The City Carved Into Rock: Audio Tour of Matera

Duration1h 30m - 2h

Free cancellationFull refund up to 24 hours before

Instant confirmationYour booking is confirmed right away

TicketMobile or paper ticket accepted

LanguagesEnglish

Private tourOnly your group will participate

Overview

Matera is one of Italy's most singular cities, where cave dwellings and Baroque cathedrals share the same ancient rock. On this self-guided audio tour, you'll trace the city's full arc, from medieval origins and desperate poverty to its reinvention as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Starting at the Chiesa di San Francesco, you'll climb to the refined Piano quarter before descending into the Sasso Caveoso, where families once shared single rooms with their livestock.
Along the way, discover Matera's extraordinary underground water system, including a cistern holding 5 million litres, and the story of the vicinato — communal cave neighbourhoods that sustained social life from prehistory through the 1950s. The tour ends at the cliff-carved monastery of Madonna delle Virtù e San Nicola dei Greci, where Byzantine frescoes document the shift from rigid, solemn saints to more expressive, human figures.

What's included

Lifetime access to this tour in English before your booking date and after it
Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata
Flexibility to explore at your own pace with a self-guided GPS tour
App for Android and iOS
Directions to the starting point so that when you’re in the right place, the tour will start

Smartphone and headphones
Transportation
Food and drink
Personal expenses for admission fees not included during the tour

What to expect

Piazza del Sedile
Pass by

Begin your walk in Piazza del Sedile, once called Piazza Maggiore and the city's main administrative hub since the 14th century. Take in the Palazzo del Sedile, seat of Matera's self-governing citizen assembly for centuries, its facade adorned with statues of the city's patron saints.
Pass by

Discover the Chiesa di San Francesco, whose 18th-century Rococo facade conceals layers of art dating back to the 1200s. Step inside to uncover centuries of artistic history hidden behind this later, more ornate exterior.
Cathedral Basilica of Matera
Pass by

Visit the austere Romanesque cathedral, whose interior hides a 13th-century fresco of the Last Judgment. Look closely to spot friars tied to unclothed women, a pointed medieval dig at clerical hypocrisy.
Pass by

Explore the Domenico Ridola Archaeological Museum, home to a 1.5-million-year-old whale fossil found near Matera. Discover artefacts spanning the city's history from prehistory through antiquity.
Castello Tramontano, Matera, Italy
Pass by

Discover the story of Count Tramontano and his 16th-century castle. Learn how his unpopular rule and this unfinished fortress became entwined in Matera's turbulent history.
Chiesa del Purgatorio
Pass by

Marvel at the Chiesa del Purgatorio's striking facade, carved with skulls and skeletons representing nobles, clergy, and commoners alike, all equal in death. Step through its 36-panel wooden door into a surprisingly bright and colourful Baroque interior, built between 1725 and 1747.
Pass by

Discover how Matera's extraordinary underground water system, including this cistern holding 5 million litres, helped earn its UNESCO status. Marvel at the scale of this hidden engineering feat carved beneath the city's main square.
Chiesa Di San Pietro Caveoso
Pass by

Stand before the Chiesa di San Pietro Caveoso, perched dramatically on the edge of the ravine overlooking the Gravina. Explore this 13th-century church, rebuilt in Baroque style in the 17th century, and one of Sasso Caveoso's most important spiritual landmarks.
Pass by

Explore San Pietro Barisano, the largest rock-hewn church in Matera, carved into the cliff since the 12th century. Discover its underground niches once used for draining corpses, along with 15th- and 16th-century frescoes of saints and biblical scenes.
Pass by

Visit two interconnected rock churches, Madonna dell'Idris and San Giovanni in Monterrone, carved into the same cliff. Discover Byzantine frescoes here that document the shift from rigid, solemn saints to more expressive, human figures.

Meeting and pickup

Meeting point

This tour starts at Chiesa di San Francesco. Before arrival, please install the mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket. Detailed starting point instructions are available after downloading.

End point

Tour ends at Madonna delle Virtù e San Nicola dei Greci

Additional information

Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

From

$9.99 per person

Check availability & book

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts
Instant confirmation
You'll choose your date and travelers and pay on viator.com. Prices vary by date, group size and option.

Operated by VoiceMap Audio Tours · Booked through Viator

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