City landmarks

The Sassi di Matera are two districts (Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano) of Matera, well-known for their ancient cave dwellings. The Sassi have been defined as “one of the most unique landscapes in Europe”. The Sassi originate from a prehistoric troglodyte settlement and are suspected to be among the first human settlements in Italy.

The National Museum “Domenico Ridola” is the oldest museum of Basilicata. In 1911 it was created with a law thanks to Domenico Ridola. Domenico Ridola, doctor, archaeologist and senator, is one of the most illustrious man of Basilicata. He devoted much of his life in these studies and he was the protagonist of many archaeological discoveries. The reperts in the Matera area are date back to the prehistoric time.

The ‘Palombaro lungo’ was the biggest tank of the ancient city, an unique place that you can still admire and will leave you breathless. The need to conserve water, because of the low rainfall of this region, was a key resource in the survival of the citizens. One of the peculiarity of this waste water container is the location: in fact is placed under the central ‘Piazza Vittorio Veneto’. Here you are in the basement of the city, in his hidden and secret part.

1200 square meters underground to discover the story of the ancient Matera up to a depth of 12 meters. A city under the city”, houses, roads, cisterns, trades and worship places in a world to discover. A space-time bridge on a journey from the origins to nowadays. The story of the town narrated in a unique place.

The Crypt of the Original Sin, in Matera, is located inside a natural cave on the Murgia plateau, near the old Appian Way. Commonly known as “the Sistine Chapel of rupestrian art”, the Crypt was discovered in 1963 by a group of local youths, who noticed the splendid frescoes in what at the time, had become a shelter for sheep herds.

The Cathedral of Matera is dedicated to Maria Santissima della Bruna and Saint Eustace and is situated in the Civita few steps far from the Residence San Gennaro. The construction works started in 1230, in place of the Benedictine Monastery of Saint Eustace. It dominates the Civita and Sassi from above, and for this reason you can see the Cathedral from every part of the ancient city.

If you want to learn about and understand the culture of the inhabitants of the ancient Sassi district, please visit the Casa Grotta del Casalnuovo. A typical cave dwelling with ancient tools and artefacts which offers visitors a precise idea of how family life was organized in the Sassi districts.