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{{About|the city in Italy|the surname|Matera (surname)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox Italian comune
| name                = Matera
| official_name       = Comune di Matera
| native_name         = ''Matàrë'' ([[Neapolitan language|Materano]])
| image_skyline       = Matera - View from Sant'Agostino.jpg
| imagesize           = 
| image_alt           = 
| image_flag          = Flag of Matera.svg
| image_caption       = Panorama of the old town from the parvise of Saint Augustin church
| image_shield        = Matera-Stemma2.svg
| shield_alt          = 
| image_map           = Map of comune of Matera (province of Matera, region Basilicata, Italy).svg
| map_alt             = 
| map_caption         = Matera within the Province of Matera
| pushpin_label_position = 
| pushpin_map         = Italy Basilicata#Italy
| coordinates         = {{coord|40|40|N|16|36|E|display=inline}}
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| region              = [[Basilicata]]
| province            = [[Province of Matera|Matera]] (MT)
| frazioni            = La Martella, Venusio, Picciano A, Picciano B
| mayor_party         = [[Centre-right coalition (Italy)|Centre-right]] [[Independent (politics)|independent]]
| mayor               = Antonio Nicoletti
| area_footnotes      = 
| area_total_km2      = 387.4
| population_footnotes =<ref>{{cite web | title = Total Resident Population on 1st January 2018 by sex and marital status. Municipality: Matera | publisher = [[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)]]| url = http://www.demo.istat.it/pop2018 | access-date = January 27, 2018 }}</ref>
| population_total    = 60403
| population_as_of    = January 1, 2018
| pop_density_footnotes = 
| population_demonym  = Materani
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m         = 401
| twin1               = 
| twin1_country       = 
|istat=| saint               = Madonna della Bruna
| day                 = July 2
| postal_code         = 75100
| area_code           = 0835
| website             = {{official website|http://www.comune.matera.it}}
| footnotes           = 
}}
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| WHS         = The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera
| Image       = Matera - View from trail 406 - 01.jpg
| Caption     = The Sassi of Matera
| Criteria    = Cultural: iii, iv, v
| ID          = 670
| Year        = 1993
| Area        = 1,016 ha
| Buffer_zone = 4,365 ha 
}}
'''Matera''' ({{IPA|it|maˈtɛːra}}, {{IPA|it|maˈteːra|local|It-Matera.ogg}}; [[Neapolitan language|Materano]]: {{lang|nap|Matàrë}} {{IPA|nap|maˈtæːrə|}}) is a city and the capital of the [[Province of Matera]] in the [[regions of Italy|region]] of [[Basilicata]], in [[Southern Italy]]. With a history of continuous occupation dating back to prehistory (the eighth millennium BC), it is renowned for its [[Rock-cut architecture|rock-cut]] urban core, whose twin cliffside zones are known collectively as the [[Sassi di Matera|Sassi]].

Matera lies on the right bank of the [[Gravina (river)|Gravina]] river, whose [[canyon]] forms a geological boundary between the hill country of Basilicata (historic [[Lucania]]) to the southwest and the [[Altopiano delle Murge|Murgia]] plateau of [[Apulia]] to the northeast.{{sfn|Toxey|2011|p=17}} The city began as a complex of cave habitations excavated in the softer [[limestone]] on the gorge's western, Lucanian face.{{sfn|Toxey|2011|p=23}} It took advantage of two streams that flow into the ravine from a spot near the Castello Tramontano, reducing the cliff's angle of drop and leaving a defensible narrow promontory between the streams. The central high ground, or [[acropolis]], supporting the city's cathedral and administrative buildings, came to be known as Civita, and the settlement districts scaling down and burrowing into the sheer rock faces as the Sassi. Of the two streambeds, called the ''{{ill|grabiglioni|it}}'', the northern hosts Sasso Barisano (facing [[Bari]]) and the southern Sasso Caveoso (facing [[Montescaglioso]]).{{sfn|Toxey|2011|p=24–25}}

The Sassi consist of approximately twelve levels spanning the height of 380 m, connected by a network of paths, stairways, and courtyards (''vicinati'').{{sfn|Toxey|2011|p=30–1}} The medieval city clinging on to the edge of the canyon for its defense is invisible from the western approach.{{sfn|Toxey|2011|p=21–22}} The tripartite urban structure of Civita and the two Sassi, relatively isolated from each other,{{sfn|Toxey|2011|p=24}} survived until the sixteenth century, when the centre of public life moved outside the walls to the Piazza Sedile in the open plain (the Piano) to the west, followed by the shift of the elite residences to the Piano from the seventeenth century onward.{{sfn|Toxey|2011|p=38–41}} By the end of the eighteenth century, a physical class boundary separated the [[Overcrowding|overcrowded]] Sassi of the peasants from the new spatial order of their social superiors in the Piano, and geographical elevation came to coincide with status more overtly than before, to the point where the two communities no longer interacted socially.{{sfn|Toxey|2011|p=41–2, 45}}

Yet it was only at the turn of the twentieth century that the Sassi were declared unfit for modern habitation,{{sfn|Toxey|2011|p=47, 63}} and the [[population transfer|government relocation]] of all their inhabitants to new housing in the Piano followed between 1952 and the 1970s.{{sfn|Toxey|2011|p=54–58}} A new law in 1986 opened the path to restoration and reoccupation of the Sassi, this time – as noted by the architectural historian Anne Toxey – [[gentrification|for the benefit of the wealthy middle class]]. The recognition of the Sassi, labelled {{lang|it|la città sotterranea}} ("the underground city"), together with the [[Rupestrian art|rupestrian]] churches across the Gravina as a [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage Site]] in December 1993 has assisted in attracting tourism and accelerated the reclaiming of the site.{{sfn|Toxey|2011|p=59}} In 2019, Matera was declared a [[European Capital of Culture]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ivona |first1=Antonietta |last2=Rinella |first2=Antonella |last3=Rinella |first3=Francesca |title=Glocal Tourism and Resilient Cities: The Case of Matera “European Capital of Culture 2019” |journal=[[Sustainability (journal)|Sustainability]] |date=2019 |volume=11 |issue=15 |pages=4118 |doi=10.3390/su11154118 |doi-access=free|hdl=11586/240996 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

== History ==
Before its integration into the modern Italian state, the city of Matera had experienced the rule of the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]], [[Duchy of Benevento|Lombards]], [[Emirate of Bari|Arabs]], [[Byzantine Italy|Byzantine Greeks]], [[Hohenstaufen|Swabians]], [[Kingdom of Naples|Angevins, Aragonese, and Bourbons]].

Although scholars continue to debate the date the dwellings were first occupied in Matera,{{sfn|Toxey|2011|p=36}} and the continuity of their subsequent occupation, the area of what is now Matera is believed to have been settled since the [[Palaeolithic]] (tenth millennium BC). This makes it potentially one of the [[List of oldest continuously inhabited cities|oldest continually inhabited settlements in the world]].<ref>Leonardo A. Chisena, ''Matera dalla civita al piano: stratificazione, classi sociali e costume politico'', Congedo, 1984, p.7</ref> Alternatively, it has been suggested by Anne Toxey that the area has been "occupied continuously for at least three millennia".<ref>{{cite book |author1=Anne Parmly Toxey |editor1-last=Micara |editor1-first=Ludovico |editor2-last=Petruccioli |editor2-first=Attilio |editor3-last=Vadini |editor3-first=Ettore |title=The Mediterranean Medina: International Seminar |date=2016 |publisher=Gangemi Editore spa |isbn=9788849290134 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HbhTCwAAQBAJ&q=Matera+paleolithic+cave&pg=PA541 |access-date=April 14, 2019 |language=en |chapter=Recasting Materan Identity: The Warring And Melding Of Political Ideologies Carved In Stone}}</ref>

Built on an entrenched prehistoric village, the town is likely to have Greek origins. In the times of Magna Graecia, Matera shared a close relationship with the Greek cities on the southern coast, becoming a trade and transit route in Roman times.Then the town of Matera was established by the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] [[Lucius Caecilius Metellus (consul 251 BC)|Lucius Caecilius Metellus]] in 251 BC who called it ''Matheola''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Domenico |first1=Roy Palmer |title=The Regions of Italy: A Reference Guide to History and Culture |date=2002 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=9780313307331 |page=37 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wZ-PMNC5XOkC&q=Matera+++Romans+in+the+3rd+century+BC,++Matheola |language=en}}</ref> In AD 664, Matera was conquered by the [[Lombards]]{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} and became part of the [[Duchy of Benevento]]. During the seventh and eighth centuries, the nearby grottos were colonised by both [[Benedictine]] and [[Basilian monks|Basilian]] monastic institutions.{{sfn|Toxey|2011|p=32}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Horner |first=Mark |date=2024-07-13 |title=Matera, Basilicata Region, Italy - |url=https://www.mark-horner.com/index.php?blog= |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=The Alpha Group - Mark Horner |language=en-US}}</ref> After the Arab conquest of Bari in 840,{{sfn|Bondioli|2018|p=472–5}} Matera came under [[Emirate of Bari|Islamic rule]].{{sfn|Kreutz|1991|p=38}} Emancipated from the old Lombard jurisdiction of the [[gastald]] of [[Acerenza]] in the [[Principality of Salerno]], the town gained regional prominence.{{sfn|Gay|1904|p=178}}

In the spring of 867, it was burnt by the imperial troops of [[Louis II, Holy Roman Emperor|Louis II]] as the first key target in [[Louis II's campaign against Bari (866–871)|the emirate's conquest]]; the Chronicle of St. Benedict of Monte Cassino calls it a particularly well-defended site.{{sfn|Kreutz|1991|p=41, 172}}{{sfn|Musca|1964|p=92}}{{sfn|Bondioli|2018|p=487}}{{sfn|Churchill|1979|p=123}} The Franks soon fell out with the Lombards and the Byzantines, exploited the local need for protection from Arab raiding and internal Lombard divisions, to retake Apulia, which became the [[Theme (Byzantine district)|theme]] of [[Longobardia]] in 891/2.{{sfn|Whittow|1996|p=307–9}} Already by 887,{{sfn|von Falkenhausen|1967|p=21}} Matera's local Lombard elite bore Byzantine titles, the monastery of [[San Vincenzo al Volturno]] had to conduct business before the Byzantine judge and town notables of Matera, and the Greeks of Matera made up the Byzantine garrison of Naples.{{sfn|Gay|1904|p=177–8}} The precarious Byzantine rule had to contend with the ambitions of Lombard towns and nobles against the background of frequent incursions from the neighbouring duchy of Capua-Benevento and from Arab Sicily. In 940 Matera was besieged, possibly with local assistance, by the Lombards.{{sfn|von Falkenhausen|1967|p=79}}{{sfn|Kreutz|1991|p=98, 188}}{{sfn|Churchill|1979|p=126}}

On 25 January 982 the army of [[Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto II]] camped before the walls of Matera on its way from Salerno to Taranto, ostensibly marching against the Arabs.{{sfn|Gay|1904|p=333}}{{sfn|Kreutz|1991|p=122, 198}}{{sfn|Loud|2000|p=26}} In 994 Matera was temporarily captured by the Arabs after a four-month siege.{{sfn|Churchill|1979|p=131}}{{sfn|von Falkenhausen|1967|p=52}}{{sfn|Loud|2000|p=28}}{{sfn|Kreutz|1991|p=123}}{{sfn|Gay|1904|p=338}} The town continued to play a part in Byzantine governance: in June 1019 the [[chartoularios]] Stephanos of Matera assisted in the re-foundation of [[Troia, Apulia|Troia]].{{sfn|von Falkenhausen|1967|p=113, 177}} But civic unrest was also endemic and in 1040 the Byzantine judge Romanos was murdered at Matera by the local auxiliary troops during a wave of assaults on Byzantine officials that swept across the region.{{sfn|Gay|1904|p=454–5}} After the prominent Apulian rebels enlisted the support of the [[Italo-Normans|Normans]] and defeated the new [[katepano]] of Italy at [[Battle of Montemaggiore|Cannae]] in 1041,{{sfn|Loud|2000|p=78–80, 94}}{{sfn|Gay|1904|p=456}} Matera fell within the scope of Norman incursions and struck a deal with the invaders.{{sfn|Gay|1904|p=459}} In retaliation for this, the next katepano [[George Maniakes|Georgios Maniakes]], dispatched to Italy with special powers in April 1042, carried out mass executions in Matera in June, only to launch a rebellion of his own in September.{{sfn|Churchill|1979|p=140}}{{sfn|von Falkenhausen|1967|p=59, 61, 91}}{{sfn|Gay|1904|p=462}}

After his departure Matera elected [[William Iron Arm]] as its count (1042),{{sfn|Churchill|1979|p=140}}{{sfn|Gay|1904|p=466}} but like other towns it remained in Byzantine hands despite the Norman advances{{sfn|Loud|2000|p=100}} – in 1054 died [[Sico Protospatharios|Sico]], the [[protospatharios]] of Matera.{{sfn|Churchill|1979|p=143}} The city was seized in April 1064 as an independent acquisition by [[Robert, Count of Montescaglioso]], a seditious nephew of [[Robert Guiscard]], who profited from the involvement of his uncle further south.{{sfn|Loud|2000|p=132, 237}}{{sfn|Gay|1904|p=533–4}}{{sfn|Churchill|1979|p=145}} After count Robert died in July 1080, Matera accepted the rule of his brother [[Geoffrey, Count of Conversano|Geoffrey of Conversano]].{{sfn|Loud|2000|p=243}}{{sfn|Churchill|1979|p=149}} Geoffrey's son [[Alexander, Count of Conversano|Alexander]] joined a revolt against [[Roger II, King of Sicily|Roger II]] in 1132, but he fled before the advance of the king to Byzantium and left his son Geoffrey in Matera, whose inhabitants gave the city away to avoid being massacred by the royal troops.{{sfn|Loud|2012|p=91–2, 204–5}} Alexander later took part in the [[Battle of Brindisi (1156)|Byzantine invasion of Italy in 1156]].{{sfn|Murray|2021|p=311}} Lombard aristocrats survived with a reduced status: around 1150, Guaimar (III) of Capaccio, a descendant of Lombard princes, held a sub-fief near Matera from the count of Montescaglioso.{{sfn|Loud|2021|p=200}} Meanwhile, after a period of association with the Byzantine [[metropolis (religious jurisdiction)|metropolis]] of Otranto from 968,{{sfn|von Falkenhausen|1967|p=31, 48, 148}} the episcopal see of Matera was reclaimed by the archbishopric of Acerenza.{{sfn|Gay|1904|p=549}} A new cathedral church of St Eustace was consecrated in May 1082.{{sfn|Churchill|1979|p=151–2}}

After a short communal phase and a series of pestilences and earthquakes, the city became an [[Crown of Aragon|Aragonese]] possession in the fifteenth century, and on 1 October 1497, the city was sold to Giancarlo Tramontano.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tramontano Castle |url=https://www.materawelcome.it/en/luogo/castello-tramontano/ |access-date=2025-09-20 |website=MateraWelcome |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1514, however, the population rebelled against the oppression and killed [[Giovanni Carlo Tramontano, Count of Matera|Count Giovanni Carlo Tramontano]]. In the seventeenth century Matera was handed over to the [[Orsini family|Orsini]] and then became part of the [[Terra d'Otranto]], in [[Apulia]]. Later it was capital of the province of Basilicata, a position it retained until 1806, when [[Joseph Bonaparte]] assigned it to [[Potenza]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 November 2010 |title=2006: celebrazione del Bicentenario |url=https://www.comune.potenza.it/?p=698#:~:text=La%20scelta%20di%20Potenza%2C%20in,collegato%20alla%20capitale%20del%20Regno. |access-date=September 20, 2025 |website=Commune di Potenza}}</ref>

In 1927, it became capital of the new [[province of Matera]].{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

== Demographics ==
{{Historical populations|1861|14434|1871|14399|1881|15593|1901|17081|1911|17726|1921|18357|1931|20163|1936|22069|1951|30390|1961|38562|1971|44513|1981|50712|1991|54919|2001|57785|2011|59796|2021|59748|footnote=Source: [[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]|cols=2|align=none}}

==Government==
{{See also|List of mayors of Matera}}
Since local government political reorganization in 1993, Matera has been governed by the city council of Matera. Voters elect directly 32 councilors and the mayor of Matera every five years.

== Main sights ==
{{travel guide|section|date=January 2022}}

=== The Sassi (ancient town)===
{{main|Sassi di Matera}}
Matera has gained international fame for its ancient town, the "[[Sassi di Matera]]". The Sassi originated in a prehistoric [[cave dweller|troglodyte]] settlement, and these dwellings are thought to be among the earliest human settlements in what is now Italy. The Sassi are habitations dug into the [[calcareous]] rock, which is characteristic of [[Basilicata]] and [[Apulia]]. Many of them are really little more than small caverns, and in some parts of the Sassi a street lies on top of another group of dwellings. The ancient town grew up on one slope of the rocky ravine created by a river that is now a small stream, and this ravine is known locally as "la Gravina". In the 1950s, as part of a policy to clear the extreme poverty of the Sassi, the government of Italy used force to relocate most of the population of the Sassi to new public housing in the developing modern city.

Until the late 1980s the Sassi was still considered an area of poverty, since its dwellings were, and in most cases still are, uninhabitable and dangerous. The present local administration, however, has become more tourism-orientated, and it has promoted the regeneration of the Sassi as a [[picturesque]] tourist attraction with the aid of the Italian government, [[UNESCO]], and [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]]. In 2008, the city began the candidacy process for a [[European Capital of Culture]] in 2019; it was designated one of the European Capitals of Culture for 2019 on 17 October 2014.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sarnacchiaro |first=Pasquale |last2=Micera |first2=Roberto |last3=Simonetti |first3=Biagio |last4=Ciuffreda |first4=Raffaela |date=2024-04-01 |title=Residents' attitudes towards tourism development: evaluation and management in Matera city destination |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11135-024-01853-6 |journal=Quality & Quantity |language=en |doi=10.1007/s11135-024-01853-6 |issn=0033-5177|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Today there are many thriving businesses, pubs, and hotels there, and the city is amongst the fastest growing in southern Italy.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}
[[File:Panorama_of_the_two_Sassi_of_Matera.jpg|center|thumb|upright=3|View from the Canyon (''Gravina'')]]
<gallery widths="135px" heights="150px">
Matera - View from Belvedere Murgia Timone - 01.jpg|View from Belvedere Murgia Timone
Matera maisons sassi.jpg|Houses in the Sassi
Cave house in Sasso Caveoso (Matera).jpg|Interior of a cave house
Matera - Sasso Barisano at blue hour.jpg|Sasso Barisano at blue hour
Matera - Vico Santa Cesarea.jpg|A street in Sasso Barrisano
Matera - View from Belvedere Murgia Timone - 05.jpg|View of the Sassi, built on several levels 
Sasso Caveoso (Matera) 02.jpg|Sasso Caveoso
</gallery>

=== Monasteries and churches ===
[[File:Matera - Via D'Addozio.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|left|View of the cathedral from Via D'Addozio.]]
Matera preserves a large and diverse collection of buildings related to the Christian faith, including a large number of rupestrian churches carved from the [[calcarenite]] rock of the region.<ref>Colin Amery and Brian Curran, ''Vanishing Histories,'' Harry N. Abrams, New York, NY: 2001, p. 44.</ref> These churches, which are also found in the neighbouring region of [[Apulia]], were listed in the [[1998 World Monuments Watch]] by the [[World Monuments Fund]].

''[[Matera Cathedral]]'' (1268–1270) has been dedicated to Santa Maria della Bruna since 1389. Built in an Apulian Romanesque architectural style, the church has a 52&nbsp;m tall bell tower, and next to the main gate is a statue of the Maria della Bruna, backed by those of Saints Peter and Paul. The main feature of the façade is the rose window, divided by sixteen small columns. The interior is on the [[Latin cross]] plan, with a [[nave]] and two aisles. The decoration is mainly from the eighteenth century Baroque restoration, but recently {{when|date=May 2016}} a Byzantine-style fourteenth-century fresco portraying the ''[[Last Judgement]]'' has been discovered.

Two other important churches in Matera, both dedicated to the Apostle Peter, are [[San Pietro Caveoso]] (in the ''Sasso Caveoso'') and [[San Pietro Barisano]] (in the ''Sasso Barisano''). San Pietro Barisano was recently restored in a project by the World Monuments Fund, funded by [[American Express]]. The main [[altar]] and the interior [[frescoes]] were cleaned, and missing pieces of mouldings, reliefs, and other adornments were reconstructed from photographic archives or surrounding fragments.<ref>[http://www.wmf.org/project/rupestrian-churches-puglia-and-city-matera World Monuments Fund – Rupestrian Churches of Puglia and the City of Matera]</ref>

There are many other churches and monasteries dating back throughout the history of the Christian church. Some are simple caves with a single altar, occasionally accompanied by a fresco, often located on the opposite side of the ravine. Some are complex cave networks with large underground chambers, thought to have been used for meditation by the rupestrian and cenobitic monks.

=== Cisterns and water collection ===
[[File:FONTANA FERDINANDEA 2.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|Ferdinandea Fountain]]
Matera was built above a deep ravine called Gravina of Matera that divides the territory into two areas. Matera was built such that it is hidden, but made it difficult to provide a water supply to its inhabitants. Early dwellers invested tremendous energy in building [[cistern]]s and systems of water channels.

The largest cistern has been found under Piazza Vittorio Veneto, the Palombaro Lungo that was built in 1832.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.divento.com/en/parks-and-gardens/21825-piazza-vittorio-veneto-matera.html?search_query=Matera&results=17|title=Piazza Vittorio Veneto|website=Divento.com|access-date=11 February 2021}}</ref> With its solid pillars carved from the rock and a vault height of more than fifteen metres, it is a veritable water cathedral, which is navigable by boat. Like other cisterns in the town, it collected rainwater that was filtered and flowed in a controlled way to the Sassi.

There were also a large number of little superficial canals that fed pools and hanging gardens. Moreover, many bell-shaped cisterns in dug houses were filled up by seepage. Later, when the population increased, many of these cisterns were turned into houses and other kinds of water-harvesting systems were realised.

Some of these more recent facilities have the shape of houses submerged in the earth.<ref>{{cite book|last=Museo Laboratorio della Civiltà Contadina ONLUS|date=2014|orig-year=1st. Pub. 2007|title=Water-harvesting systems of Matera, from Neolithic to the first half of XX century|url=http://museolaboratorio.it/en/shop/water-harvesting-systems/|publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform |location=Matera|isbn=978-1500611569}}</ref>

=== Natural areas ===
The ''Murgia National Park'' (Parco della Murgia Materana), a regional park established in 1990, includes the territory of the [[Gravina di Matera]] and about 150 rock churches scattered along the slopes of the ravines and the plateau of the Murgia. This area, inhabited since prehistoric times, still preserves stationing dating back to the Paleolithic, such as the Grotta dei pipistrelli (cave of the bats), and to the Neolithic.<ref>{{cite book|author=Circolo culturale La Scaletta|title=Le Chiese rupestri di Matera|publisher=De Luca ed.|year=1966}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Mario Tommaselli|title=Le masserie fortificate del materano|publisher=De Luca ed.|year=1986}}</ref> The symbol of the park is the [[lesser kestrel]].

The San Giuliano Regional Reserve, a protected area established in 2000, includes [[Lago di San Giuliano|Lake San Giuliano]], an artificial reservoir created by the damming of the Bradano river, and the river sections upstream and downstream of it.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World |edition=13 |year=2011 |publisher=Times Books |location=London |isbn=9780007419135 |page=78 K2}}</ref>

==== Timmari ====
''Colle di Timmari'', a green plateau located about 15&nbsp;km from the city, dominates the Bradano valley and the San Giuliano lake. It is a pleasant residential area, and on the top of the hill there is the small Sanctuary of San Salvatore that dates back to 1310 and an important archaeological area.

<gallery widths="135px" heights="150px">
File:Matera - Ponte Tibetano - 04.jpg|Gravina di Matera
File:Matera 2.jpg|Murgia National Park with prehistoric caves and rupestrian churches
File:Cavalli nel parco della Murgia.jpg|Horses in the Murgia National Park
File:Parco della Murgia Materana 15.jpg|
File:Parco della Murgia Materana 10.jpg|
File:Villaggio Saraceno2.JPG|Saracen village
File:San Luca alla Selva.JPG|Cave church of San Luca alla Selva
File:Lago San Giuliano.jpg|San Giuliano Regional Reserve
</gallery>

=== Other sights ===
<gallery widths="135px" heights="150px">
File:Castello Tramontano 2 Matera.jpg|The Tramontano Castle
File:Matera BW 2016-10-15 11-08-39.jpg|Palazzo Lanfranchi
File:Casa Cava interno 5.jpg|Auditorium of the culture centre ''Casa Cava''
</gallery>

The ''[[Castello Tramontano|Tramontano Castle]]'', begun in the early sixteenth century by [[Giovanni Carlo Tramontano, Count of Matera|Gian Carlo Tramontano, Count of Matera]], is probably the only other structure that is above ground of any great significance outside the sassi. However, the construction remained unfinished after his assassination in the popular riot of 29 December 1514. It has three large towers, while twelve were probably included in the original design. During some restoration work in the main square of the town, workers came across what were believed to be the main footings of another castle tower. However, on further excavation large Roman cisterns were unearthed. Whole house structures were discovered where one may see how the people of that era lived.

The ''[[Palazzo dell'Annunziata]]'' is a historical building on the main square, seat of Provincial Library.

== Culture ==
On 17 October 2014, Matera was declared [[European Capital of Culture]] for 2019, together with [[Bulgaria]]'s second-largest city, [[Plovdiv]].

=== Cuisine ===
[[File:Pane di Matera (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|140px|Pane di Matera]]
[[File:Crapiata.jpg|thumb|140px|Crapiata]]
[[File:Strazzate.jpg|thumb|140px|Strazzate]]
The cuisine of Matera is a typical {{langnf|it|[[peasant foods|cucina povera]]|cuisine of the poor}} from Southern Italy. It features a sort of blend of Basilicata and [[Apulia]]'s cuisines being in a border area between the two regions. Some specialties are "[[peperoni cruschi]]", a sweet and dry pepper variety very popular in Basilicata, and "Pane di Matera", a type of bread recognizable for its intense flavour and conical shape, granted [[Protected Geographical Indication]] (PGI) status.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.italianfoodexcellence.com/bread-of-matera-a-world-patrimony/|title=Bread of Matera, a world patrimony |website=italianfoodexcellence.com|date=14 November 2016|access-date=16 November 2020}}</ref> Matera produces an eponymous wine which bears the [[Denominazione di origine controllata]] (DOC) designation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.made-in-italy.com/italian-wine/wine-regions/basilicata-wine/|title=The Wines Of Basilicata |website=made-in-italy.com|access-date=15 January 2021}}</ref>

Some dishes from the local cuisine include:
*''Crapiata'', a peasant soup with chickpeas, beans, broad beans, wheat, lentils, cicerchie. An old recipe dating to the Roman period, later enriched with other ingredients such as potatoes, it is a common ritual grown into "Sassi di Matera" and celebrated on 1 August<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vivimatera.it/en/traditions/|title=Traditions |website=vivimatera.it|access-date=15 January 2021}}</ref>
*''[[Orecchiette alla materana]]'', baked [[orecchiette]]-pasta seasoned with tomatoes, lamb, [[mozzarella]] cheese, and [[Pecorino]] cheese
*''[[Pasta con i peperoni cruschi]]'', a pasta dish with [[peperoni cruschi]] and fried breadcrumb. Grated cheese or turnip greens may be added.
*''Cialedda'', a frugal recipe with stale bread as a main ingredient. It may be "calda" (hot) with egg, bay leaves, garlic, and olives or "fredda" (cold) with tomatoes and garlic.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.italia.it/en/travel-ideas/gastronomy/bread-from-matera.html|title=Bread from Matera|website=italia.it|access-date=15 January 2021}}</ref>
*''Pignata'', sheep meat with potatoes, onion, tomatoes, and celery cooked in the "pignata", a terracotta pot shaped like an amphora.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lalucana.com/post/la-pignata-a-materan-classic|title='La Pignata' - A Materan Classic|website=lalucana.com|date=28 February 2018|access-date=15 January 2021}}</ref>
*''Strazzate'', crumbly biscuits prepared with egg, almonds, and coffee

=== Cinema ===
{{See also|Category:Films shot in Matera}}
[[File:Pasolini - foto di Domenico Notarangelo.jpg|thumb|[[Enrique Irazoqui]] and [[Pier Paolo Pasolini]] in Matera, on the set of ''[[The Gospel According to St. Matthew (film)|The Gospel According to St. Matthew]]'', 1964]]
Matera is a popular filming location. It is often labeled as the "Little [[Jerusalem]]" by filmmakers,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Matera: the gorgeous Italian hill town film-makers can't resist|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2021/oct/02/matera-the-gorgeous-italian-hill-town-film-makers-cant-resist|website=The Guardian|date=2 October 2021|access-date= 3 September 2025}}</ref> being the setting for religious-themed films including ''[[The Gospel According to St. Matthew (film)|The Gospel According to St. Matthew]]'' (1964), ''[[King David (film)|King David]]'' (1985), ''[[The Passion of the Christ]]'' (2004), ''[[Mary (2005 film)|Mary]]'' (2005), ''[[The Nativity Story]]'' (2006), ''[[The Omen (2006 film)|The Omen]]'' (2006). Its surrounding landscape which evokes an archaic and isolated world has been immortalized in films such as ''[[La lupa (1953 film)|La lupa]]'' (1953), ''[[Il demonio]]'' (1963), ''[[Christ Stopped at Eboli (film)|Christ Stopped at Eboli]]'' (1979). Matera is also the setting for action/adventure movies such as ''[[Wonder Woman (2017 film)|Wonder Woman]]'' (2017) and ''[[No Time to Die]]'' (2021). Since the late 2010s the city has also attracted [[Bollywood]] productions like ''[[War (2019 film)|War]]'' (2019) and ''[[Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire|Salaar]]'' (2023).

=== Music ===
Matera also appears in several music videos, [[Robin Schulz]]'s ''[[Sun Goes Down (Robin Schulz song)|Sun Goes Down]]'' (2014)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vocespettacolo.com/sun-goes-down-il-videoclip-di-robin-schulz-girato-anche-a-matera/|title=Sun Goes Down, il videoclip di Robin Schulz girato anche a Matera|website=vocespettacolo.com|language=it|date=5 September 2025|access-date=5 September 2025}}</ref> and [[Metallica]]'s ''[[Spit Out the Bone]]'' (2016)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metalinitaly.com/metallica-la-citta-matera-nel-video-spit-out-the-bone/|title=Matera nel nuovo video dei Metallica|website=metalinitaly.com|language=it|date=18 November 2016|access-date=5 September 2025}}</ref> among the others.

=== Religious traditions ===
[[File:Matera - Cattedrale - 14.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Matera Cathedral]]]]
 
The Feast of the Madonna della Bruna, held in Matera on 2 July each year, is notable for its religious procession featuring an ornamented chariot that will be pulled apart by spectators. The origins of the festival are not well known, because its story has changed while being handed down from generation to generation. One of these legends says that a woman asked a farmer to go up on his wagon to accompany her to Matera. When she arrived to the periphery of the city, she got off the wagon and asked farmer to take her message to the bishop. In this message she said she was Christ's mother. The bishop, the clergy, and the folk rushed to receive the Virgin, but they found a statue. So the statue of Madonna entered in the city on a triumphal wagon. Another legend talks about a destruction of the wagon: Saracens besiege Matera and the citizens, to protect the painting of Madonna, hid it on a little wagon. They then destroyed the wagon to keep the Saracens from taking the painting.<ref>{{cite book |last= Rota|first= Lorenzo|date= 2001|title= Matera : the History of a Town|location= Matera|publisher= Giannatelli|page= 342|isbn= 9788897906001}}</ref> 
 
Different hypotheses are attributed to the name of ''Madonna della Bruna'': the first says that the noun derives from the Lombard high-medieval term ''brùnja'' (armor/protection of knights). So the name might mean ''Madonna of defense''. Another hypothesis is that the name comes from ''herbon'', a city of Giudea, where the Virgin went to visit her cousin Elisabetta. A third hypothesis says that the name comes from the colour of the Virgin's face. The profane insertions such as the ''navalis'' wagon and its violent destruction, along with the intimacy and the religious solemnity, suggest this festival shares roots with ancient traditions of other Mediterranean countries. For example, in Greek culture, wedding parties also celebrate with a triumphal wagon (''ships on wheels'' richly designed).<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.festadellabruna.it/?lang=en|title= The Feast of the Madonna della Bruna|author=<!--Not stated--> |date= 2018|website= Festa della Bruna|access-date=March 22, 2019 }}</ref> The Madonna's sculpture is located in a case in the transept of the cathedral dedicated to her, where there is also a fresco that portrays her. It dates back to the thirteenth century and it belongs to the Byzantine school.<ref>{{cite book |last= Morelli|first= Michele|date= 2006|title= La festa della Bruna|location= Matera|publisher= Adecom|isbn= 9788897906001}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
* [[Franco Selvaggi]] (1953), Football Serie A player, Italy National Team player and World Cup 1982 winner
* [[Luigi De Canio]] (1957), football manager
* [[Cristiana De Filippis]] (1992), mathematician
* [[Egidio Duni|Egidio Romualdo Duni]] (1708–1775), composer
* [[Emanuele Gaudiano]] (1986), show jumping rider
* [[Cosimo Fusco]] (1962), actor
* [[John of Matera]] (1070–1139), Benedictine monk and saint
* [[Enzo Masiello]] (1969), Paralympic athlete
* [[Antonio Persio]] (1542–1612), philosopher
* [[Tommaso Stigliani]] (1573–1651), poet and writer
* [[Giovanni Carlo Tramontano, Count of Matera|Giovanni Carlo Tramontano]] (1451–1514), nobleman

== Transportation ==
Matera is the [[Matera Centrale railway station|terminal station]] of the Bari–Matera, a narrow gauge railroad managed by [[Ferrovie Appulo Lucane]]. The nearest airport is [[Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport|Bari Airport]].
Matera is connected to the A14 Bologna-Taranto motorway through the SS99 national road. It is also served by the SS407, SS665 and SS106 national road.

Bus connection to Italy's main cities is provided by private firms.

== Sport ==
* [[FC Matera]]
* [[Olimpia Matera]], a basketball team

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Italy}}
Matera is [[sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web|title=Un'associazione per Romeo Sarra|url=https://www.lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it/news/basilicata/558235/un-associazione-per-romeo-sarra.html|website=lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it|publisher=La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno|language=it|date=2014-05-31|access-date=2021-05-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Toms River Partners With Italian City To Promote Tourism, Cultural Exchanges|url=https://patch.com/new-jersey/tomsriver/toms-river-partners-italian-city-promote-tourism-cultural-exchanges|website=patch.com|publisher=Patch|date=2015-03-07|access-date=2021-05-04}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Oulu]], Finland
*{{flagicon|JOR}} [[Petra]], Jordan
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Toms River, New Jersey|Toms River]], United States

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
Matera - View from Via Santa Cesarea - 1.jpg|View from Via Santa Cesarea
Matera - View from Piazza Duomo - 1.jpg
Matera BW 2016-10-15 13-31-33.jpg|Via Ridola
Matera BW 2016-10-15 13-04-18.jpg|Via Bruno Buozzi
Museo archeologico nazionale di matera, una sala 01.jpg|Domenico Ridola archeological museum
Matera palazzo dell'Annunziata.JPG|[[Palazzo dell'Annunziata]]
Matera - San Francesco d'Assisi - 2.jpg|Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi
Sant'Agostino (Matera).jpg|Church of San Agostino
Matera - San Giovanni Battista - 01.jpg|Church of San Giovanni Battista
Matera - Piazza San Pietro Caveoso at blue hour.jpg|San Pietro Caveoso at blue hour
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[Church of San Leonardo (Matera)]]
* [[Matera Centrale railway station]]
* [[Sassi di Matera]]

== Further reading ==
* {{cite web |title=Italy's impressive subterranean civilisation |website=BBC Travel |date=10 Mar 2023 |first=Elizabeth |last=Warkentin |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230309-italys-impressive-subterranean-civilisation}}

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
* {{citation |last=Bondioli |first=Lorenzo M. |chapter=Islamic Bari between the Aghlabids and the Two Empires |title=The Aghlabids and Their Neighbors: Art and Material Culture in Ninth-Century North Africa |editor1-last=Anderson |editor1-first=Glaire D. |editor2-last=Fenwick |editor2-first=Corisande |editor3-last=Rosser-Owen |editor3-first=Mariam |place=Leiden |publisher=Brill |year=2018 |pages=470–490 |isbn=978-90-04-35566-8}}
* {{citation |last=Churchill |first=William J. |title=The ''Annales Barenses'' and the ''Annales Lupi Protospatharii'': Critical Edition and Commentary |place=PhD thesis |publisher=University of Toronto |year=1979 |url=http://www.billchurchill.com/Dissertation/ChurchillDissertation.pdf}}
* {{citation |last=von Falkenhausen |first=Vera |author-link=Vera von Falkenhausen |title=Untersuchungen über die byzantinische Herrschaft in Süditalien vom 9. bis ins 11. Jahrhundert |place=Wiesbaden |publisher=Harrassowitz |year=1967}}
* {{citation |last=Gay |first=Jules |title=L'Italie méridionale et l'Empire byzantin depuis l'avènement de Basile Ier jusqu'à la prise de Bari par les Normands (867-1071) |place=Paris |publisher=Fontemoing |year=1904 |url=https://archive.org/details/litaliemridiona00gaygoog}}
* {{citation|last=Giura Longo|first=Raffaele |title=Sassi e secoli|location=Matera|publisher=BMG|year=1970}}
* {{citation |last=Kreutz |first=Barbara |title=Before the Normans: Southern Italy in the Ninth and Tenth Centuries |place=Philadelphia, PA |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |year=1991 |isbn=0-8122-1587-7}}
* {{citation |last=Loud |first=Graham A. |author-link=Graham Loud |title=The Age of Robert Guiscard: Southern Italy and the Norman Conquest |place=London |publisher=Routledge |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-582-04529-3}}
* {{citation |editor-last=Loud |editor-first=Graham A. |title=Roger II and the Creation of the Kingdom of Sicily |place=Manchester |publisher=Manchester University Press |year=2012 |isbn=9780719082016}}
* {{citation |last=Loud |first=Graham A. |title=The Social World of the Abbey of Cava, c.1020–1300 |place=Woodbridge |publisher=Boydell |year=2021 |isbn=9781783276325}}
* {{citation |last=Murray |first=Alan V. |chapter=From Alexandria to Tinnīs: the kingdom of Sicily, Egypt and the Holy Land, 1154–87 |title=Rethinking Norman Italy: Studies in honour of Graham A. Loud |editor1-last=Drell |editor1-first=Joanna H. |editor2-last=Oldfield |editor2-first=Paul |place=Manchester |publisher=Manchester University Press |year=2021 |pages=305–322 |isbn=9781526138538}}
* {{citation |last=Musca |first=Giosuè |title=L'emirato di Bari, 847–871 |place=Bari |publisher=Dedalo |year=1964}}
* {{citation |last=Toxey |first=Ann Parmly |title=Materan Contradictions: Architecture, Preservation and Politics |place=Farnham |publisher=Ashgate |year=2011 |isbn=9781409412076}}
* {{citation |last=Whittow |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Whittow |title=The Making of Orthodox Byzantium, 600–1025 |place=Basingstoke |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=1996 |isbn=9780333496015}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|wikt=no|commons=Matera|b=no|n=no|q=Matera|s=1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Matera|v=no|voy=Matera}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um2-hqeEELQ Travel Video promotion APT Basilicata {{in lang|en}}]
* [https://whc.unesco.org/sites/670.htm UNESCO site]
* [http://www.museolaboratorio.it/ Museo Laboratorio della Civiltà Contadina]
* [https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4616480.stm BBC News: Italian cave city goes hi-tech]

{{Province of Matera}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Italy}}
{{European Capital of Culture}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Matera| ]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Basilicata]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 3rd century BC]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Italy]]