Matera Tours

Matera is home to the Sassi cave churches and dwellings that make up one of the oldest cities in the world. Join your guide for an in-depth tour of the Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano districts to learn about their unique history and evolution. Discover rupestrian structures, stroll the steep and narrow lanes, and gain a deeper understanding of how this town, once called the “Shame of Italy”, is now a UNESCO-listed treasure.

Enjoy stunning aerial views of UNESCO-listed Matera during this small-group hot air balloon ride. Soar above the iconic hilltop city on a safe and panoramic journey, admiring the distinctive architecture and cultural sights with rare, bird's eye views. Small-group flights are capped at only eight participants and include an Italian breakfast.

Unveil the secrets of the ancient “cave city” of Matera with this in-depth walking tour through the UNESCO-listed Sassi. Delve into the history of this unique city dug into the cliffside and visit a cave house and rupestrian churches in its two oldest districts. Learn about how residents once lived, marvel at the cathedral set at the town’s upper square, and take in sweeping views over the Murgia Materana Park.

The UNESCO World Heritage-listed rock city of Matera stretches over a steep cliff, so exploring it on foot can be tiring. Explore as much as possible without getting tired with this tour aboard an authentic Italian Ape Calessino (Tuk Tuk). Zip through the streets of the historic Sasso Caveoso neighborhood to admire the main churches and squares and snap photos of the famous cave houses and views of the surrounding valley.

The Sassi di Matera are one of the most fascinating sights in southern Italy, but these ancient cave dwellings can be difficult to interpret on your own. With this guided tour, see the most interesting cave homes and rupestrian churches in the cliffside town in just hours and enjoy insights into their history and significance from your guide. Stroll through the most picturesque squares in the historic center to snap photos.

A tour of the three districts in the historic center of the Sassi with panoramic stops and curiosities about the recent history of the city of Matera: from national shame to a city known and appreciated worldwide. It will also be possible to visit a cave house and a rock church. The route lasts just over an hour and in this time visitors will be able to observe the Piano area, that is, the part close to the Sassi and get to know the historical places from another perspective. The Piano area is actually the first area built immediately after the Sassi at the turn of the Renaissance.

The UNESCO-listed Sassi di Matera is both captivating and mysterious. With this guided tour, take a deep dive into the history of this unique rupestrian city, named a 2019 European Capital of Culture. Explore its hidden dwellings and churches carved directly into the cliff, the setting for a number of films, including Ben Hur. Cap off the tour with a tasting of local specialties from Matera.

Experience the top attractions of this European “capital of culture” on this guided excursion. After meeting up with a knowledgeable local guide, explore sites like the Cathedral of Matera, the Church of San Giovanni Battista, and Piazza Vittoro Veneto. Learn about the city’s history and culture, and enjoy scenic views of Sasso Barisano and Sasso Cavoso.

We will start with a small breakfast under the patriarch olive tree, in an old countryside. Later we will go through the caverns of an ancient farmhouse. Under the centuries-old olive trees we will taste Matera bread and prepare a traditional dish from Matera, "la cialledda", which tells of the encounter between the typical bread of Matera, now stale, and the vegetables and mixed salads of the Lucanian land. All this will take place in a laboratory, at the end of which we will share this meal as even today the olive pickers do in their breaks. The cialledda will be accompanied by Primitivo wine and from the bundle containing Lucanian Slow Food Presidium products: Caciocavallo Podolico, Baked olives from Ferrandina and Pezzente salami from the Matera mountains. We will also be cheered by the sounds of popular instruments and the songs of the Matera tradition.

Matera is one of the oldest cities in the world whose territory preserves evidence of human settlements starting from the Paleolithic and without interruptions up to the present day. It represents an extraordinary page written by man through the millennia of this very long history. World Heritage Site since 1993 and European Capital of Culture in 2019. With the classic and typical Ape Calessino (tuk tuk), an Italian myth, much appreciated by families, especially with children in wheelchairs, we will cross the Old Town and the Sassi, as they are very tiring on foot, especially in the summer, whizzing through the streets and characteristic alleys, making small stops for photos and videos and to visit churches in the squares and characteristic Case Grotte (Case Museo).

Discover the old mountainside city of Matera on a 2-hour private walking tour. Visit the city’s key landmarks like Palazzo Lanfranchi, the church of San Pietro Caveoso, the Sasso Caveoso, and visit a typical cave house from the region. Learn about the history of this centuries-old city from your informative guide and even walk the streets where Mel Gibson filmed scenes from ‘The Passion of the Christ.’

Covid measures: Each participant will have a receiving radio guide (with disposable earphone) that will allow them to hear the guide well, while maintaining the safety distance from it The modern city of Matera develops on a plateau while the two Sassi districts are vertically built inside a canyon, on the side of a gorge. On the other side there is the Murgia park with its caves, where you can take panoramic walks. The urban area of the Sassi has undergone so many transformation and stratification processes that its architecture is in fact fascinating. Along the tour there are many stops for historical, architectural and social study, observing those aspects that have determined, over the centuries, the changing socio-economic conditions of the territory with the progressive, slow and inexorable degradation and abandonment of the Sassi, until to be able to appreciate the limelight and the enhancement that the Sassi are experiencing today

Touring the cliffside Sassi di Matera on foot can be tiring. With this tuk-tuk tour, you’ll zip up the steep streets of the old town to take in the top sights in just hours. Delve into the Barisano and Caveoso districts to admire ancient cave dwellings and rupestrian churches and learn about their history via an audio guide. Navigate the warren of narrow lanes with a group leader to avoid getting lost.

A private service to reach without stress and unnecessary waiting your destination to enjoy your holiday at fullest.

Make the most of your time in Matera and see the main tourist attractions in just a few hours with this guided tour. Stroll through the most historic districts of the city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, including Sasso Barisano and Sasso Caveoso, to learn about the unique evolution of this 'city of cave houses' over the millennia. Explore cave churches and dwellings, admire Baroque and Romanesque architecture, and views of the urban landscape and surrounding countryside.

Get more out of your visit to Sassi di Matera with a guide to show you the best ways around the area. Along with leading you through the region, your guide will also tell you interesting historical and cultural facts as you go. Plus, see tops attractions such as Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano. 

Professionalism, safety and comfort. A highly specialized staff will make your ride unique and special. The staff will be able to give you tips and suggestions on how to best visit the cities and where to stop for a small snack or lunch / dinner with a breathtaking view.

For me, hosting and home is a whole other thing from a simple restaurant that can be as hospitable as you want but will never be able to welcome you with the serene and informal conviviality of "my home". Here I relive the experiences lived in my grandparents' house before and my parents later. Perfumes from boiling pots, the same but always different voices and gestures of my mother and my aunt who repeat rituals that have unknowingly marked me. Over time I have accumulated a treasure trove of sensations and knowledge that intertwine between the countryside and the kitchen and from which I am indelibly marked. Today I find myself chasing cookbooks and recipes to reproduce in an attempt to relive that experience and I ask for your help in order to succeed. We will prepare various dishes of the Matera tradition together, depending on the period in which we meet, and then we will taste them in the convivial and "Slow" atmosphere that has always distinguished me.

On this in-depth guided tour of Parca della Murgia, you’ll get an insider’s introduction to the stunning, underground Rupestrian churches that Matera is famous for. Get a peek at 150 rock churches, including fresco-filled San Falcion and 17th-century Madonna delle Tre Porte. Tours include admission fees to the park and a guided excursion.

The panoramic tour "Private Tour in Ape Calessino" - the Sassi in Ape "will allow you to have an exclusive experience to visit the city of Matera comfortably aboard the vintage and iconic ape calessino. The tour winds through the most beautiful alleys and squares, between Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano. During the tour you will make some panoramic stops in the central squares and you will be able to admire the main attractions of the city. An excellent opportunity to learn about the stories and curiosities of this heritage of humanity.

The appointment is fixed in our base camp which, besides being a meeting point for the party, is also important for a safe excursion. We will explain the main rules of an activity in quad with basic, fast and not boring indications that will help you live the experience with more serenity. Our guide, who will accompany you in the wild territories of the Dolomiti Lucane, will explain the operation of the quad and give you practical tips for safe driving before starting the engines. Once this first informative phase is over, you will be able to spend moments without worries and be involved in uncontaminated territories, spectacular spiers, winding paths and lanes and locations with a strong adrenaline rush.

You will visit Matera with a local tour guide that knows the city and will lead you to discover it as only an inhabitant can do.

1200 m2 underground, to discover the history of the city of the Sassi and beyond, up to a depth of 12 meters. Time and space are lost in a journey from its origins to today. The history of Matera narrated in one place. A city under the city made of houses, streets. cisterns, production environments and places of worship in a world to be discovered. Live a unique experience walking in a fascinating and mysterious world. Book your visit to the Hypogeum now.

The Smart Card offers visitors the opportunity to visit unique and suggestive places within the Città dei Sassi: • Madonna delle Grazie Rock Church • Casa Grotta Narrante • Rock Church of Sant’Antonio Abate • Casa Cava • Stone Tales Museum • Immersive Museum of the Bruna