Matera

Matera is a town and a province in the region of Basilicata, in southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Matera. Apart from an economy which has traditionally been based on agriculture, in the late 1990s the major economic base of Matera, and of surrounding cities, is the production of upholstered furniture. The town lies athwart a small canyon, which has been eroded in the course of years by a small stream, the Gravina.

Matera is a fairly big city. One of its quarters is the old city. Just outside the old city are the Sassi - cave houses dug into the limestone rocks. The sassi are located on both sides of a valley. On the north side the Sasso Barisano have been partially commercially developed as offices and housing. The Sasso Caveoso, on the south side, are the most historically interesting.

Matera is most easily reached from Bari in the Apulia region. The Ferrovie Appulo Lucane (FAL) runs trains from Bari to Matera Centrale, taking 1h 30min with departures every 1-2 hours during the daytime. The FAL train station in Bari is located just outside of Bari Centrale and is toward the left as you walk out onto the large piazza with the buses and fountain. Consult the schedule locally as the website is currently out of date. The FAL does not run trains on Sunday, and does not accept rail passes. Tickets are approximately 4 euros each way; be sure to stamp your ticket with the machines before boarding.

After exiting Matera Centrale, there is a piazza to the left with various buses. From here, "Linea Sassi" buses to I Sassi di Matera every 30 minutes; the inexpensive tickets are sold upon boarding. The Sassi can also be reached on foot in about 20 minutes by walking straight ahead downhill from the piazza. The Sassi themselves can only be explored on foot, and tourist information is available locally.