Matera
Dating in its earliest parts to the 12th century, St Peter's, the largest of Matera's rupestrian churches, overlays an ancient honeycomb of niches where…
Must-see attractions in Basilicata
Matera
This giant cistern, arguably as magnificent as a subterranean cathedral, is one of Matera's great sights. Lying under the city's main square with arches…
Matera
Highly recommended as a precursor to visiting the sassi themselves, this wonderful 25-minute multimedia exhibit, spread across three rooms of a 16th…
Chiesa di Madonna delle Virtù & Chiesa di San Nicola del Greci
Matera
This monastic complex, one of the most important monuments in Matera, comprises dozens of chambers carved into the tufa limestone over two floors. Chiesa…
Museo della Scultura Contemporanea
Matera
The setting of this fabulous museum of contemporary sculpture – deeply recessed caves and the frescoed rooms of the 16th-century Palazzo Pomarici – is as…
Matera
For a great photograph of the sassi, take the Taranto–Laterza road (SS7) and follow signs for the chiese rupestri. This road takes you to the Belvedere,…
Matera
Set high up on a spur between the two natural bowls of the sassi, the wan, graceful exterior of the 13th-century Pugliese-Romanesque cathedral makes the…
Matera
A fascinating Benedictine site dating to the Lombard period, the Cripta del Peccato Originale (Crypt of Original Sin) houses well-preserved 8th-century…
Basilicata
Not to be confused with the Tavole Palatine, the Parco Archeologico is a larger, if less immediately impressive collection of Metaponto ruins that…
Parco Archeologico di Grumentum
Basilicata
The Parco Archeologico di Grumentum – sometimes known as Basilicata's 'Little Pompeii' – contains remains of a theatre, an amphitheatre, Roman baths, a…
Abbazia della Santissima Trinità
Basilicata
At the northeastern end of Venosa, the abbazia (abbey) was erected above the Roman temple around 1046 by the Benedictines and predates the Norman era…
Basilicata
The remains of the 6th-century Temple of Hera – 15 columns and sections of pavement – are Metaponto's most impressive sight. They're known as the Tavole…
Museo Nazionale d'Arte Medievale e Moderna della Basilicata
Matera
The Palazzo Lanfranchi, built as a seminary incorporating an earlier church in the 17th century, now houses this intriguing museum of sacred and…
Basilicata
The ruins of the original settlement of Maratea, supposedly founded by the Greeks, are situated at a higher elevation than the current village on a rocky…
Basilicata
This small but important museum is a real throwback to the days when precious artefacts of the past sat soberly behind glass, accompanied only by simple…
Matera
For a glimpse of life in old Matera, visit this historic sasso off Via Bruno Buozzi. There's a bed in the middle, a loom, a room for manure and a section…
Chiesa di Santa Lucia alle Malve
Matera
Dating to the 8th century, when it was built as the Benedictine Order's first foothold in Matera, this cliff-face church has a number of 13th-century…
Chiesa di Santa Maria di Idris
Matera
Dug into the Idris rock, this church has an unprepossessing facade, but the narrow corridor communicating with the recessed church of San Giovanni in…
Matera
The only church in the sassi not dug into the tufa rock, Chiesa di San Pietro Caveoso was originally built in 1300 and has a 17th-century Romanesque…
Basilicata
The ruins of Venosa's Roman colony of Venusia, founded in the 3rd century BC and birthplace of the poet Horace, can be accessed using your Museo…
Matera
This impressive collection includes local Neolithic finds and some remarkable Greek pottery, such as the Cratere Mascheroni, a huge urn more than 1m high.
Basilicata
The symbol of Maratea, visible from multiple vantage points along the coast, this 22m-high statue of Christ faces inland towards the Basilica di San…
Matera
Situated on a hill near the town centre, this 15th-century castle was left unfinished after the unpopular Count Tramontano, seemingly unaware that high…
Museo Nazionale dell’Alta Val d’Agri
Basilicata
This modestly interesting museum charts the history of the high valley of Agri, and the nearby Roman town of Grumentum in particular. Artefacts including…
Matera
Centred on the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, this 16th-century monastic complex in Sasso Barisano was built by the monks of the Order of the…
Basilicata
Potenza's Cattedrale di San Gerardo is the town's ecclesiastical highlight. Originally erected in the 12th century but rebuilt in the 18th (since then it…
Basilicata
Inside Venosa’s 15th-century Aragonese castle, this small archaeological museum exhibits finds from Roman Venusia and human bone fragments dating back 300…
Monasterio di Santa Lucia e Agata alla Civita
Matera
A Benedictine convent from the 14th- and 18th-centuries, this church is now used to celebrate civil marriages. The views across the Gravina are…
