5 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Matera - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in Matera

Sassi di Matera

People have been living in the cave houses on this Italian hillside since the Neolithic era.

The Crypt of the Original Sin

A cave in southern Italy adorned with thousand-year-old Biblical frescoes existed in obscurity until fairly recently.

La Palomba

An abandoned quarry hides an open-air gallery of huge sculptures, some made from the rubble of 9/11.

Chiesa del Purgatorio

Skulls and skeletons are omnipresent in this church dedicated to souls trapped in purgatory.

Centro di Geodesia Spaziale (Center for Space Geodesy)

One of the few places of its kind, this space research center sits deep in the countryside of Matera.

Are we missing something unusual in Matera?

Gravina in Puglia, Italy

Ponte Acquedotto

An impressive bridge over a ravine also served as an aqueduct.

14 miles from Matera

Province of Matera, Italy

The Village of Craco

An Italian hillside ghost town.

21 miles from Matera

Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.

Atlas Obscura Trips

Culinary Naples: Producers, Purveyors, and Pizzaioli

From street food to lavish feasts, piping-hot coffee to smooth aperitivos, folk songs to opera, hilltop farms to urban wilds, immerse yourself in the greatest culinary and cultural experiences of Naples, meeting lively local Neapolitani for whom this is the only way to live.

Explore Matera, Italy

Launch Map

Matera Leaderboard

Places Added

Places Edited

Places Visited

Recent Matera Activity

bajerana wants to go to Chiesa del Purgatorio

bajerana has been to The Crypt of the Original Sin

babewithclaws wants to go to La Palomba

nataliadobrocka

nataliadobrocka has been to Chiesa del Purgatorio

nataliadobrocka

nataliadobrocka has been to The Crypt of the Original Sin