient suspended walkways that run above the water. Here, the facility’s function and architectural scale come together.

Museums and collections in the Sassi

MUSMA showcases Italian and international sculpture from the late 19th century to the present day. The collection is displayed in Palazzo Pomarici, a 16th-century building in the heart of the Sassi. The art collection therefore spans the period from works of the late 19th century to the present, while the palazzo itself is several centuries older.

The Museo Laboratorio della Civiltà Contadina is an ethnological and anthropological museum in the historic Sassi district. It is housed in a subdivided 16th-century lamione that extends into a network of pre-existing caves. The Museo Archeologico nazionale Domenico Ridola offers a different collection focus: its ethnographic collection comprises more than 400 wooden objects, most of them carved.

Archaeology also opens a window onto past ways of life. Eleven hypogeal structures discovered in Contrada Ciccolocane in Matera offer important insights into the social organisation of the time.

Rock art and early history

The Cripta del Peccato Originale was the place of worship of a rock-cut Benedictine monastery from the Lombard period. It contains a fresco cycle from the 8th and 9th centuries, painted by the artist known as the “Painter of the Flowers of Matera.” Visits are possible by prior reservation; check the current booking conditions when planning your visit.

Explore the Murgia on foot and along its trails

The Gravina di Matera is a striking geological gorge in the Parco della Murgia Materana. The municipality recommends exploring the Sassi and surrounding Murgia on foot. The Sentiero 406 provides a direct link between the city and the plateau: this panoramic trail leads from the Sassi to the Murgia Timone plateau and includes a suspension bridge over the Gravina stream.

The Sentiero 406 starts at Porta Postergola, also known as Porta Pistola. This identifies the route by its named starting point, while its course connects the Sassi with the landscape on the opposite plateau.

Birdwatching and mountain biking are among the visitor activities in the Parco della Murgia Materana. Birdwatchers focus particularly on birds of prey and other birds. Mountain biking takes place on narrow trails that connect old farmsteads with rock settlements. The two activities offer different perspectives: one focuses attention on birdlife, the other on trails and the links between historic buildings and rock settlements.

Destinations

Discover Grottole, Lido Quarantotto, Grassano, Pisticci, Tursi, Marina Di Pisticci, Peschiera, San Giorgio Lucano

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