The City Carved Into Rock: Self-Guided Audio Tour of Matera

Highlights

• Flexible exploration
• Offline access
• UNESCO World Heritage

What's included

Itinerary

1. 1

   Piazza del Sedile

   Pass by

   Begin your walk in Piazza del Sedile, once called Piazza Maggiore and the city's main administrative hub since the 14th century. Take in the Palazzo del Sedile, seat of Matera's self-governing citizen assembly for centuries, its facade adorned with statues of the city's patron saints.

2. 2

   Stop 2

   Pass by

   Discover the Chiesa di San Francesco, whose 18th-century Rococo facade conceals layers of art dating back to the 1200s. Step inside to uncover centuries of artistic history hidden behind this later, more ornate exterior.

3. 3

   Cathedral Basilica of Matera

   Pass by

   Visit the austere Romanesque cathedral, whose interior hides a 13th-century fresco of the Last Judgment. Look closely to spot friars tied to unclothed women, a pointed medieval dig at clerical hypocrisy.

4. 4

   Stop 4

   Pass by

   Explore the Domenico Ridola Archaeological Museum, home to a 1.5-million-year-old whale fossil found near Matera. Discover artefacts spanning the city's history from prehistory through antiquity.

5. 5

   Castello Tramontano, Matera, Italy

   Pass by

   Discover the story of Count Tramontano and his 16th-century castle. Learn how his unpopular rule and this unfinished fortress became entwined in Matera's turbulent history.

6. 6

   Chiesa del Purgatorio

   Pass by

   Marvel at the Chiesa del Purgatorio's striking facade, carved with skulls and skeletons representing nobles, clergy, and commoners alike, all equal in death. Step through its 36-panel wooden door into a surprisingly bright and colourful Baroque interior, built between 1725 and 1747.

7. 7

   Stop 7

   Pass by

   Discover how Matera's extraordinary underground water system, including this cistern holding 5 million litres, helped earn its UNESCO status. Marvel at the scale of this hidden engineering feat carved beneath the city's main square.

8. 8

   Chiesa Di San Pietro Caveoso

   Pass by

   Stand before the Chiesa di San Pietro Caveoso, perched dramatically on the edge of the ravine overlooking the Gravina. Explore this 13th-century church, rebuilt in Baroque style in the 17th century, and one of Sasso Caveoso's most important spiritual landmarks.

Before you go

Location