Once Italy’s Greatest Shame, This Ancient Stone City is a Spectacular Hidden Treasure
Abandoned in the 1950’s, this ancient cave city in Italy was ignored for decades. Until UNESCO and Hollywood stepped in. The rest is history.
There’s a place in southern Italy where people lived in caves for thousands of years.
Where the government once paid families to abandon their own homes.
And where Mel Gibson accidentally turned a forgotten slum into one of Europe’s most unique luxury travel destinations.
It’s not just a beautiful place. It’s a place with one of the strangest survival stories in Italy.
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Meet Matera.
I’ll admit, I thought I’d pretty much seen it all in Italy.
My husband, Dave, and I have spent many months here over the years.
We’ve seen the major cities, of course – Rome, Florence, Venice, etc.
Explored the countryside in Tuscany, including the lovely hill towns like San Gimignano.
We’ve island-hopped around the gorgeous islands of Procida, Ischia, Capri, and Elba.
Read More: 5 Incredible Italian Islands to Add to Your Travel Bucket List (#4 is a True Hidden Gem)
And, of course, spent quality time along the Amalfi Coast, the Italian Riviera, Cinque Terre, and now Puglia.
Yes, we even checked the tiny microstate of San Marino off our Italian Bucket List.
And that’s exactly why Matera came as such a surprise.
After dozens of trips to Italy, this incredible place wasn’t even on my radar (which is embarrassing, I’m supposed to be good at this kind of stuff).
Honestly, nothing prepared us for Matera.
Located near Puglia, in the lesser-known Basilicata region of Italy, Matera’s history is simply fascinating. And I’ll get to that.
But first…
Arrival in Matera
Dave and I have arrived here on a sweltering June day after a full day of sightseeing around Puglia. From our last stop in Polignano a Mare, we road tripped to Ostuni and Alberobello before arriving in Matera just after 4:00pm.
Read More: Forget the Amalfi Coast: Puglia’s Polignano a Mare is Italy’s Most Dramatic Seaside Gem
I’m not sure what I was expecting.
But at first glance, the city of Matera doesn’t look anything like the pictures I’ve seen. I was expecting an Italian “Cappadocia” and instead, as we look around, it’s just your typical mid-century, medium-sized Italian town.
Of course, you can’t drive in the historic center, so we haven’t gotten to that part yet. Instead, our hotel has advised us to park in a nearby parking garage. The hotel van will pick us up from there.
We park as instructed and are met by the hotel’s cheerful driver. We load into the van for the short, 5-minute drive to the hotel. The first few minutes of the drive are more of the same. Street after street of apartment buildings, cafes, and shops.
And then we round one magical corner, and the entire ancient stone city of Matera reveals itself all at once.
We are utterly speechless.
Our driver smiles and says, “Welcome to Matera!” as though he’s seen the stunned looks on our faces many times before around this particular corner.
Before we have a chance to process what we’re seeing, we pull up to the Sant’Angelo hotel’s front door.
In minutes, we’re whisked up to our accommodation for the night, a spacious cave suite unlike any I’ve seen before (yes, believe it or not, this is not my first time in a cave suite – see Cappadocia and Santorini).
The suite is gorgeous, with two bedrooms and a huge sunken tub in the bath. But we can’t wait to get out and explore.
With less than 24 hours to see as much as possible, the hotel recommends a guided tuk-tuk tour. We’d seen a few of them on our drive through town, and it looked like a fun way to combine transportation and education.
So we booked it for the following morning and set out to see a few sights on our own and find some dinner.
But before I move on, let’s dive into the history of Matera and what makes it so special.
A City Older Than Time
Matera’s cave dwellings, known as the Sassi, are considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the world.
People started carving homes into this limestone canyon long before recorded history, and they didn’t stop until they were forced to (more on that in a minute).
Generation after generation expanded the same caves, stacking new rooms on top of old ones until the hillside became an entire city of stone.
Walking through the narrow stone passages of the Sassi, you’re not looking at ruins. You’re looking at homes that families occupied continuously for thousands of years, all the way up until the middle of the last century.
That’s when Matera’s story takes a hard turn.
The Shame of Italy
By the early 1900s, conditions in the Sassi had become dire. Families lived in crowded one-room caves with no plumbing, electricity, or ventilation.
They also often kept their prized farm animals inside the cave with them. Disease spread easily in these close quarters, and infant mortality rates were tragically high.
When word of these conditions reached the rest of Italy, the country was horrified. Matera earned a nickname that stuck for decades: the shame of Italy.
Facing embarrassment over the situation, the Italian government decided to act. So, in the 1950s, officials built an entirely new city just above the ancient one (that’s the city we saw first when we arrived).
The new city came complete with modern housing, plumbing, and electricity. Residents of the Sassi were offered free homes in this new development.
But there was a catch.
Residents could choose to keep their cave homes, but only if they could afford to renovate them up to modern living standards.
Not surprisingly, almost no one in the community could afford it.
Within a matter of months, Matera’s residents walked away from the cave homes their families had lived in for generations.
Virtually overnight, the ancient city that had survived for thousands of years sat empty. Left to crumble in silence above the new town that sprang up around it.
For decades, the Sassi sat largely abandoned. Then two twists of fate brought Matera back from obscurity.
First, UNESCO Steps In
In 1991, during renovations to Matera’s main square, the city’s ancient underground cistern was rediscovered. This enormous chamber, carved entirely from stone, once held up to five million liters of water for the entire city.
Amazingly, it was completely forgotten for decades.
The discovery got the attention of the folks at UNESCO and, in 1993, the Sassi di Matera was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is recognized as one of the most remarkable examples of human settlement adapted to its natural landscape anywhere in the Mediterranean.
The designation brought attention, but it didn’t drive tourism in any meaningful numbers.
Second, (ironically) Mel Gibson
Matera’s fortunes finally changed in 2004, when Mel Gibson chose the city as the primary filming location for his biblical epic, The Passion of the Christ.
The ancient stone city, with its weathered walls and biblical-looking terrain, made a convincing stand-in for ancient Jerusalem.
Audiences around the world saw Matera on screen, many without realizing the otherworldly setting was a real city in southern Italy.
The film put Matera on the map in a way decades of preservation efforts never had.
Travelers started showing up, curious about the place they’d seen on screen. Investors followed close behind, and the same caves that residents had abandoned because they couldn’t afford to renovate them became valuable real estate almost overnight.
Today, the Sassi are home to luxury cave hotels, award-winning restaurants, and boutique shops. And they’re all built directly into the same stone walls that once housed Matera’s poorest families.
It’s one of the more remarkable transformations we’ve seen anywhere in our travels.
There’s a lot to see when you visit Matera. But before we get to that, let’s cover a few logistics.
🗺️ How to Get to Matera
✈️ By Air
The closest airport to Matera is Bari Airport (BRI), about an hour’s drive away. Bari is well-connected to major European hubs via Ryanair, easyJet, and Alitalia. There are also plenty of international connections through Rome and Milan.
Naples is another option if you’re combining Matera with the Amalfi Coast; it’s roughly a 3-hour drive. From Rome, it’s a solid 5+ hour drive, and I don’t recommend it. Bari is your best option by a wide margin.
From the airport, you’ll need either a car, train, or bus to reach Matera.
🚂 By Train
The Ferrovie Appulo Lucane (FAL) is a small regional rail line that connects Bari to Matera. It takes about 1.5 to 2 hours and runs regularly. Just be aware that the FAL trains depart from a separate station near Bari Centrale, not from the main platforms, so give yourself extra time to find the right building.
The train station in Matera (Matera Centrale) drops you in the modern city, not the Sassi, so you’ll still have to walk or take a taxi to reach the historic area.
🚗 By Car
We arrived by car, and that’s the best option for maximum flexibility. Just remember that Matera’s historic center is closed to regular car traffic. So plan on parking outside the Sassi and walking or taking a hotel shuttle in, as we did.
🏨 Where to Stay
Absolutely, positively, stay in a cave hotel in the Sassi.
There are modern hotels elsewhere in the city, but staying in the ancient cave dwellings is the whole point of a visit to Matera. The two main areas are Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano. Both are excellent, though Sasso Caveoso tends to feel slightly more intimate and less busy.
Best Cave Hotels in Matera
Sextantio Le Grotte Della Civita – This is often the name that comes up first whenever anyone asks about cave hotels in Matera. Built directly into the ancient cave dwellings of Sasso Caveoso, it’s one of the most atmospheric places you’ll find anywhere.
Minimal, almost monastic, with stone walls, candlelight, and the kind of silence that doesn’t exist in modern hotels. It’s a splurge, but it’s an experience.
Sant’Angelo Cave Hotel Matera – This is where Dave and I stayed, and it was an absolute dream. Carved into the rock face of Sasso Caveoso with panoramic views over the ravine, it somehow manages to be both luxurious and completely true to its cave origins.
The cave suites come with all the modern amenities (except natural light!), and the design is beautiful.
The hotel sits right on Piazza San Pietro Caveoso, and it comes with its own dark bit of history. When we checked in, they told us the building once served as Matera’s courthouse. Standing in the street facing the hotel, you’ll notice two stone staircases.
According to local lore, after your trial, you exited down one staircase or the other, depending on your verdict. The stairs to the left led back out to freedom. The stairs to the right led to your execution.
It’s a chilling thing to picture while standing in what’s now one of the most luxurious places to spend the night in southern Italy.
L’Hotel In Pietra – For a slightly more affordable option in the historic center, this cave hotel is another great option. The standard cave rooms are lovely, but for a splurge, they also have suites complete with a jacuzzi and sauna.
Where to Eat
We didn’t even have to leave the Sant’Angelo to eat well in Matera.
The hotel’s main restaurant, Regia Corte, occupies a premium spot on a terrace overlooking the Sassi and the rock church of Santa Maria di Idris.
The menu leans into Basilicata’s local ingredients, with dishes that feel both traditional and a little elevated.
For something more casual, the hotel also runs Più Sud, an award-winning pizzeria tucked into the caves below. This is where we had dinner.
The setting is airy and welcoming, and the pizza was delicious. For a relaxed dinner after a long day climbing the Sassi’s endless stairs, this is the spot.
Both restaurants are open to hotel guests and outside visitors, so even if you stay elsewhere in Matera, you can still book a table.
🪨 Best Things to Do in Matera
1. Take a Guided Tuk-Tuk Tour
Matera is built on a steep hillside, which means stairs. Lots of stairs. Beautiful, ancient, unforgiving stairs.
We visited in the middle of summer, and by late morning, the stone alleys were radiating heat. Our hotel recommended a 90-minute tuk-tuk tour through the Sassi, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions we made on the whole trip.
Our driver wove through alleys too narrow for a car, stopped at all the best viewpoints, and gave us a crash course in Matera’s history along the way, all while we stayed out of the sun.
If you’re visiting in summer, or if stairs and steep climbs aren’t your thing, book a tuk-tuk tour. It’s a fun, efficient way to see far more of the city than you could comfortably cover on foot, and most hotels can arrange one for you directly.
There are shorter (and cheaper) 40-minute tours. But I thought our 90-minute tour was the perfect amount of time and covered many of the top sights on the rest of this list. Here are a couple of great options:
- Long Private Panoramic Tour with Ape Calessino in Matera
- Tuk Tuk tour Matera – Between History, Legend, and Anecdotes
- Tuk Tuk tour Matera – 40-minute Panoramic tour by bee calessino
2. Walk the Sassi di Matera at Dawn or Dusk
The best thing you can do in Matera costs nothing and requires no planning. Just walk.
The Sassi di Matera — the two districts of ancient cave dwellings cut into the ravine — are most extraordinary in the early morning before the tour groups arrive, or in the golden hour before sunset when the tufa stone turns amber.
Get lost in the narrow alleys between Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano. You’ll end up somewhere you didn’t expect, and it’ll be better than wherever you were headed.
Once you’ve gotten your bearings by tuk-tuk, spend time wandering the narrow stone streets on your own. Around every corner is another viewpoint, rock church, or centuries-old doorway.
3. Visit Palombaro Lungo
Hidden beneath Matera’s main square, Piazza Vittorio Veneto, is Matera’s most extraordinary sight: Palombaro Lungo. This enormous underground cistern, carved entirely from stone, once supplied fresh water to the entire city.
For a nominal ticket fee, you can go down into the depths of this underground city that won Matera its prized UNESCO status.
Raised boardwalks guide visitors through the cool, quiet chamber. It’s completely surreal to see an ancient settlement with a water management system that would be impressive by modern standards. It’s also the perfect break from the mid-day heat.
4. Experience Cave Life at Casa Grotta
Several preserved cave homes throughout the Sassi let visitors see exactly how families lived before the 1950s relocation. Casa Grotta is the cave house we visited on our tuk-tuk tour.
It’s a reconstructed cave dwelling in Sasso Caveoso, set up exactly as a local family would have lived in the 1950s. With household items, furniture, farming tools, and even the family mule sharing the same space as the people. It puts the “shame of Italy” chapter into immediate human context.
5. See the Sassi in Miniatura
Another stop on our tuk-tuk tour, this is a great way to appreciate Matera’s unique beauty and scale. Artist Eustachio Rizzi spent three years crafting this Sassi miniature masterpiece.
It’s free to visit and tucked away in the lower level of a shop that sells more of his work.
6. Cross the Tibetan Bridge
On the edge of Murgia Materana Park, a suspension bridge crosses the Gravina gorge and delivers panoramic views back toward the ancient city that rival anything else in the region. The perspective you get of the entire Sassi barisano and Sasso Caveoso spread out across the hillside is incredible.
On this side, you can explore the oldest of the abandoned caves on your own. But like the rest of Matera, this is an experience you’ll appreciate far more with a guide to provide some history of the area.
This Matera Guided Sunset Tour of Murgia Timone & Belvedere is a great way to learn more about these ancient caves.
Note that whether you go on your own or take a guided tour, you’ll need to have proper footwear. You also need to purchase a ticket to access the bridge and the park.
7. Take a Guided Walking Tour with a Local Guide
I can’t stress enough that understanding Matera requires context. You can wander the Sassi area and be amazed without knowing anything, but understanding the layers truly makes the whole place click.
A local guide, especially one who grew up here, will take you to corners you’d never find on your own and tell you stories Google Maps can’t.
If you’re up for the stairs and a good walk, this 2-hour Private Walking Tour of Matera is the perfect way to explore Matera on foot.
8. Visit the Rock Churches
Scattered throughout the whole area are hundreds of rock churches, rupestrian churches carved directly into the cliff face, some dating back to the early Middle Ages or even earlier.
Santa Maria de Idris is one of the most visited. It was right next to our hotel and the restaurant had an amazing view of it. Embedded into the Monterrone rock in the middle of the ravine are frescoes that have survived for centuries.
San Pietro Barisano is another worth seeking out. It’s the largest of the rock churches, with a facade that looks almost baroque from the outside and something entirely older on the inside.
9. Matera Cathedral and Piazza Duomo
Dating back to the 13th century, the Matera Cathedral sits at the highest point of the Civita, the ridge separating Sasso Barisano and Sasso Caveoso. The Piazza Duomo in front of it is a great spot to stop for an espresso and take it all in.
10. Catch the sunset from Belvedere Luigi Guerricchio
The views from the top of the ravine are extraordinary. Particularly from the area around Piazza Vittorio Veneto and looking out over the Murgia plateau.
This viewpoint gives you the classic postcard shot of the entire Sassi skyline. Come right before sunset, when the limestone glows gold, and the first cave lights begin to flicker on.
Don’t miss Matera on your next trip to Italy!
Matera isn’t just a beautiful place to photograph, though it’s certainly that. It’s a city that survived poverty, abandonment, and decades of being written off as a national embarrassment.
Only to come back as one of the most captivating destinations in all of Italy.
Standing in the Sassi, knowing families once lived there in such desperate conditions that the entire country was ashamed of it. And then looking at the luxury hotels and restaurants that fill those same caves now. It’s a strange and powerful thing to take in.
Matera carries its whole complicated history right there on the surface, and that’s exactly what makes it so unforgettable.
Give it at least two nights. One full day was barely enough time to scratch the surface here. Our only regret was just staying one night. Don’t make the same mistake.
