Explorations of a city where people built their houses in caves!
Matera is a Southern Italian city located in the arch in Italy’s boot. I’ve wanted to go for a long time. However, Matera isn’t the easiest place to get to even today, especially if you were coming from the toe of Italy’s boot. Luckily, I was able to catch a bus from Cosenza and arrived in the afternoon.
Matera is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its Sassi. Matera has been occupied for maybe 7,000 years. Although, some scholars say 3,000 years. The Sassi are homes dug into limestone cliffs. Many Sassi would be stacked on top of each other, with walkways connecting them. Not all homes in the historic center of Matera are Sassi. However, they are also mostly built with local limestone, making Matera unique.
Wandering Jana The medieval city of Matera. The houses and other buildings cling to canyon edges.
Wandering Jana The top of the city, with the cathedral and other public buildings, was once called Civita, from the Latin word for city. The settlements coming down the hill were called the Sassi.
Wandering Jana A very fancy building.
Wandering Jana Some areas are up to 12 levels of buildings.
Wandering Jana I decided to go check out the cathedral before it closed for the day. It was a bit of a climb to get up there.
Wandering Jana Matera was so much fun to explore, even with all the up and down required to do so.
Wandering Jana Small courtyards were common.
Wandering Jana Layers of buildings.
Wandering Jana Cattedrale di Maria Santissima della Bruna e Sant’Eustachio is a gorgeous Apulian Romanesque cathedral from the 13th century.
Wandering Jana You enter the church from the side. There is a small gallery, a sacristy. and then a much older church under the floors of the current cathedral.
Wandering Jana The cathedral was updated to a more modern style in the 17th century.
Wandering Jana A gorgeous painting on a wooden ceiling.
Wandering Jana San Pietro Caveoso, built on its own little outcrop.
Wandering Jana Santa Maria di Idris, one of the churches that were carved out of the cliffs.
Wandering Jana In the 16th century, the center of power in Matera moved out of the old city. By the 18th century, most wealthy elites had moved out of the Sassi to this new area. The Sassi was left for the peasants.
Wandering Jana I took an early morning stroll around Matera on my second day. Found this gorgeous church, San Giovanni Battista.
Wandering Jana Some stacked sassi.
Wandering Jana The sassi were lived in until the 1950s. By that point, most were in bad shape and didn’t have modern amenities. However, the decision was reverse in the 1980s. Many sassi have been restored. However, there is one section of town that is not. The entire area was closed off for construction.
Wandering Jana Found a rock cut church, San Vito, that was free just randomly walking around.
Wandering Jana Very simple inside. Others have paintings on the walls.
Wandering Jana Finally the inside of a sassi. Laboratory Museum of Rural Life has several connected sassi decorated to a time period or for traditional trades.
Wandering Jana Cisterns that held collected rain water were often below the main dwelling.
Wandering Jana Many residents would run business out of their sassi, like this tannery.
Wandering Jana That thing in the wall is a press for grapes or olives.
Wandering Jana Perched on the edge.
Wandering Jana A much smaller sassi, Casa Grotta.
Wandering Jana Tiny little kitchen.
Wandering Jana You would also share this space with your farm animals.
Wandering Jana More sassi down the cliff a bit.
Wandering Jana An unrestored area of sassi. You can really see the stacking of the sassi here.
Wandering Jana Matera from the other end of the historic center.
Wandering Jana Matera was one of my favorite places I visited on this trip.
Wandering Jana Who couldn’t love this.
Matera was one of those cities I just loved walking around in. There are several small museums dedicated to the sassi and rock cut churches. The national museum was pretty decent as well. It would be perfect for a weekend getaway. However, it is almost impossible to get out of Matera on a Sunday.
Check out my next update where I explore the small Italian city of Altamura!
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Start at the beginning of this adventure.
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