HOW TO GET TO MATERA
GROUND TRANSPORT: If you travel by car, plan your route through the Google Maps service.
CAMPER: if you travel by camper and require parking, we suggest you stop in the piazza Matteotti near the central station.
AIRPORT: The nearest airport is the new "Karol Wojtyla" in Bari Palese, about 60 miles away. There are numerous national, and international airports and even "low cost", companies which use the airport of Bari.
RAILWAYS: the advised railway stations are Bari, Metaponto and Ferrandina Scalo, then use bus services to the capital of Basilicata, Matera. In addition, in the vicinity of Bari Central Station, you can take the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane that services lines to Bari - Altamura - Matera.
BUS: The various bus companies, provide connections between Matera, the stations and the main towns of the province and the neighboring towns of Puglia.
TAXI: on request
CAR RENTAL: on request
CLOTHING: bring sneakers or hiking shoes for various tours, especially on the Murgia Matera. Possibly also a hiking stick. It is advised not bring strollers, instead in presence of newborn babies, a baby sling.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON MATERA:
MATERA
A place that has been inhabited since the primal era, where it is easy to trace the history of Man from the Paleolithic until today, the neolithic villages and the vast urban areas of Civilization and the Sassi.
The Gravina, the Murgia and over 120 rock churches with Byzantine frescoes make this place a unique, where man was able to use the scarce resources of land without destroying it, but integrated with it. Some of the great masters of cinema including Mel Gibson's The Passion of Christ (2004) have set their films in this picturesque environment, and for its peculiarity was the first world heritage side declared by UNESCO "cultural landscape".
The Sassi have been considered World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1993 and were the first listed site in southern Italy. The inscription was motivated by the fact that they represent an extraordinary urban ecosystem, capable of perpetuating the most distant prehistoric ways of inhabiting the caves up to modernity. The Sassi of Matera are an outstanding example of careful use over time of natural resources: water, soil, energy. In addition, Matera are "European Capital of Culture 2019".
"Matera from the 50s onwards has been an important place for experimentation, innovation, attraction of great filmmakers and artists.
Matera has made great efforts: from national shame to fame it is the first city of the South to be named a World Heritage Site; it is a city that has implemented some major restoration work, but that has not enhanced its enormous cultural potential.
A candidate for 2019 Matera's fame has increased, attracting a few habitants back into the caves. Today, many buildings are crumbling and abandoned but a growing number have been restored and trasformed into cosy abodes, restaurants and cave-hotels.
Matera has the opportunity to become a major city attraction not only for tourist but also for its valuable resources and specialize in services of important cultural, historical and architectural value.
Would you like more information about this offer?