Matera is like nothing you’ve ever seen. It’s incredible. When I was researching Puglia I came across Matera, in the nearby Basilicata region, and found it fascinating because of its human history. It’s one of only a few sites on Earth that contain the remnants of ancient man in such a preserved way. After going last summer, I couldn’t wait to return and we were able to go back this summer, twice! If you are making the trip out to Puglia, make sure to add Matera to the top of your list.
Dating back to the Stone Age, Matera is famous for how long it’s been continuously inhabited. Once again, you drive through the new town, and get towards the area known as the Sassi. This is where you leave the modern era and begin to walk back in time.
You can meander through this city within a city to see restaurants and shops in what once were people’s homes. Everything is built out of the remnants of the caves that once housed the population of Matera. Some have been preserved in their original form and of course, there are some small museums you can go see. The ones that haven’t been preserved in originality have been given amazing makeovers. There are incredible hotels, bars, and restaurants that somehow combine the ancient cave layout with amazing, modern details.
What got my attention, was the original Sassi across the ravine from the main area. Even while I was immersed in this amazing maze of cave dwellings that were hundreds of years old, I felt myself being pulled to the caves across the way, that were THOUSANDS of years old. I HAD to get over there. At first, it looked as though the only way to make this happen was to traverse down a steep cliff, cross a bridge that looks like it’s out of Indiana Jones, and back up the other steep cliff. And it was so incredible looking, that I was gonna make that happen, bad knee and all!
I’m lucky that a friend of mine used modern technology to find out how to get there by car and where to park. Once you get there, you can walk in and out of caves from the Neolithic Era. It takes your breath away. Add enough time into your schedule to make this part of your trip to Matera happen. The viewpoint of Matera and the Sassi doesn’t have a traditional address, so here’s the Google Maps Link: https://goo.gl/maps/Gp7mW2tQij62
This area is called Parco della Murgia Materana (The Park of the Rupestrian Churches). You can look this up on Google Maps as well. When you first get up there, there is a visitor center. You can stop in there for info if you like, but DON’T park there. The area where it’s safe to explore is much further down. Continue to follow your GPS until you come to the marked parking lot. It should be noted, even with a functioning knee this year, getting to the different layers of the caves requires some finesse. It is worth the drive over, regardless of how far you decide to venture out.
MATERA TIPS and INFO
- Region: Matera is located in the Basilicata region, which is next to Puglia. You can reach Matera from the Bari airport in a little over an hour.
- Matera Parking Garages: There is no parking in the old town. Your best bet is to park in one of the parking garages on the border between the old town and the new. You can find parking garages at these addresses: Via Pasquale Vena, 33 or Via Pasquale Vena, 3 or Via Fratelli Rosselli, 89-90.
- Sasso Caveoso: There are two Sassi in Matera, but I’m partial to Sasso Caveoso. It has Chiese di San Pietro and Chiesa di Santa Lucia alle Malve, two beautiful churches. It also has Casa Grotta del Casalnuovo, which is a cave they’ve turned into a museum that shows you the typical life of someone living in Matera in the early 1900s. If you follow the streets of Via Bruno Buozzi, Via Madonna della Virtù, Via Fiorentini, and Via D’Addozio you’ll see some pretty awesome things.
- History: Matera has a crazy history! It’s gone from a pillar of strength for the south of Italy hundreds of years ago, to the public shame of Italy back in the 1940s and 1950s, to being named a European Capital of Culture in 2019.
- Festa: We happened to go back to Matera during their Festa alla Madonna on July 2nd. This is like their Christmas, Super Bowl, and Independence Day all rolled into one. The normal population of the city, which is 60,000 balloons to around 400,000. I’ve never seen a celebration that rivals this one. The side effects of the Festa are multiple parades; including one that end in the traditional violent destruction of a float, 1am fireworks, and mostly closed shops and restaurants. Now, I love me a good Festa, but I would avoid Matera during this time, as you will not get to experience a typical day in Matera.
MATERA FOOD
Dinner or Lunch: La Grotta del Gusto- Via Bruno Buozzi, 59
We loved this restaurant. Their pasta sauce tastes like they’ve reincarnated my Grammy Alfano and she’s back there in the kitchen cooking. I highly recommend this place! FYI: when you look up this restaurant on Google, it has some bad reviews. Most of the bad reviews are about a grumpy owner, but I’ve met him twice and both times he was wonderful.
Aperitivo: Enoteca dai tosi- Via Bruno Buozzi, 12
This place is pretty for a picture. Set in an old cistern, they renovated it with crisp white walls and accented with bright greens. They are a wine bar, so that’s what they specialize in. Their only downfall is their love of their own region. Most of the wines are from Basilicata, so you’ll have to guess which you’d like because you’re not going to see a traditional wine list. That being said, we did find a really good Puglian wine called Tufiano there.
MATERA HOUSING
Hotel: Sextantio le Grotte della Civita- Via Civita, 28 Booking.com
Matera has a range of options for hotels that range from $100-$1000 and everywhere in between. I think the most important part of choosing a hotel in Matera is location and rating. From there you can implement your budget. I found a bunch of good, reasonably priced options, but my sister really wanted that authentic cave experience, so we went with Sextantio.
- Their location is amazing! Each hotel room is set in a cave and they are on the road closest to the river that runs between the Sassi of Matera and the Parco della Murgia Materana (the SUPER ancient caves and churches).
- The service here was fantastic. Every member of their staff went above and beyond to ensure that we had everything we needed.
- The only downfall to this experience was the shower situation. There isn’t one. There is a bathtub with a hand-held hose. Now, it’s a very nice one, but still. Hilarity ensued- water was sprayed everywhere and those comfy slippers they laid out got soaked. If you are a tub person, you’re going to love the luxuriousness.
