Matera In Italy, A Particular City

Get ready for a trip to one of the most unique and particular municipalities in the south of beautiful Italy. Today we approach Matera, a special city in whose lands humans have walked since ancient times.

How is Matera

Matera is a city in southern Italy that, in turn, is the capital of a province that receives the same name and belongs to a region known as Basilicata. It has just over 60,000 inhabitants and is the second most populated municipality in its community.

Although it has lived throughout its history thanks to its excellent agriculture, it is also well known at European level thanks to its tapestries, famous throughout the region and the basis of its subsistence along with tourism, which in recent times has grown a lot due to the extensive history of the city.

What to see in Matera

Next, given that tourism in Matera has grown exponentially as visitors have given a good account of the wonders found in the city, we will briefly know what to see in this particular corner of Italy.

The Sassi di Matera

If there is something that marks the tourist direction of Matera, it is the Sassi. They literally mean “stones of Matera” and are originally from prehistoric settlements located in the area thousands of years ago, as the first hominids in Italy seem to be located in this part of the country.

The houses that have been carved out of the rock are known as Sassi di Matera. However, similar demonstrations have been found in the region of Basilicata and Apulia itself.

Some of them are real caves, others much more cared for and elaborate, around which the ancient city of Matera has grown to this day. In fact, some of these houses are still inhabited 9,000 years later.

Currently this area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site  and has developed a lot thanks to tourism and even Hollywood film studios, which the Sassi have used for their films such as Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ , proliferating in the area. various places, hotels and restaurants.

Matera Cathedral

As the provincial capital that is Matera, it has its own cathedral or duomo. It is a monument of great importance in the city dating from the mid-13th century. Like the architecture of the time, this temple belongs to the Romanesque architectural art, branded as Apulian due to the uniqueness of the buildings in the area.

It has an impressive bell tower of more than 50 meters and a statue of Maria della Bruna. In addition, on the facade of the Duomo di Matera we find a beautiful rose window that gives way to an interior with a Latin cross plan and a unique 18th century Baroque restoration.

Other Attractions in Matera

However, Matera has other places of interest for the visitor. As a Christian city that has been throughout much of its history, there are many churches of singular beauty that have survived to this day.

From its medieval period, at the height of the Romanesque, we can still glimpse the imposing church of San Giovanni Battista, dating from 1233, even older than the cathedral itself. Or San Francesco d’Assisi, from the same century that was rebuilt in its entirety at the end of the 17th century.

Other religious buildings that still stand are the church of Santa Lucia alle Malve, the Convincinio di San Antonio or the churches of Santa Bárbara or the Madonna delle Virtú.

These temples are considered cave churches due to their simplicity and antiquity, and they are located in the well-known area of ​​the Parco archeologico storico-naturale delle Chiese rupestri del Materano.

More Attractions in Matera

But the charms of this place do not end there. Other places of particular interest to visitors are the Crypt of the Peccato Originale or the Convento di Sant’Agostino, a national monument dating from the 16th century.

Other remains that remain from the passing of history are those of the Tramontano castle, which dates back to the 16th century and which was left unfinished, although three of its large raised towers still remain.

As you can see, Matera is a particular city that holds dozens of secrets and places of special interest to visitors. It may not be as well known as other great regions of Italy, but it is undoubtedly an excellent destination to enjoy history in its purest form.