Sassi di Matera

Where: Matera
Best for: Cave dwellings since the Paleolithic
Allow: 3 hours
Tickets: Free

People have lived continuously in these limestone ravine caves since the Paleolithic era, and by the mid-20th century as many as 15,000 people were still crowded into the Sassi without running water or electricity, conditions grim enough that Italy's government forcibly relocated most residents in the 1950s under a national law that branded the district a disgrace.

Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi visited in 1950 and reportedly called the poverty there a shame for Italy. The two quarters, Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano, tumble down opposite sides of a ravine facing the Murgia plateau, honeycombed with rock-cut churches, and since a slow repopulation that began in the 1980s, many caves have been converted into hotels, restaurants, and homes. UNESCO inscribed the Sassi as a World Heritage Site in 1993.

Three things worth finding

If you see nothing else, see these.

Santa Maria de Idris and San Giovanni in MonterroneMedieval rock churches
A church carved from the rock on top of a spur, with another rock church beneath it and painted walls inside.Sasso Caveoso
Casa Grotta di Vico SolitarioCave-dwelling museum
A furnished cave home that shows how families lived in the Sassi before the 1950s relocation.Sasso Caveoso
The Palombaro LungoMedieval cistern
A vast underground cistern that tells how the city managed water.Beneath Piazza Vittorio Veneto

Plan your visit

Tickets: Free
Booking: Check booking requirements
Time needed: 3 hours
Best time: Late afternoon into sunset, when the tufa stone glows gold
Getting there: The Sassi form Matera's historic core, walkable from Piazza Vittorio Veneto; cars are barred from most of the district, so leave yours in one of the paid lots on the plateau above and walk down.
Accessibility: The district's cave-cut lanes involve many steps and steep, uneven stone surfaces; only the upper main roads along the ridge are step-free.

Walking the Sassi is free. Individual rock churches charge €2 to €5 each; a combined ticket covering several is usually the better value. The ravine trail across the suspended bridge into the Parco della Murgia requires a separate paid ticket.

Skip the crowded viewpoint near the cathedral and cross instead to the belvedere on the Murgia plateau at dusk: it faces the Sassi head-on across the ravine, the view painters and photographers actually chase.

Get directionsGoogle Maps Apple Maps

Good to know

How long should you spend in the Sassi di Matera?

A relaxed three hours covers the main lanes and a rock church. Give it a full day if you add the cave-home museum and the cistern.

Are the Sassi hard to walk?

They can be: stairs, slopes and uneven stone. Wear good shoes and expect some climbing; cars are barred from most of the district, so park above and walk down.

What is the best time to visit the Sassi?

Late afternoon into sunset, when the tufa stone glows gold. Early morning is quiet and cooler.

At Christmas

More Italian Christmas

The Sassi belong in a Christmas visit to Matera, with time for the cave districts as well as the festive programme. Keep an ordinary walk separate from any ticketed living-nativity performance. Use the nativity and regional guides to plan the wider visit, then check the actual event route and entry arrangements.