The Millennial History of Matera

Cross the border into Basilicata to visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A unique landscape, where houses and churches are carved directly out of the limestone rock.

Starting from Ostuni to reach Matera means crossing the heart of Puglia before arriving in the timeless charm of Basilicata.
The journey, which takes about an hour and a half, allows you to enrich your experience with iconic intermediate stops: you can let yourself be enchanted by the trulli of Alberobello, get lost in the white alleys of Locorotondo, or stop in Altamura to taste its famous PDO bread right at the gates of the City of the Sassi.

Once you arrive in Matera, the visual impact is breathtaking.

Begin your adventure from Piazza Vittorio Veneto: look out from the Belvedere Guerricchio for a first, thrilling overview, before letting yourself be swallowed up by the magnetic charm of the city's heart.
Lose yourself in the alleys of Sasso Barisano, vibrant with life and artisan shops, and then slide into the silence of Sasso Caveoso, where Matera's oldest and rawest soul seems frozen in time.
To experience history firsthand, enter the Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario, a moving glimpse into daily life carved out of the rock, and let yourself be enchanted by the rock church of Santa Maria de Idris, standing solitary like a stone sentinel.

After admiring the solemn majesty of the Cathedral and the underground secrets of the Palombaro Lungo, get ready for the grand finale: cross the ravine toward the viewpoint of the Murgia Materana Park.

From here, as the sky turns red, you will see the lights of the Sassi turn on one by one, transforming the city into a living nativity scene shining in the dark.