The rock spur between the two Sassi is the oldest settlement core of Matera – and the only point from which you can look into both districts at once.
Why the city began here
The Civita is a raised spur separating the Sasso Barisano from the Sasso Caveoso. For an early settlement it was the best spot for miles: falling away steeply on three sides and therefore easy to defend, flat enough on top to build on, and with rock in which cisterns could be cut. Everything that later grew on the slopes grew outwards from here.
What stands up there
The highest point is occupied by the Cattedrale di Matera, whose bell tower can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. Around it lie Piazza Duomo and several noble houses, among them Palazzo Gattini – the Civita was not only the oldest but for a long time the most expensive ground in town. The page Palaces of the upper town introduces more buildings of this kind.
The circuit
The Civita can be walked around in half an hour, and that half hour explains the city better than any map. Narrow lanes lead between the houses to the edge of the plateau; from there the slope drops steeply into both districts. Come up from Piazza del Sedile and descend on the other side into the Caveoso, and you will have grasped Matera’s structure in a single walk: the core on top, the two grown slopes below.
When it is worth it
Early in the morning. The square in front of the cathedral is small and fills up during the day; the lanes around it are so narrow that two tour groups fill them. Before nine you often have both to yourself, and the light falls well on the Barisano at that hour.
Read on
- Cattedrale di Matera – the church at the highest point
- Piazza Duomo – the square in front of it
- The rioni of the Sassi – how the districts below were divided
