The Sassi have no streets in the ordinary sense. There are two contour lines per district – one along the upper edge, one above the gorge – and steps in between. Once you have understood that pattern you no longer really get lost, even if it feels that way at first.
The pattern
Each of the two districts lies on a slope. Above runs the edge towards the upper town, below the ground falls away to the Gravina. The paths follow that geometry: lengthways you walk comfortably, across you take steps. Almost every apparent dead end is in fact a staircase that leads down a level between two houses.
In the Sasso Barisano
- Via Fiorentini – the main axis of the district at mid-height. Most of the bars and shops are here; if you cross the Barisano once, you cross it along this street.
- Via Madonna delle Virtù – the lower path above the gorge, named after the rock-church complex Madonna delle Virtù. The more scenic of the two.
- Via San Biagio – the link in the northern part of the district.
- Via D’Addozio – the upper edge with the view across the roofs.
In the Sasso Caveoso
- Via Bruno Buozzi – the continuous street through the Caveoso, running south from Piazza San Pietro Caveoso. The easiest way through the district.
- Via San Pietro Caveoso – the approach to the square in front of the church and thus to the best-known view inside the district.
- Via Casalnuovo – the southern spur, out to where the buildings end and the view opens.
If steps are a problem
Then stay on top. Via Ridola and Piazza Vittorio Veneto are level, as are the terraces along the edge. Within the Sassi no longer route is genuinely step-free – even the lengthways streets have ledges and uneven paving.
How best to walk
A tried route: in along the upper edge, back along the lower slope. That way you see the district from two heights, and the return leads uphill to the upper town rather than the other way round. Sturdy shoes are not advice for the cautious but a requirement: the paving is worn smooth and slippery when wet.
Read on
- Sasso Barisano – the northern district
- Sasso Caveoso – the southern district
- The rioni of the Sassi – how the districts were once divided
- Viewpoints in Matera – where these paths open into a view
