Sassi di Matera
Two old districts of Matera, Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano, built into the side of a ravine around cave dwellings lived in since the Palaeolithic. Houses, churches and lanes are cut into the soft stone, and the city was a European Capital of Culture in 2019.
- Where
- Matera, Basilicata, Italy
- Grade
- UNESCO heritage
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 8 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 40.6667, 16.6083
Get the Sassi di Matera stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Sassi di Matera. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Basilicata volume with your photos and a note.
Near Sassi di Matera
Castel del Monte 54 km
A 13th-century castle built in the 1240s by Frederick II on a hilltop in Apulia. It is laid out as an octagon with an octagonal tower at each corner, and has no moat or drawbridge, which has long fed doubts that it was ever meant as a fortress.
Trulli of Alberobello 55 km
Whole streets of trulli, small whitewashed houses of drystone with conical grey roofs, many marked with painted symbols. They fill the Rione Monti and Aia Piccola quarters of the town and together are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Basilica of Saint Nicholas 56 km
A Romanesque basilica in old Bari built to hold the relics of Saint Nicholas, brought here by sailors from Myra in 1087. It is a place of pilgrimage for both Catholic and Orthodox Christians.
Polignano a Mare 63 km
A town on the Adriatic whose old centre stands on limestone cliffs above the sea. Below it the little cove of Lama Monachile opens between the rocks, and the town is the birthplace of Domenico Modugno, the singer of Volare.
Paestum 138 km
A major ancient Greek city on the Tyrrhenian coast, in what was Magna Graecia. Its three Doric temples, built between about 550 and 450 BCE, are among the best preserved anywhere, and the walls, paved roads and a museum of finds survive around them.
Villa Rufolo 168 km
A villa in the historic centre of Ravello, laid out in the 13th century and remodelled in the 19th, facing the cathedral square. Its terraced gardens hang high above the Amalfi Coast, and Richard Wagner drew on them for a scene in Parsifal.
Amalfi Cathedral 169 km
A medieval cathedral on the Piazza del Duomo, dedicated to the Apostle Andrew, whose relics lie in its crypt. A long flight of steps climbs to its striped, arched front, and the Cloister of Paradise sits beside it.
Amalfi Coast 169 km
A stretch of steep coast on the Gulf of Salerno, south of the Sorrento Peninsula, where towns such as Positano, Amalfi and Ravello cling to the cliffs. A narrow road winds above the sea between them, past lemon terraces and small beaches.
Questions
Where is Sassi di Matera?
Sassi di Matera is in Matera, Basilicata, Italy. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Castel del Monte (54 km), Trulli of Alberobello (55 km), Basilica of Saint Nicholas (56 km).
How do I get the Sassi di Matera stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Sassi di Matera and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Basilicata volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Sassi di Matera before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Basilicata volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.