Visiting Matera: Ultimate Travel Guide

Welcome to Matera in the Basilicata region of southern Italy, In this post we’ll share everything you need to know to explore the Sassi, uncover the city’s rich history, places to eat and providing you with all the essential information to plan your own unforgettable trip to Matera.

A quick look at Matera

Country: Italy

Population: 59,620

Language: Italian

Currency: Euro

Best Month to Visit: September

Must See: Murgia Materana Park

Must Eat: Orecchiette

How to get to Matera

Plane: You can fly into either Bari (BRI) or Naples (NAP) airports and then take public transport onto Matera. Bari is the closest and most convenient airport to reach Matera from where Naples is further away and takes more time to reach the city.

You can take a bus from Bari or Napoli to Matera there are multiple companies to choose from they all have modern and comfortable buses

Bus Bari to Matera: Buses depart from Via Capruzzi which is right beside the Bari Centrale Train station. If you arrive by plane you can take the train from the airport to Bari Centrale (20m) and catch the bus from there. You can buy the bus tickets from the station or online with Itabus or Marinobus

Bus Napoli to Matera: Buses depart from the Metropark bus station to Matera you can buy tickets from the station or online with Itabus or Marinobus

Train Bari to Matera: First take a train from the airport to Bari Centrale (20m) and change to take another train to Matera (1.45h). You can get tickets at the station or online at the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane website

Train Napoli to Matera: First take take the airport shuttle bus (20m) and then take the train from Napoli Piazza Garibaldi to Matera with 1 change on the journey (4h). You can book online from the TrenItalia website.

You can catch the airport shuttle with Alibus and book online from the Aibus website. The bus will drop you off at the ferry terminal right near the Piazza Garibaldi train station.

Getting Around Matera

Matera Sassi where you will be spending most of your time is very walkable with most streets being pedestrian only.

Taxi: Taxis are available to get to more further away places like the Murgia Materana park or the bus and train stations.

When is the best time to visit Matera?

Matera is dry all year round with a just a few days of rain on average a month. It can get quite host in summer and get cold in winter so for us the best time to visit is in Spring and Autumn where you get warm weather and hopefully avoid the crowds. We visited in November where it was nice and warm during the day and got chilly at night, the downside was the days were shorter so we had less time to explore in the daylight.

9°C

Jan

10°C

Feb

13°C

Mar

16°C

Apr

22°C

May

27°C

Jun

30°C

Jul

29°C

Aug

25°C

Sep

20°C

Oct

14°C

Nov

11°C

Dec

High

Shoulder

Low

Where to stay?

There are 2 options but in our opinion there is really only one.

Sassi: Stay in the ancient cave dwellings in the beautiful UNESCO world heritage site. Here you will be staying close to all the attractions and be able to walk back to your hotel after exploring the city.

Town: Prices can be cheaper but you will be a bit away from the Sassi and attractions, it is walkable but will take about 20+ minutes depending on how far away the accommodation is. We would only recommend staying here if you are on a budget as in this case the experience outweighs saving money.

Things to do in Matera

Murgia Materanan Park

Located on the other side of the Matera ravine Murgia Materana park is an amazing place where you can explore some of the ancient caves that have been inhabited for thousands of years as well as old cave churches that are over 1000 years old. And from here you get million dollar views of Matera. This is a must visit when in Matera.

Viewpoints

Matera is one of the most beautiful and photogenic spots in the world and the best way to experience the city is to wander its streets and marvel at its beauty from viewpoints. Some of the best viewpoints are:

Belvedere Luigi Guerricchio detto dei “Tre Archi”
Piazzetta Pascoli
Piazza Duomo
Fontana dell Amore

All of these viewpoints and the rest of the points of interest are marked on the map above.

Church of Saint Mary of Idris

There are many “Rock Churches” around Matera but one of them stands out above the rest Church of Saint Mary of Idris. This fascinating church is built into the massive rock that is perched on the edge of the Matera Ravine. Inside there are vibrant painting that date back hundreds of years and outside the church you also have another amazing viewpoint to enjoy.

Palombaro lungo

The Palombaro Lungo is a large underground cistern that was built in the 19th century. The cistern was built to collect and store rainwater, which was then used to supply the city with water. It is 18 meters deep and can hold up to 5 million litres of water. The cistern is made of limestone and is lined with a waterproof material called cocciopesto. Palombaro Lungo was in use until 1927, when it was replaced by a modern aqueduct. It was rediscovered in the 1990s and has since been restored and opened to the public.

Casa grotta Matera

The Casa Grotta Museum shows a restored cave dwelling, complete with period furniture. Its a small museum and only costs 2 euro to enter. The museum plays an audio recording that gave lots of information about what life was like living in the sassi back in the day. Most of the caves have been modernised so this is was an interesting look into the past.

Explore at night

Matera is just as beautiful exploring by night as much as it is during the day. With the warm yellow glow of the streetlights fill the air and create a stunning spectacle. We walked around to all the viewpoint we visited during the day to see them at night and they are just as spectacular.

Where/What To Eat & Drink

You will find restaurants, bars and cafes scattered around the sassi but if you are after more concentrated are with places to eat and drink that has more happening and a lively vibe then look around via Via delle Beccherie and the surrounding streets for loads of options.

Osteria La Vigna del Mare

This restaurant served typical Italian cuisine and some local dishes it was a beautiful restaurant with amazing views overlooking the Sassi.

Piadì Piadineria Artigianale

Specialises in Piadina an Italian flatbread that they serve with charcuterie boards fantastic!

Bar Filly

Cool little bar with outdoor seating and chill vibes.

Vittorio Veneto Caffè

Amazing cafe for the best expresso and pastry in town

Panifico

Matera is famous for its bread-making where they produce The unique “Pane di Matera” is a large, crusty loaf where its shape is said to resemble the surrounding Murgia mountains. There are loads of bakeries around town serving Pane di Mater and Focaccia another bread dish Matera is famous for making. We stopped by Panifico for some really delicious focaccia and also a shoutout to their chocolate chip cookies that are super diecious and are gigantic.