IT · Basilicata · 40.67°N 16.60°E

matera

Cave homes, rock-cut churches and pale stone lanes above a deep ravine.

Best time
April–June and September–October are comfortable for all the steps. July–August is hot, with little shade on the stone; winter is cold, but the Sassi are quiet.
How long
2 days, 1 night
Getting there
Fly with one stop to Bari, usually via Istanbul, about 16–18 hours all in, or connect through Rome. Shuttle buses from Bari airport reach Matera in about 1.25 hours. Italy is 6 hours behind KL in summer and 7 in winter.
Save postcard
IT · Basilicatamatera40.67°N 16.60°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Cave homes, rock-cut churches and pale stone lanes above a deep ravine.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingMateraIT, Basilicata
KLmatera
≈ 9,366 km from KL, as the crow flies
Matera (Basilicata, Italy) - The old town viewed from the parvise of Saint Augustin church

Photo: Benjamin Smith · CC BY-SA 4.0

1 / 5

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

Matera's old town, the Sassi, is a jumble of cave houses and rock-cut churches dug into the side of a ravine, lived in for thousands of years. Emptied as a slum in the 1950s, it has since been restored, and sleeping in a cave hotel is part of the visit.

Makan

  1. Pane di MateraA huge durum-wheat loaf with a thick, crunchy crust and a yellow crumb.Map ↗
  2. Peperoni cruschiSweet dried peppers fried until crisp, crumbled over pasta or eaten as a snack.Map ↗
  3. CialleddaStale bread soaked and tossed with tomatoes, onion and olive oil, a farmer's summer dish.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Sasso CaveosoThe more cave-riddled of the two old districts, with stairways along the edge of the ravine.Map ↗
  2. Sasso BarisanoThe denser district, where cave houses are now hotels, cafés and workshops.Map ↗
  3. A casa grottaA cave home furnished as it was before the 1950s, when families shared one room with their animals.Map ↗
  4. Santa Maria de IdrisA church carved into a rock pinnacle above the Sasso Caveoso, with old frescoes inside.Map ↗
  5. Murgia Timone viewpointThe view back across the ravine to the whole old town; hike down and over the river, or drive round.Map ↗

Good to know

  • The Sassi are all steps and uneven stone; pack light and bring shoes with grip.
  • Halal meat is rare in Matera, but bread, vegetables and pulses are the base of the local cooking.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.