Not a museum with display cases but a piece of storytelling: in an old house in the Sassi the history of the city is projected onto the walls. The most sensible first item on any itinerary.
The house
Casa Noha belongs to the Italian heritage fund FAI. The house was in family ownership for centuries and was handed over to the foundation. Instead of furnishing it, they turned it into a room for narrative – the empty spaces are the screen.
The presentation
In several rooms projections summarise the history of Matera: the origin of the cave settlement, life in the Sassi, the poverty of the twentieth century, the resettlement of the 1950s, the decades of emptiness and the late rediscovery. Images, maps and the voices of witnesses alternate; the sound carries you from room to room.
What is notable is that the account does not skip the uncomfortable parts. The resettlement is told neither as pure liberation nor as pure injustice, but as both – which is closer to the truth than most short versions.
When to visit
The visit gives most at the beginning of a stay. Having seen the presentation, you understand the city far better on the walk afterwards: the terraces, the cisterns, the empty doorways acquire a context. Without it, much stays scenery.
Practical
The presentation lasts about half an hour and runs at fixed intervals. The house lies in the Sassi and is reached by steps. It is worth asking locally about the language version.
Read on
- Casa Grotta – the furnished cave dwelling as a complement
- The Sassi di Matera – the overview of the city’s history
- Museums in Matera – which house suits whom
