 Matera with the Sassi | ||
| Matera | ||
| province | Matera | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 60.403 (2018) | |
| height | 401 m | |
| Tourist info web | www.comune.matera.it | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
| ||
Matera is a city in the south of the southern italian region Basilicata about 30 kilometers north of the coast to the Mediterranean. The city's cave dwellings have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
background
Matera is located on a karst plateau above the deep valley of the Gravina di Matera at about 400 m above sea level. On the walls of this gorge, the residents dug caves in the soft tufa that were still in use until the 1950s. In addition to residential buildings, there are numerous churches and monasteries.
The area was already settled in the Neolithic Age. In 938 the place was destroyed by the Saracens. The rise of the place begins in 1043, it became the Norman royal seat. Later the place came under the control of various local nobles. From 1806 until the last administrative reform, the city was the capital of the province of Basilicata, today it is only the administrative seat of the province of the same name, which makes up about half of the Basilicata region.
The cave dwellings were considered a national disgrace and were evacuated in 1954. Around 20,000 people lived here at that time. They were relocated to the newly built districts of La Martella, Venusio, Borgo Picciano A and Borgo Picciano B.
It was not until the mid-1980s that the cultural and historical value of the old cave towns, called Sassi, was recognized. The houses have now been renovated. In 1993 they were named a World Heritage Site. Some of the houses have become attractive condominiums, others serve as souvenir shops, inns, hotels and museums. And even filmmakers are now interested in the Sassi: the director Mel Gibson shot parts of his film "The Passion of the Christ" here. The city is also featured in the novel "Christ only came to Eboli" by Carlo Levi (1944) and its film adaptation (1978).
getting there
By plane
The airport of Bari airport
(IATA: NAP) is 60 kilometers from the city. You can continue your journey with public buses.
By train
Matera is not connected to the state rail network. Matera is currently the end point of the private railway line from Bari, which is to be continued to Ferrandina in the future. The railway line is owned by the company Ferrovie Appulo-Lucane S.r.l. operated. The driving time from Bari is an hour and a half.
By bus
The city is accessible via bus lines operated by the Marino company Milan, Ancona, Bologna, Chianciano, Fiuggi, Naples, Novara, Parma, Sassuolo and Urbino reachable from.
In the street
Matera is not connected to the motorway network. The city can be reached from the 
of Caserta - Fisciano and then via the 
Salerno - Reggio Calabria coming over Potenza (
/
) and then the well-developed one 
.
Of Bari Coming from the north you take the 
to Altamura and then the 
, of Tarent resp. the highway leading there 
along the Adriatic you take the (Via Appia).
mobility
The old town with the famous cave dwellings, the Sassi, is mostly only accessible on foot, the paths lead via stairs.
Tourist Attractions
The main attraction is of course the Sassi, which you can explore yourself or in the company of a local guide.
The Sassi were carved into the rocks of the Gravina di Matera gorge over the centuries. The one in the southwest Sasso Caveoso consists of cave dwellings that are behind the door, respectively. the facade was carved into the rock during the Sasso Barisano comes up with bricked-up houses and only the rear parts of the houses reach into the rock.
Dozens of cave churches belong to the Sassi, most of which were laid out here in the High Middle Ages. Despite its long use, its frescoes can still be admired today. These churches include:
In the southernmost area of the Sasso Caveoso The best way to get there is by stairs Via Casalnouovo out. Here you can find
- 1 Convicinio di Sant 'Antonio
- 2 Santa Lucia alle mallow Rock church
- 3 Santa Maria dell’Idris Rock church from the 12th century, built into the rock of Monterrone
- 4
in the northeastern part of the Sasso Barisano lie:
- Rock church 5 Chiesa San Pietro Barisano
- Rock church 6 Chiesa San Nicola dei Greci
- Torre Metellana rock church
- San Giovanni rock church
- Cappuccino Vecchio rock church
- Cappuccino Nuovo rock church
- San Antonio Abate Church
- Crypt of the Madonna degli Angioli
- Dominican convent of the Madonna della Virtù
The Casa Grotta, Vico Solitario 11, I-75100 Matera. Tel.: 39 0835 310 118. has been converted into a museum showing original furnishings. The museum is open from 9:30 a.m. until late at night; the entrance fee is 2.00 euros. In the cave cinema next to it, documentaries from the old town are shown.
From the old town you have a delightful view of the Gravina gorge.
There are other churches in Neustadt:
- 7 Cathedral or Duomo della Madonna della Bruna from the 13th century,
- 8 Chiesa di San Domenico, a Romanesque building with a beautiful facade rosette, in Piazza Vittorio Veneto next to the prefecture
- 9 Chiesa San Giovanni Battista Church of (1233) in the piazza of the same name
- right next door 10 Chiesa di San Rocco
- 11 Chiesa San Francesco d'Assisi, (1670), baroque
- late baroque 12 Chiesa del Purgatorio (1747)
- 13 Chiesa Santa Chiara (17th century)
- 14 Sant'Agostino Monastery
Close to Piazza Vittoria Veneto is the baroque one Palazzo del Governo.
Other museums are:
- Museo-Laboratorio della Cività Contadina. E-mail: [email protected]. Museum laboratory.
- MUSMA, Recinto Cavone 5, 75100 Matera. Tel.: 39 0835 336 439. Museum of Contemporary Sculpture.Price: Entry 5 €.
A visit to the viewpoint on the elevation opposite the old town with the Sassi is recommended for everyone who is traveling with a private vehicle:
- 15 Belvedere Parco Murgia : Footpaths lead to the edge of the cliffs, there are several ways to descend into the bottom of the gorge and the old town of Matera can also be reached on foot via a bridge.
- The Felsenkirche complex is very close by and can be easily reached on foot from a car park16 San Pietro in Principibus.
The events on Golgotha in the film are also said to be here Il Vangelo secondo Matteo shot by Pier Paolo Pasolini.
Also on the hill respectively. at the cliffs to Murcheggia there are ruins of former cave churches:
- 17 Madonna degli Angeli
- 18 Madonna di Monteverde
- 19 Madonna delle Vergini
- the church 20 Madonna della Palomba is also on the eastern slope, opposite the old town.
activities
- Visit of the Sassi in the Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano, possibly a walk with a descent into the gorge and over to the opposite side with a lookout point. Since more than 150 cave churches and chapels have been counted, it will not be easy to be spoiled for choice of the main sightseeing spots and orientation.
- Presepe Vivente. (Crib).
shop
kitchen
- Morgan Pub, Via Bruno Buozzi (Sasso Caveoso).
- Trattoria del Caveoso, Via B. Buozzi 21. Tel.: 39 0835 312 374.
- Trattoria Lucana, Via Lucana 47. Tel.: 39 0835 336 117.
- Il terrazzo, Vico San Giuseppe 7. Tel.: 39 0835 334 119.
- Ristorante Baccanti, Via Sant'Angelo 58-61. Tel.: 39 0835 333 704.
- Le Botteghe, Piazza San Pietro Barisano 22. Tel.: 39 0835 344 072.
- Stano Ristorazione, Via Santa Cesarea 67/69. Tel.: 39 0835 344 101.
nightlife
accommodation
There are several hotels in the city.
- 1 Locanda di San Martino, Via Fiorentini 71, I-75100 Matera. Tel.: 39 0835 339 689, Fax: 39 0835 256 472, Email: [email protected]. The double room costs from 89 euros per night.
- 2 Sassisuite B&B, Via del Rosario 7, I-75100 Matera. Tel.: 39 3314271760, Email: [email protected]. Very luxuriously equipped rooms. Breakfast on the roof terrace that the spectators on the viewing platform at Piazza Vittorio Veneto look enviously over.
Practical advice
Tourist guides will be over Sassi Tourism and Amici del Turista conveyed.
trips
- to the archaeological sites of Tavole Palatine and Metapontwhich can also be combined with a bathing trip to the Ionian Sea.
literature
- Katrin Michaelsen: Matera in Italy. Sassi cave dwellings - from eyesore to figurehead. Deutschlandfunk, broadcast Europe today, June 3, 2016.
Web links
- http://www.comune.mt.it - Official website of Matera
- Website Sassiweb, ital.
