Matera

Spend the morning in the Sassi, the two ancient districts carved into the rock: Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano, divided by the Civita, the spur crowned by the Cathedral. They have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993, and Matera was European Capital of Culture in 2019.

• The Cathedral of the Madonna della Bruna, in Apulian Romanesque style
• The rock churches of Santa Maria de Idris and San Pietro Caveoso
• A furnished cave house, to see how people lived in the Sassi
• The Palombaro Lungo, a huge cistern under Piazza Vittorio Veneto
• The Ridola Archaeological Museum and Palazzo Lanfranchi

In the afternoon cross the ravine to the Murgia Materana Park: from the Murgia Timone viewpoint the whole city lies in front of you, and it is the best spot for sunset.

Spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons for walking up and down the steps and alleys. Summer is hot in the middle of the day: visit early in the morning and in the evening. On 2 July the city celebrates the Madonna della Bruna, with the procession and the storming of the triumphal cart.

Matera is not on the national railway network: you arrive on the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane trains from Bari or by car. The nearest airport is Bari, about an hour's drive away. The Sassi are explored on foot: leave the car in the car parks outside the old town.

Pane di Matera PGI, a tall durum wheat bread; crunchy dried peppers (peperoni cruschi), crapiata (a soup of pulses and grains), cialledda, broad beans with chicory and cheeses from the Murgia farms.