TOUR THE SASSI -ENGLISH-

Begin by going around the building in which the B& B is located along its right side. Follow Via Santo Stefano for 250 meters (approx. 800 ft), then turn left. Here you will enter the Sasso Barisano.

The first church is called Sant’Agostino, where you can visit the Crypt of San Giuliano. Then continue down Via D’Addozio, around the curve until you reach the fountain. Here, take the road which runs to the right of the fountain. After 50 meters (approx. 160 ft), you will reach the church of San Pietro Barisano, a chiesa rupestre, or “rock church.” You will have to pay to view the church; however, a single ticket costing € 11, 00 will admit you not only to San Pietro Barisano, but also to the Madonna dell’Idris and Santa Maria alle Malve (in Sasso Caveoso) and Casa Grotta (Cave House in Sasso Barisano via Fiorentini). In the alley next to the Casa Grotta you can visit the Museum of Peasant Civilization, ticket € 3, 00.

Next, head back to the fountain and continue descending for 100 meters (just over 300 ft) to the next fountain, where you will turn left. Before turning right, you will encounter an exhibition of the “Sassi in miniature, ” crafted by an artisan out of tufo, or tuff, the light-colored volcanic stone that you see everywhere in the Sassi.

Follow Via Antonio Abate as it becomes Via Madonna delle Virtù, along a stretch with no change in elevation. After 100 meters (just over 300 ft), you will see two more chiese rupestri, rock churches, on the right. These are San Nicola dei Greci and Madonna delle Virtù. Entry costs €12, 00 a higher sum than normal, due to the exposition of sculptures.

After exiting the church/museum, continue for another 150 meters (500 ft) until you reach the little plaza. From here, you can see the rope bridge over the Gravina river ravine. This bridge can be crossed on foot, and it takes you to the opposite side of the Gravina, where you can follow the paths to the top of the canyon. From this point, the Belvedere (“viewpoint”), you have fantastic views of the entire Sasso, including a panorama spanning many kilometers and containing more than 130 rock churches. Among these is the amazing Cripta del Peccato Originale (Crypt of Original Sin), also known as the “Sistine Chapel of Rock Cave Art” by experts in the field.

If you’ve taken this detour, return to the small square just outside the exit to the Madonna delle Virtù. From here, continue to the square San Pietro Caveoso, where you will find access to a number of sites, including: the church that gives the square its name; the Madonna dell’Idris; Santa Maria alle Malve; and an archeological site, the first houses inhabited in Matera in antiquity. The Madonna dell’Idris is located in the rock you can see if you look up. You will have to climb up in order to visit this church, but it’s well worth it!

When you’re ready to leave the square San Pietro Caveoso, go up the street Via Bruno Buozzi, which will take you out of the Sassi. At the end of the street,   you will turn right, where you will find yourself in the small square Piazza Pascoli. Here you will encounter Palazzo Lanfranchi, a museum of modern and medieval art, which an exhibition dedicated to Carlo Levi, the Italian writer and doctor best known for his book Cristo si è fermato a Eboli, Christ Stopped At Eboli, a memoir of his time spent in exile in the area around Matera in the 1930s, after being arrested in connection with his political activism. In the Piazza Pascoli, you will also find the Ridola Museum, an archaeological museum containing pieces of Matera’s history dating from as long ago as 10, 000 years before the present epoch.

Continue along the road until you reach the piazza called San Francesco d’Assisi, where you will find a Baroque church of the same name, then keep going until you reach Piazza Sedile. From here, you can visit the Duomo, a church in the Romanesque Apulian style with a sixteen-petal rosette visible from the outside and, inside, a fresco of the Last Judgement painted by Rinaldo da Taranto and a nativity scene in stone from the 1500s.

From the Piazza Sedile, it is a very short distance to the MUSMA, a museum of modern sculpture (€5 entry fee) and to the casa di Noah, house of Noah, an interactive projection of the history of Matera (€5 entry fee).

Return by Via delle Beccherie and continue until you reach the main square, Piazza Vittorio Venete, where you can visit an underground street, as well as the Palombargo Lungo water tank, which is more than 50 meters (160 ft) long, over 18 meters (60 ft) high, and contains more than 5 million liters (1.3 million gallons) of water (€3 entry fee).

Finally, follow Via Vittorio Veneto to the municipal villa, then continue on to Via Gattini and follow that until you arrive once again at the B& B La Gemma dei Sassi.

Tour the Parco della Murgia (Rock Churches)

When you exit the B& B, turn right (approximately NNW) and go along Via Gattini until it ends (50 meters / 150 ft). At the intersection, turn left onto Via Cererie and continue for about 1 km. Via Cererie ends at a T-junction, then turn right onto Via Marconi, following the sign All directions.

After 200 meters (660 ft) , go straight, continuing to follow the sign All directions. Via Marconi becomes Via San Vito. On the right you will see a fruit and vegetable market while on the left a former pasta shop is being restored. Continue down Via San Vito. After two curves, you will arrive at a roundabout where you will turn right (the first exit) onto SS7, also called the Via Appia, towards Taranto. At this intersection, you will see a sign reading Chiese Rupestri, or Rock Churches.

After 150 meters (500 ft) , you will pass another intersection where at the point of a sharp curve. Don’t leave SS7; continue towards Taranto. The road will very soon begin to slope uphill. On your right you will a sign for the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Palomba, a rupestrian church or rock church, and next to that another sign for the Madonna delle Vergini.

Following the latter sign will bring you to the Belvedere (“viewpoint”) of Murgecchia. Here there are two rock churches you can visit: the Madonna delle Vergini and the Madonna della Scordata, as well as a series of natural caves and crypts at one time used as a film set.

After this stop, if you choose to take it, return to SS7/Via Appia, where the road will continue uphill for about 500 meters (0.3 mi), after which it will descend for 400 meters (0.25 mi).

At the end of the descent, look to your right and find the entrance to Murgia Timone by looking for the signs that read Parco della Murgia, Chiese Rupestri (“rock churches”) . Follow the road called Contrada di Murgia Timone for about 1.2 km (0.75 mi) until you reach the parking lot. Park at the end of the path and walk from the exit that takes you to the rock church called Chiesa delle Tre Porte (“Church of the Three Doors”).

From here, you can continue along the perimeter and you will reach the other rock church of Sant'Agnese. Here you will find yourself with a glorious view of the Sassi di Matera. This panorama has inspired many directors, and many movie scenes have been filmed here, such as The Passion (Mel Gibson) and The Gospel According to Matteo (Pier Paolo Pasolini).