This is the only tour without stairs. We will visit Piazza Vittorio Veneto, full of churches and monuments, and then head towards the Church of San Giovanni Battista and, then, towards the Palazzo del Sedile and the Cathedral. We will admire the Matera baroque style of the churches of San Francesco d’Assisi, Purgatorio Nuovo, Santa Chiara and its former convent, which is now the Domenico Ridola National Archaeological Museum. Finally, we will reach Piazza Pascoli, and Palazzo Lanfranchi, home of the National Museum of Medieval and Modern History.
This is the most requested tour. From Piazza Pascoli we will descend into the Sasso Caveoso area to visit its neighborhoods and reach Piazza San Pietro Caveoso. If you want you can visit a traditional cave house and may be a cave church, such as the ones of Santa Lucia alle Malve, Santa Maria de Idris and San Giovanni al Monterrone.
From Piazza Vittorio Veneto we will head towards the Church of San Giovanni Battista, to descend into the Sasso Barisano area, where we will visit the permanent exhibition of Miniature Sassi. There you can visit a cave house, and then, throw Via dei Fiorentini, we will return to the Piano area.
This is a complete tour, which includes the entire old center of Matera. From Piazza Vittorio Veneto, proceeding towards the Palazzo del Sedile, we will reach the Cathedral. We will descend into the Sasso Caveoso area throw the scenic Via Muro, up to Piazza San Pietro Caveoso. After a possible visit to a cave house and/or a cave church (Santa Lucia alle Malve, Santa Maria de Idris and San Giovanni al Monterrone), we will go up to Piazza Pascoli. Then, we will reach Piazza Vittorio Veneto, after admiring, along the way, the churches of Santa Chiara, Purgatorio Nuovo and San Francesco d’Assisi. The exploration of the Sasso Barisano district will continue, with a visit to the hypogeum which hosts the exhibition of the Miniature Sassi and possibly a cave house. We will go back up to the Piano area throw Via dei Fiorentini or, for the more daring, throw the panoramic Via Madonna delle Virtù.
Visiting Matera by night will be a romantic and evocative experience. From Piazza Vittorio Veneto we will walk towards Piazza del Sedile and the Cathedral. From the spectacular Via Muro we will descend into the Sasso Caveoso area, up to Piazza San Pietro Caveoso. We will go up comfortably throw Via Buozzi to arrive in Piazza Pascoli. We will head towards Piazza Vittorio Veneto, after having appreciated the beautiful baroque facade of Palazzo Lanfranchi, the churches of Santa Chiara, Purgatorio Nuovo and San Francesco d’Assisi.
It is an easy walk on the side of the ravine which is opposite to the one where the city of Matera stands. From that side of the canyon, perhaps towards sunset, we recommend photographing the city, which is just in front of you. Among the many interesting sites to visit, I suggest the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Palomba and the rock Church of the Original Sin.