Car drive to Matera

I don't understand the timeline--are you arriving in Naples the day you intend to drive three hours--and do you have time to drive back before your flight?
The primary thing to see in Matera is the sassi, full of individual sites like cave churches, the water cistern was interesting. I'd book a tour with Antonio: http://www.materatourguide.it/public/en/about/
The park across the gorge is also recommended.

We reach at 7:30 am in Naples and plan to rent a car and head to Matera. Next day we have flight @5:30 pm to Palermo. So have a full day there! We drive a lot and have driven a lot in Europe with kids so driving is not a problem! We have seen things in Naples already before. And I feel if we take a tour to Amalfi it's the same thing! My kids rather see some historical place than beaches ☺️
Thanks I'll check out those places and the tour recommendations by you.

Where are you flying from? I think a night in Matera would be a fabulous idea, but I cannot recommend driving three hours after an overnight flight in good conscience, if that is your situation. (If you are flying within Europe, of course discount that.)
If you did not see Paestum last time, that would be a nice alternative. It's an easy day trip from Naples, or you could stay in Salerno. There are several charming towns along the coast in the Cilento region, more minor Greek ruins at Velia. I'm assuming you saw everything in Naples before, plus Pompeii, Herculaneum.

Direct flight from New York. Think we will be well rested as it's a night flight. But, another option would be to get a private transfer. Think we will see enough Greek ruins in Sicily! I'll definitely check Salerno out! Thanks for the recommendation.
Thought Matera might be something different for the kids to see. We plan to stay in a cave hotel.

Unless you typically sleep 4 hours a night and are able to function that way, there is honestly very little chance of you being well-rested after the red-eye flight from the East coast. Driving yourselves all the way to Matera feels risky.

Perhaps plan for a trip to Apulia in the future? That will make Matera much easier to include.

I cannot recommend the plan but not because of the drive alone.
No one is ever ever fully rested after a night flight!

The 3 hour drive after a night flight is not a great idea but something I have done many times and will do again BUT the part that makes your plan difficult is you will then arrive with kids likely too early to check in and have much walking in a hilly town as you explore without any good way to relax and just take things slow as you will have less than 24 hours there.
It just sounds like a recipe for disappointment and a bad start to the trip as everyone will be tired and on edge.

if you had a 3 hour drive but then were just going for a easy stroll ; relaxing at the hotel ; etc... then no problem with a 3 hour drive post flight for me even with kids in tow.

Amalfi sounds easier to me as it would less driving but also you have a more scenic drive and can plan a relaxing ferry ride or similar for the arrival day and have a little more time the next day before you have to head back to Naples.

If you have not been to the Amalfi Coast ; it really has nothing to do with the beaches. Most kids would be more in awe of the cliff scape vertical scenery and ocean than history of Matera IMO.

Thanks much! We plan to drop our luggage and do a tuk tuk tour and have lunch. Our hotel is also doing early check in for us. In the evening ( after a quick nap) we plan to do the sunset tour of Matera. They have 3 hrs in the car to sleep too.
Would be wonderful to know if Matera is worth visiting ☺️
Looks like it's an interesting place to visit as I research about it.

Is Matera worth visiting? Yes for sure.
Is it worth driving 6 hours round-trip within 24 hours from your arrival in Italy? Not really.
Matera is right next door to Apulia (Puglia), which is a wonderful region deserving of a trip in its own right. Since this will not be your first time in Italy, perhaps it will not be the last, and you will be able to schedule a trip there in the future?

If you are looking for somewhere that is not Naples and that is closer, Paestum would work. The Amalfi coast as well, and the region immediately west of Naples too (Pozzuoli, Baia, Cuma)

Think we are done with Italy for now(third trip). But never say never. I will definitely look into those options. I haven't heard about those.
Thanks.

I understand that you have committed to this plan even though others who know the area advise against it. First of all Matera is not a one day site. Wasting 6 hours of a foreign vacation to visit Matera is definitely not worth it. However Pompeii is. You are depending on making time driving in southern Italy that is really not predictable. It is not like driving in Northern europe or even northern Italy. Pompeii is not a Greek Ruin. It is one of the most amazing experiences of a lifetime. It close to Naples and will afford you time to enjoy it without knocking yourselves out. Good luck

Thanks for all the suggestions! We got a taxi to Matera from Naples. And we will be flying out of Bari Airport late evening next day to Palermo(direct flight) Bari is an hour drive from Matera. Think our drive to see Matera made me look for best options! It's not for people who like slow travel for sure. 😊
Thought I would share here if someone is just as driven to see Matera.
Hopefully, it will work out fine :)

If you do not mind that expense of a private driver and fly out of Bari airport the next day, then it is a much better plan already! Have fun :-)

Thanks! We are quite excited!

Yes, that is a great improvement. You can nap on the drive to Matera, enjoy the town refreshed and have an easy transfer to Bari.
I adore Matera and could stay several days there a third time, but many do visit just as a day trip, so you will at least see what is special about the place. It makes the best of your travel logistics.

Along with reading the history of Matera and how the poverty was terrible with people having a very short life expectancies (it was in the 1950’s when the inhabitants were relocated), see the latest James Bond movie ‘No time to die’ with the major chase through Matera. There are YouTube clips.
We had trouble getting dinner in Matera in 2019 due to most reasonable restaurants being fully booked.

I did watch some YouTube videos about Matera! Will check out the Bond movie. We got a guide to show us around and our hotel booked our restaurants for dinner and lunches.
Thanks for the tip!