Matera Full Day — Sassi & Murgia Materana Park
The city and the canyon together. The most complete way to understand Matera.
Matera cannot be fully understood from one side of the canyon alone.
The Sassi and the Murgia Materana Park are two faces of the same landscape — one urban, one wild, separated by the Gravina canyon but inseparable in their history. From the Sassi you look across to the plateau where neolithic farmers first settled. From the Murgia you look back at the city they built over thousands of years. Each perspective changes what you see in the other.
This full day tour combines both. Half day in the Sassi — the cave districts, the underground sites, the Old Town. The other half in the Murgia Materana Park — the cave churches, the prehistoric settlements, the view that many visitors to Matera never see. By the end of the day, the relationship between the two landscapes begins to make sense in a way that no half day tour can achieve.
How the day works
Typically, the morning follows the same approach as the Sassi walking tour — private, no fixed route, adapted to your interests. We’ll move through the Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano at a deliberate pace, with at least one underground site chosen based on what you want to understand.
In the afternoon we cross to the Murgia Materana Park. A mean of transportation is needed. The park contains cave churches with medieval frescoes, Neolithic settlements, and Bronze Age tombs — all within the same dramatic landscape above the canyon. The exact itinerary on the Murgia depends on what is open and what interests you most.
The day can include a private wine and food tasting in one of Matera’s cave restaurants — the perfect missing element to a full day spent between stone and history.
- Duration: full day (approximately 5-6 hours, with a lunch break)
- Private: your group only
- Conducted entirely in English
- Transport to the Murgia is required
- Can be combined with wine tasting
From Matera, the Murgia calls. From the Murgia, Matera looks different.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is this the right tour if I only have one day in Matera?
Yes — if you have one full day and want to see both the city and the surrounding landscape, this is the most complete option. If your time is limited to a morning or afternoon, the Sassi half day tour is the better choice.
Q: Do I need to be fit for the Murgia part?
For this tour, the Murgia Materana Park is reached by car. The trails on the plateau are easy if you wear proper shoes — no difficult hiking required. The morning Sassi section involves walking on uneven cobblestones and some steps, which is manageable for most visitors.
Q: What is the difference between this and the Murgia Timone half day tour?
The half day Murgia tour focuses entirely on the park. This full day combines the Sassi in the morning with the Murgia in the afternoon — it is a longer, more complete experience that connects the two landscapes.
Q: How much does this tour cost?
Tours are priced per group, not per person — rates depend on group size. Contact me for a personalised quote.
Q: Can the day include a wine tasting?
Yes — a private tasting in a cave restaurant is a natural fit for this tour, not to miss any aspect of the local culture and history. Get in touch and I’ll put together a full itinerary.