Matera is a city located in the region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. It's Italy's oldest city and a unique place in the country.

The city was built by carving dwellings, churches, and pathways directly into limestone rock, creating the Sassi di Matera, ancient cave dwellings that have been continuously inhabited for thousands of years.

Matera was once declared unfit for habitation, as many impoverished residents lived in the Sassi area under conditions unsuitable for modern life. The inhabitants were relocated to more appropriate housing. Fortunately, the Italian government later decided to restore the Sassi, and today, it stands as one of the most stunning destinations in Italy.

The Sassi di Matera are a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.

How to reach the city?

• By plane: the closest airport is Bari airport. Brindisi airport is a bit far, but could still be an option if Bari isn't.

• By train: it can be reached from Bari central station in about 1h 40 minutes.

  If you plan to visit but are in either Rome/Naples, there's no direct train. From Rome you'll have to take the train to Napoli Centrale and then the bus.

  Both Trenitalia and Italo (Italy's high-speed train companies) offer both the train ticket and bus ticket together, so consider that as an option. It'll be automatic while selecting e.g. Rome - Matera on their website

How long to stay? The Sassi area is like a small city and it can be explored in a day. If Matera is just a stop on a wider itinerary, it can easily be a day trip (most hustle would be the time to reach the city with public transport).

My recommendation is to stay at least one night here, as it will allow you to visit almost everything in the Sassi area.

As the town is mostly visited by day trippers, at some point it will get way less busy and so much more enjoyable. Sunsets here are incredible too!

Experience Matera at sunrise: okay hear me out, I'm not a morning person myself, but Matera at sunrise is one of the best experiences you could ever have. Sunrise is beautiful and see the lights slowly turning off while the city starts to wake. It's some sort of mystic experience which made my trip to Matera so much more special.