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All Italy Matera

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Matera

6 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Matera, Italy

Updated August 19, 2024
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Unusual Attractions in Matera

Looking out onto la Civita, the city center, from an ancient grotto in Sassi di Matera.

Matera, Italy

Sassi di Matera

People have been living in the cave houses on this Italian hillside since the Neolithic era.
Skulls on the wooden door.

Matera, Italy

Chiesa del Purgatorio

Skulls and skeletons are omnipresent in this church dedicated to souls trapped in purgatory.
Paintings on the walls

Matera, Italy

The Crypt of the Original Sin

A cave in southern Italy adorned with thousand-year-old Biblical frescoes existed in obscurity until fairly recently.
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The sculpture park.

Matera, Italy

La Palomba

An abandoned quarry hides an open-air gallery of huge sculptures, some made from the rubble of 9/11.
Centro di Geodesia Spaziale (Center for Space Geodesy)

Matera, Italy

Centro di Geodesia Spaziale (Center for Space Geodesy)

One of the few places of its kind, this space research center sits deep in the countryside of Matera.
Piazza degli Olmi

Matera, Italy

Piazza degli Olmi

A unique urban square characterized by raw concrete structures and bold geometric forms.
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Gravina in Puglia, Italy

Ponte Acquedotto

An impressive bridge over a ravine also served as an aqueduct.
14 miles from Matera
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Explore Matera, Italy

Architecture 2
Art 2
Caves 2
Unesco 2
Ecosystems 2
Biblical 1
Sculptures 1
Ancient 1
Houses 1
Government 1
Memento Mori 1
Paintings 1
Architectural Oddities 1
Sacred Spaces 1
Eccentric Homes 1
Cave Paintings 1
Quarries 1
Brutalism 1
Sculpture Gardens 1
Death 1

Matera Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. StepYoshi profile photo
    StepYoshi
    2
  2. GFire profile photo
    GFire
    1
  3. P pn161220 profile photo
    pn161220
    1
  4. J Juglans Regia profile photo
    Juglans Regia
    1
  5. fffanci profile photo
    fffanci
    1
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Places Edited

  1. L lauriepcarroll profile photo
    lauriepcarroll
    1
  2. Blindcolour profile photo
    Blindcolour
    1
  3. MagnumPI profile photo
    MagnumPI
    1
  4. R rlaugen profile photo
    rlaugen
    1
  5. A aribrown profile photo
    aribrown
    1
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Places Visited

  1. G garyamos50 profile photo
    garyamos50
    6
  2. M mariosanna98ms profile photo
    mariosanna98ms
    5
  3. I influx profile photo
    influx
    5
  4. A abbatesamu profile photo
    abbatesamu
    5
  5. W Wonder Voyage profile photo
    Wonder Voyage
    4
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Recent Matera Activity

  • S seans6446 profile photo

    seans6446

    has been to Sassi di Matera

  • P polinarowena profile photo

    polinarowena

    wants to go to Chiesa del Purgatorio

  • H hardwire75 profile photo

    hardwire75

    wants to go to Chiesa del Purgatorio

  • H hardwire75 profile photo

    hardwire75

    wants to go to Sassi di Matera

  • H hardwire75 profile photo

    hardwire75

    wants to go to The Crypt of the Original Sin

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
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