Has anyone rented a car in Naples and driven to Matera? We would love to see the UNESCO world heritage sites out there, but we are having a hard time getting there!
Thanks!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16379 posts
I have driven the opposite way, although it wasn't with a rental car, but what is your question?
The itinerary is nearly all on a 4 lane freeway, except the last stretch to Matera, which is on a fast two lane highway with passing lanes every few miles. From Naples you take the A3 freeway south past Salerno, then when you see the signs to POTENZA/MATERA you exit and take that freeway. Well past POTENZA, keep an eye for the Exit to the Strada Statale (State highway) to Matera.
Posted by
Milwaukie, Oregon, USA
102 posts
Here is a bus that will take you to Matera,http://www.miccolis-spa.it/le-nostre-linee/statali. We haven't done this yet but made reservations for the 7am bus from Salerno in September. Scroll down the page for the schedule from Naples.
Posted by
OP
College Station, TX, United States
31 posts
Sorry! I should've clarified my question! What are the roads like? Is there reasonable parking in the area? (we've read that the hill towns can be challenging to park in)
thank you!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16379 posts
The roads from Naples to Matera are freeways and highways that aren't much different from the ones you have in Texas. The only difference is that Texas is mostly flat, Italy is mountainous so you will see hills along the way, although the freeway mostly goes through the valleys. If you want to see the road just go to Google maps, zoom in on a stretch of the road, and using the small yellow man icon on the bottom right drag it to the road to use the streetview feature. Google maps can also be used for directions to wherever you want to go.
The area of the Sassi is largely restricted to cars as it is inside the ZTL (google what ZTL is). There are several parking lots throughout the city. Some info can be found below.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32419 posts
Nicole,
Some of the roads are older, but from what I recall they were in reasonably good condition. I don't know what parking is like in Matera, but I believe you may have to park in the "new" part of the town, rather than the older historic Sassi area.
This may help.....
http://www.traveltomatera.com/parking-in-matera/
Note the strong warnings about avoiding the dreaded ZTL (limited traffic) areas, as hefty fines will occur if you venture into those.
Posted by
Seattle, Washington, USA
105 posts
2 years ago I rented a car at the airport in Naples and drove the Adriatic side, Bari, seeing the Trulli, and over to Matera. It was a wonderful 5 days. I had no problem parking....but it was early October and I didn't see that many tourists. If you plan to drive IN Naples, get full insurance, which is expensive. I didn't drive in Naples, but only to leave the airport. The insurance was 700€ for the week, whereas the rental was something like 150€ through Hertz. I stayed in a B&B in Mola di Bari (a small town outside Bari on the coast) and really had a blast. I prefer southern Italy, especially the food/sea food. The B&B didn't have parking, but there was free street parking, and everywhere I went I had no trouble parking. I returned the car in Naples and did without a car for 4 days. I really like Naples and it's not a place that I want to drive, due to the narrow streets and Naples drivers.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
My friends and I rented a car at the airport in Napoli and drove to Matera two years ago. It is an easy drive (June).
If you are staying in a cave hotel in Matera, there is a parking lot nearby, but it fills up quickly. On a second trip, we stayed at a small B&B and parked on the hill next to the old castle. There are hotels with parking onsite, but not in the sassi area itself.
Enjoy Basilicata and Puglia!