What if you could walk through a city that has been continuously inhabited for over 9,000 years? Not ruins; an actual, living city, where people were still sleeping in cave dwellings as recently as the 1950s?
That’s Matera. And it’s unlike anywhere else on earth.
The Sassi di Matera (the cave districts carved into the sides of two dramatic ravines) were for centuries home to an entire civilization layered on top of itself. Churches cut directly into the rock. Houses built over older houses built over even older ones. A place where the concept of time feels genuinely elastic.
In the 20th century, the Italian government forcibly relocated the Sassi residents, deeming the conditions unacceptable. The writer Carlo Levi famously called it “the shame of Italy.” Today, those same caves have been transformed into boutique hotels, restaurants, and one of the most atmospheric UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe. The shame became the pride, and the story is all the more fascinating for it.
Walking through Matera with a knowledgeable guide changes everything. The layers of history for instance the Paleolithic settlements, Byzantine rock churches with surviving frescoes, Norman influence, Bourbon era relocations and so on need context to fully land. Without it, you see beautiful stone. With it, you see one of humanity’s most extraordinary stories of survival and reinvention.
Matera was also the European Capital of Culture in 2019, which introduced it to a new generation of travellers. But it still manages to feel strangely quiet, contemplative, and deeply human.
Reaching Matera from Bari takes about 1.5 hours by road manageable for a day trip, but you need to plan it well. Our Bari Shore Excursion takes care of all the logistics, combining Matera with Alberobello and Polignano a Mare in a single full day from the cruise port with a certified bilingual guide, round-trip transport, and free time built in to explore at your own pace.
Nine thousand years of history are waiting for you.
→ Check availability and book your spot here.
