Matera is one of the most beautiful cities you will ever walk through — carved directly into the ravines of Basilicata, in Italy’s deep south, and inhabited without interruption for more than nine thousand years. Its Sassi districts unfold like a maze cut into stone: cave dwellings stacked atop one another, rock-hewn churches, and staircases that spill straight down into the gorge carved by the Gravina river below. Matera has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993 and crowned European Capital of Culture in 2019. Today the caves that once housed families and livestock hold candlelit dining rooms and boutique suites instead. We’ve spent our time here doing what we do best — eating well, wandering slowly, and finding the handful of addresses worth your time.
Where to Eat
Vitantonio Lombardo — Michelin One Star Tucked into the heart of the Sassi, this restaurant occupies a painstakingly restored cave that once stood abandoned — today it’s one of Matera’s most celebrated tables. Chef Vitantonio Lombardo’s tasting menus (5, 7, or 10 courses) are playful, precise, and deeply rooted in Basilicata’s pantry, reimagined with a modern hand. Book ahead, and ask for a table with a view toward Piazza Duomo — the evening light on the Sassi from here is unforgettable.
Baccanti Set inside a complex of old caves directly facing Matera’s rupestrian cave churches, Baccanti is proof that tradition and creativity aren’t opposites. The kitchen draws from local ingredients and technique but plates with real modern flair — expect handmade pasta and slow-cooked lamb alongside dishes that surprise. One of the addresses most consistently mentioned by Michelin’s inspectors in this city, and rightly so.
Dedalo — Sensi Sommersi A newer name on Matera’s fine-dining radar, Dedalo has built a reputation for inventive plating and confident, artistic cooking that leans into local flavor while taking real risks. It’s the pick for travelers who’ve already done the classic Sassi trattoria circuit and want something more experimental for one special evening.
Prometeo Fine Dining Consistently rated as one of the top tables in Matera, Prometeo pairs a romantic, terrace-adjacent setting with confident, produce-driven cooking. It’s an easy favorite for a celebratory dinner — polished without being stiff, and a wine list that does justice to Basilicata’s underrated reds.
Trattoria del Caveoso For a taste of Matera as it’s always been, this is the address. Set in the ancient heart of the Sassi, with tables spilling onto an atmospheric lane or tucked into the cave interior, it’s the place for classic Basilicata cooking done properly — start with the antipasti del Caveoso (a spread of vegetable preparations built for sharing), then cavatelli with peperoni cruschi, the dried, fried local red peppers that define the region’s flavor. Simple, excellent, and honest.
Where to Shop
Antica Panetteria / local forni — Matera’s bread carries a protected designation of origin, and it’s worth seeking out a bakery still using the wood-fired ovens the city is known for. A round loaf of pane di Matera, wrapped and carried home, is the most edible souvenir in Italy.
Ceramiche artigianali in the Sassi — Small ceramics ateliers threaded through the Sassi Barisano and Sassi Caveoso produce hand-painted terracotta and the distinctive local whistle figurines (cucù), a Matera tradition believed to bring good fortune. Worth a slow browse rather than a quick stop.
Local enoteche — Look for a wine shop stocking Basilicata’s Aglianico del Vulture — a bold, structured red grown on volcanic soil that rarely gets the international attention it deserves. A bottle or two makes an excellent gift back home.
EXPERIENCES
Tuk-tuk tour of the Sassi — The quickest and most charming way to get your bearings. A local driver will wind you through alleys too narrow and steep for a car, narrating the history of the cave dwellings, rupestrian churches, and belvederes along the way. A perfect first-afternoon orientation before you set off on foot.
Church of Saint Mary of Idris — Matera’s Sassi are riddled with rupestrian churches carved directly into the tufa rock, many still holding traces of Byzantine-era frescoes. Santa Maria de Idris and Santa Lucia alle Malve are two of the most atmospheric and easiest to visit.
Sunset at Belvedere Luigi Guerricchio (Piazza Duomo) — The single best view in the city, looking straight across the ravine at the Sasso Barisano as it turns amber, then rose, then blue. Arrive twenty minutes before sunset and just watch.
A night walk through the Sassi — Matera after dark is a different city entirely — softly lit, near-silent, and genuinely moving. Skip the tour group hours and return after dinner.
MAJOR SIGHTS
I Sassi di Matera — The UNESCO World Heritage cave-dwelling districts (Sasso Barisano and Sasso Caveoso) that give the city its name and its fame. Inhabited for thousands of years, evacuated in the mid-20th century, and now beautifully restored — this is the reason you’ve come.
Matera Cathedral (Duomo) — Perched at the highest point of the city in Romanesque-Apulian style, with sweeping views over the Sasso Barisano below.
Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario — A preserved cave dwelling furnished exactly as families once lived in it, offering a vivid, sobering sense of pre-1950s Sassi life before the population was resettled.
Chiesa di Santa Maria de Idris — Built directly into a rock spur (Monterrone) rising from the ravine floor, with faded frescoes inside and one of the best panoramic views in the city from its perch.
The Gravina di Matera — The dramatic limestone ravine that carves beneath the city, best appreciated from one of the belvederes or on a short hike across to the Murgia Materana park for the classic postcard view back at the Sassi.
Fall in love with Matera the way we did — and we’ll take care of the rest. From the cave suite to the private tuk-tuk driver to the table at Vitantonio Lombardo, our exclusive partners on the ground make the details effortless. Book your trip with us, and let’s get you there.
