“Anyone who sees Matera can’t help but be awe-struck, so expressive and touching is its sorrowful beauty”. This is what painter Carlo Levi wrote to describe Matera, the city in the region of Basilicata famous for its “Sassi” (stones) – the city centre’s districts made up of houses carved out of caves and cliffs – that went from being considered the shame of Italy to being chosen as one of the 2019 European Capitals of Culture, as well as being designated a Unesco World Heritage Site. A title that confirms what the Lucanians, the descendants of the ancient inhabitants of the region – as well as many others – already know: this is a fragile, marvellous and unique place. However long you’re staying, these are our suggestions for things to do and see in Matera, a travel itinerary in the province of Matera that includes the Sassi, caves and churches as well as walking tours, where to eat and day trips to fall in love with this magical city.

Read more: Timeless Matera, a journey into Italy’s city of stone

View of the Matera Sassi from the Belvedere, a true spectacle especially early in the morning and at dawn © Simona Denise Deiana

View from the Belvedere viewpoint inside the Murgia Materana Park. You can get here by crossing the Statale 7 and following the road signs © Simona Denise Deiana

The Santa Maria of Idris and San Giovanni in Monterone churches above the square in which the San Pietro Caveoso church is located © Simona Denise Deiana

This iron bridge is well known by the people of Matera: the railway should have passed here but it was never finished © Simona Denise Deiana

Light shining on the Sassi of Matera on a sunny day © Simona Denise Deiana

The panoramic road that needs to be crossed to reach the Crypt of the Original Sin © Simona Denise Deiana

The cross above the Santa Maria of Idris church in the Sassi © Simona Denise Deiana

The Sasso Caveoso looks particularly ancient especially in the final area that meets via Casalnuovo. Instead, the San Nicola dei Greci church, with its wonderful frescoes from the 13th century, and the Madonna della Virtù church of the 11th-12th centuries are in the Sasso Bariano © Simona Denise Deiana

The collection of sculptures held in the Musma's third excavated hypogeum © Musma

Detail of a palm tree in one of the frescoes in the Crypt of the Original Sin, in Pietrapenta

Matera and the Sassi seen from the Murgia Timone © Simona Denise Deiana

Scenery in the Murgia Materana Park © Simona Denise Deiana

Matera is surrounded by beautiful nature, between the Parco della Murgia Materana and the Gravina river © Simona Denise Deiana

Matera is preparing for 2019, year in which it will be European Capital of Culture © Simona Denise Deiana

Detail of a fresco found in the Crypt of the Original Sin, the red flowers that can be found throughout the crypt can be seen very clearly

Madonna Regina, detail of the fresco in the Crypt of the Original Sin in Matera

Things to do and see in Matera

Musma, the museum of contemporary sculpture in Matera

Like many of Matera’s wonders, the Musma can’t miss from a travel itinerary to explore this city: it is located in the Sasso Caveoso, a wonderful yet labyrinthian area of the city. The uniqueness of this place is immeditaly obvious, it is in fact the most important Italian museum dedicated to sculpture: though this art form is often overlooked in the country, in this case many evocative spaces are dedicated to it. The works are found inside Palazzo Pomarici (dating from the 16th century) as well as the various excavated chambers. This vast collection covers the course of Italian and international sculpture from the late 1800s to modern times through sculptures, ceramics, medallions, jewels, drawings, graphics and books, made even more fascinating by the museum’s atmosphere.

It is a mysterious and exciting journey: we suggest not to follow the map you receive in the museum but to let yourself be guided by the light that seeps through the openings in the Sassi from the courtyard, and let yourself be amazed by what it reveals. This is the only way to really admire the astonishing site itself, not only the beauty of the sculptures. The silence is striking, as well as the sounds that accompany the light effects created by being inside the Sassi. A truly magnificent experience that will help you appreciate the sculptures in their various forms, and understand the close relationship between the location and art. The Musma is the only “cave” museum in the world, a source of national pride and true marvel. It is closed on Mondays and opens from 10am to 2pm and from 4pm to8 pm from April to September.

A walking tour, visiting the city (not only the Sassi) from dusk to dawn

Matera isn’t only the Sassi, there are many characteristic sites in the higher section of the city – called Civita by its inhabitants – that should be visited at specific times of the day. It is pretty clear that light plays an important role here: even in winter the sun shines on the Sassi and some of the city’s monuments, making them even more breathtaking. The best time to explore the city is at dusk: most locals are still asleep and haven’t started their day yet, only a few brave tourists are awake in the early hours.

This is the walking tour we suggest to explore the Sassi, the lower part of the city, after seeing what the higher part of Matera has to offer: the San Biagio church is a small marvel but is only open on the 3rd of February to celebrate the saint it is dedicated to; if you keep walking towards the city centre you’ll reach San Giovanni Battista church, a perfect mixture of romantic, Gothic and arabesque elements. Then, in a corner of Vittorio Veneto square, the sun kisses San Domenico church and convent, whose rose window depicts a dog with a torch in its mouth, symbol of the Domenicani (domini canes, the dog that guards the Lord: the torch represents faith).

Even if art isn’t your passion a visit to Palazzo Lanfranchi, where the