Things to see · Museums
Domenico Ridola National Archaeological Museum
Matera (Matera)
Domenico Ridola National Archaeological Museum is in Matera, province of Matera. Opening hours: Temporarily closed since 7 April 2025 for energy-efficiency works and a new display. Check the National Museums of Matera website for reopening. Admission: On reopening: National Museums of Matera ticket (full €10, reduced €2).
- On reopening: National Museums of Matera ticket (full €10, reduced €2).
- Temporarily closed since 7 April 2025 for energy-efficiency works and a new display. Check the National Museums of Matera website for reopening.
About this place
The Domenico Ridola National Archaeological Museum tells the most ancient story of Matera and its territory, from prehistory to Magna Grecia. It is part of the Matera National Museums together with Palazzo Lanfranchi and is located in via Ridola, a short walk from the Sasso Caveoso.
History
The museum was founded in 1911 thanks to senator Domenico Ridola, a doctor and archaeologist from Matera, who donated to the State the collections he had gathered over years of excavations around the city. It is housed in the former convent of Santa Chiara. It is one of the oldest archaeological museums in Basilicata and holds key finds that help explain why Matera is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world.
The collections
• Palaeolithic and Neolithic: tools of the first inhabitants of the caves of the Murgia and materials from the Neolithic fortified villages discovered around the gravina (ravine).
• Metal Ages: the funerary goods from the necropolises of the area.
• Magna Grecia and Italic peoples: archaeological contexts from the 8th century BC onwards and painted vases, including the Rizzon collection.
• The whale Giuliana: the section dedicated to the fossil remains of a large prehistoric whale found in the Matera area.
• «Tiresia, il mito tra le tue mani» (Tiresias, the myth in your hands): a multisensory route with replicas of Magna Grecia vases that you can touch.
Current status
Since 7 April 2025 the museum has been temporarily closed for energy-efficiency works and a new layout, which will give more space to prehistory and the history of the city. On some occasions, such as the European Heritage Days, guided tours were organised to present the new project. In the meantime, you can visit the museum’s other site within the National Museums, Palazzo Lanfranchi.
How to get there
• On foot: the museum is on via Domenico Ridola, the street that connects piazza Vittorio Veneto with piazza Pascoli, in the historic centre.
• By car: it is best to leave your car in one of the city’s car parks and continue on foot.
Useful information
• Before your visit, check the Matera National Museums website to see whether the museum has reopened.
• When it reopens, the ticket will be the Matera National Museums ticket.
