Historical centre of Matera
Matera is actually all a historical centre, not considering the ‘new part’ of the city fortunately almost invisible to the eyes of tourists, Matera presents itself in all its corners, streets, lanes and squares the historical centre of itself.
The central part of the city comprises the entire 18th-century area of the Piano, which extends from the city’s central square, Piazza Vittorio Veneto, to Via del Corso, Via Ridola and ends in Via Casalnuovo.
This entire area, in addition to being the main shopping area, has many interesting historical sites such as museums, palaces and baroque churches, for example the church of San Francesco d’Assisi and the architectural jewel of the church of San Giovanni Battista dating back to medieval times. This central area, known as “Il Piano”, overlooks the Sassi di Matera, guaranteeing beautiful viewpoints called “small belvederes ” by the locals, from which you can admire the spectacular scenery of the Sassi di Matera. Obviously, we should mention the belvedere in Piazza Vittorio Veneto, the one in Piazzetta Pascoli, and the one in Via Casalnuovo, right next to our hotel in Matera, with a unique view of the Sassi and the Murgia Materana Park. From this last vantage point, you can also see stretches of the Gravina Torrent and the deepest points of the Gravina di Matera , where a Tibetan bridge has recently been built so that you can embark on naturalistic adventures in the Murgia Park directly from the Sassi di Matera.
From the Historical Centre to the Sassi of Matera
Descending towards the famous Sassi of Matera, winding through the lanes of stairways, one cave after another, you will find a wide variety of local activities, fromartistic handicrafts to small nightclubs, restaurants, bars and small shops; the peculiarity of these activities is that they are all carried out in old house-caves in the Sassi.
Along the way, you will find rock churches such as Santa Maria de Armenis and La Madonna dell’Idris, the Casalnuovo cave-house and the Vico Solitario cave-house, until you reach the beautiful Piazza di San Pietro Caveoso, where there are refreshment stands and souvenir stalls.
