Top Matera Walking Tours

Matera is home to the Sassi cave churches and dwellings that make up one of the oldest cities in the world. Join your guide for an in-depth tour of the Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano districts to learn about their unique history and evolution. Discover rupestrian structures, stroll the steep and narrow lanes, and gain a deeper understanding of how this town, once called the “Shame of Italy”, is now a UNESCO-listed treasure.

The UNESCO-listed Sassi di Matera is both captivating and mysterious. With this guided tour, take a deep dive into the history of this unique rupestrian city, named a 2019 European Capital of Culture. Explore its hidden dwellings and churches carved directly into the cliff, the setting for a number of films, including Ben Hur. Cap off the tour with a tasting of local specialties from Matera.

Private tour with a multilingual tour guide that will lead just you discovering the city and its history.

Make the most of your time in Matera and see the main tourist attractions in just a few hours with this guided tour. Stroll through the most historic districts of the city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, including Sasso Barisano and Sasso Caveoso, to learn about the unique evolution of this 'city of cave houses' over the millennia. Explore cave churches and dwellings, admire Baroque and Romanesque architecture, and views of the urban landscape and surrounding countryside.

The Sassi di Matera are one of the most fascinating sights in southern Italy, but these ancient cave dwellings can be difficult to interpret on your own. With this guided tour, see the most interesting cave homes and rupestrian churches in the cliffside town in just hours and enjoy insights into their history and significance from your guide. Stroll through the most picturesque squares in the historic center to snap photos.

The UNESCO World Heritage-listed rock city of Matera stretches over a steep cliff, so exploring it on foot can be tiring. Explore as much as possible without getting tired with this tour aboard an authentic Italian Ape Calessino (Tuk Tuk). Zip through the streets of the historic Sasso Caveoso neighborhood to admire the main churches and squares and snap photos of the famous cave houses and views of the surrounding valley.

You will visit Matera with a local tour guide that knows the city and will lead you to discover it as only an inhabitant can do.

On this in-depth guided tour of Parca della Murgia, you’ll get an insider’s introduction to the stunning, underground Rupestrian churches that Matera is famous for. Get a peek at 150 rock churches, including fresco-filled San Falcion and 17th-century Madonna delle Tre Porte. Tours include admission fees to the park and a guided excursion.

Delve into the history and mystery of UNESCO-listed Matera, home to the Sassi cave city that traces its history back to prehistoric times. Explore one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world with a guide, stopping to visit rupestrian churches and homes and learn about the evolution of this singular cliffside town. Stroll through the Sasso Barisano and pause to snap photos of the town and surrounding valley.

Explore the lovely Sasso Caveoso district in the city of Matera on a 2-hour tour walking tour with a knowledgeable local guide. Visit one cave, one church and the historical center, hearing about the fascinating history and subterranean architecture of the city. See parts of the famous Sassi of Matera, ancient cave dwellings that are still in use today and have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

With our walking tours, you’ll skip the mundane historical tours and discover the city through a local’s eyes. Experience a tour that will transform the way you travel to make it as much about the people you meet, as it is the places you see. Our local guides (Lokafyers) are passionate about their city and eager to share their knowledge and perspective. Since Lokafyers are not professional guides and tour occasionally, they provide an experience that’s authentic and personal, like a friend showing you around their city. By the end of the tour, you'll feel comfortable navigating the city and confident that you have all the information you need to make the most of your stay.

Covid measures: Each participant will have a receiving radio guide (with disposable earphone) that will allow them to hear the guide well, while maintaining the safety distance from it The modern city of Matera develops on a plateau while the two Sassi districts are vertically built inside a canyon, on the side of a gorge. On the other side there is the Murgia park with its caves, where you can take panoramic walks. The urban area of the Sassi has undergone so many transformation and stratification processes that its architecture is in fact fascinating. Along the tour there are many stops for historical, architectural and social study, observing those aspects that have determined, over the centuries, the changing socio-economic conditions of the territory with the progressive, slow and inexorable degradation and abandonment of the Sassi, until to be able to appreciate the limelight and the enhancement that the Sassi are experiencing today

Pietrapertosa is a small mountain village in Basilicata at 1088 meters above sea level. It is located inside the Park of Gallipoli Cognato and the Little Lucanian Dolomites and is surrounded by fantastically shaped sandstones. Pietrapertosa Saracen fortress acquired importance with the Normans. The guided tour will take you to know the area of Arabata, the oldest and most striking of Pietrapertosa. In the walking path in the historic center. The tour continues by visiting the solar clock, the sundial of Pietrapertosa and the many staircases: alleys carved into the rock. The guided tour ends with a visit to the magnificent Norman-Swabian castle, formerly Saracen fortress, dominating from the top of the rocks. As an alternative to the classic historical-archaeological itinerary, one can choose to undertake the "Path of the seven stones", a naturalistic-trekking path that connects the municipalities of Pietrapertosa and Castelmezzano to be covered in about ninety minutes

Discover the old mountainside city of Matera on a 2-hour private walking tour. Visit the city’s key landmarks like Palazzo Lanfranchi, the church of San Pietro Caveoso, the Sasso Caveoso, and visit a typical cave house from the region. Learn about the history of this centuries-old city from your informative guide and even walk the streets where Mel Gibson filmed scenes from ‘The Passion of the Christ.’

Castelmezzano, surrounded by a rocky landscape, has preserved the original medieval urban layout with houses built on the rock according to the ancient form of terracing, with the roofs in stone slabs. The walking tour will take you to the discovery of the historical center. It will be discovered how Castelmezzano at the time of the Crusades was an important stop for the knights who went to the Holy Land. Here you will also visit the Mother Church of Santa Maria (called dell'Olmo) made of local stone with inside a wooden statue of the Madonna with Child and a wooden baroque altar. The tour will continue in the village among the palaces built by noble families such as the great ducal palace of De Lerma, the last lords of Castelmezzano. The tour will end with a visit to the ruins of the Norman-Swabian castle and the narrow and very steep Norman staircase, the staircase was dug into the rock to lead the soldiers to a high place to watch over the fortress

Get more out of your visit to Sassi di Matera with a guide to show you the best ways around the area. Along with leading you through the region, your guide will also tell you interesting historical and cultural facts as you go. Plus, see tops attractions such as Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano. 

This is a tailor-made tour. People can decide to stop wherever they like. They will have time to explore the Old Town and its history and enjoy wonderful landscape.

Join this fascinating 2-hour private tour of the Matera Sassi. Meet your expert guide in Piazzetta Pascoli, a viewpoint with a breathtaking panorama over the stones of Matera. Make your way down narrow stairways into the heart of Sasso Caveoso, one of the two Civita' districts, towards the baroque style church, San Pietro Caveoso. Venture inside a rupestrian church (carved into the rock), visit Santa Maria di Idris, set into a large, limestone rock and the ancient monastery, Santa Lucia alle Malve that has remarkable 1000 year old frescoes. Head up a stairway to see a cave house and get an understanding how people once lived. In the Sasso Barisano district you can admire the churches of Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Clare and the stunning Romanesque Cathedral. Marvel at this UNESCO World Heritage site and chosen location for numerous Hollywood movies. Together with your guide you'll discover the magic, history, architecture and stories of the exquisite Matera.

Have you ever woken up at dawn? If so, you have surely noticed that everything is more magical at that time. The warm light lengthens the shadows and enhances the shapes. Cycling early in the morning, especially on very hot days, has the advantage of not suffering much from the temperature while enjoying the clean air. Cycling up to the Murgia park (about 8km), even if it has a challenging climb in the last two km, is a very beautiful experience because it allows you to admire Matera from a unique point of view and, doing it in the morning, allows you to enjoy the better light to observe the details and understand how the city has evolved from simple caves to a tangle of alleys and steps with the houses below that form the basis of those above.

Explore the 3 districts of Matera: Civita’ and the most fascinating part of the old town, named “Sassi”: Sassi Barisano and Caveoso. The guide will pick you up and bring you to Matera where you will start the guided walking tour. Stop 1 - MATERA - 2 hours. The stones of Matera is a real cultural landscape, capable of perpetuating from the most distant prehistoric past to the modern times.During the walking tour which lasts approx. 2 hours, our professional guides will show you the Sassi and take you to visite inside of a cave house to see the tools, the furniture, the lifestyle of the people that lived in THE SASSI OF MATERA , will take you back in time. transfer - 1 hour Stop 2 Alberobello 90 minutes The first trulli showed up in the prehistoric age being part of an ancient settlement in the Itria Valley.Still, the oldest trulli we know today are in Alberobello, dating back to the 14th Century. A visite inside of a trullo will show you the magic of this place.

Miglionico is located on a hill near Matera between the Bradano and Basento rivers and is famous for the majestic Malconsiglio castle, known for the historic conspiracy of the Barons (1485) against King Ferdinando I of Naples. Flanked by square and circular circular towers, placed at the top of the building. On the upper floor, there are the Malconsiglio hall, where the conspiracy was held, and the Star or Spirits room with a star-shaped ceiling and caskets where the most precious treasures and documents were kept. After the visit of the castle the tour continues towards the mother church of Santa Maria Maggiore which preserves precious works such as the splendid Polyptych (1499) oil on panel of the Venetian master Cima da Conegliano, composed of eighteen panels arranged in four orders, with a central beautiful Virgin on the Throne with Child and St. John the Baptist, the Crucifix by Father Umile Da Petralia Soprana (1629) and the great baroque organ.

The beautiful Italian city of Matera is known for its incredible caves, and ancient stone settlements known as “Sassi”. Get the most out of your time in this spectacular city without the worry of getting lost by going on a guided tour. Enjoy having a private guide to escort you to palaces, caves, churches, and hidden spots you might not discover alone, with fascinating commentary along the way.

ALBEROBELLO --- 1st Stop --- 90 minutes The trulli are an important example of rural architecture that still survives today. The panoramic view on Rione Aia Piccola with its infinite expanse of conical roofs is enchanting. Don't miss the opportunity to live an authentic experience in Alberobello Rione Monti and Aia piccola --- 1 hour of driving between the two towns MATERA --- 2nd Stop --- 2 hours Explore this complex and beautiful network of caves, this beautiful ancient town. During the walking tour, we will show you the Sasso Caveoso area, named "Sassi". Afterwards, you will be given some free time to also discover the new town.

Private guided walking tour in the company of a local guide who will accompany you to discover the "Sassi", interspersing the visit of the monuments to tastings in typical places of typical local products