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Italy: Matera, 3 hours east of Naples - is it worth visiting?

Posted by (Berkeley CA) on

UPDATE:
Looks like Matera could be an interesting place to visit, but best done on a different trip. Decided to spend more time in Central and Northern Italy - Thanks to everyone for their great advice.

Ira

MY POST:
I saw it in the latest James Bond movie and it looked interesting.

To visit would take 2-3 days because It would also take 3 hours to get there, and the better part of a day to get to Central Italy where we plan to spend a lot of time.

Just curious - would it be worth visiting Matera and perhaps some other nearby towns, or do you recommend skipping it ?

Thanks for all your help!

Ira

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS:
We've a wedding in Naples. We found that it's nice to get over jet lag in a city we're familiar with, so booked round trip to Naples. An open jaw flight had fewer options than a RT to one city. It's an easy train ride from Florence to Naples.

Time Frame - We have 2 weeks between Naples and return to Florence for return flight. I'm leaning to heading back north after Naples and saving Matera for another time. That will let us spend 3-4 days in 4 different locations. A bit of moving around, but we're comfortable with that.

Most of the places we want to spend time in are in Central Italy (i.e. SE of Siena) Ravenna/Bologna and Turin/Genoa in Northern Italy

Matera is closest to Naples, was considering a visit.

Posted by
11185 posts

We were in Puglia so took a day trip to Matera. Interesting and a sad history to the cave homes
I wouldn’t spend so much time to see it that you would have to spend as much time traveling there and back as you state.

Posted by
6133 posts

Haven't been, it's on a future itinerary- there's a lot more to see and do in the area, we'd like to give Puglia, etc 2 weeks some day.
Can't see how/why it works with a Central Italy itinerary unless you have lots of time. Or maybe we need clarification on what is Central Italy to you and are you coming/going from Naples?

Posted by
11 posts

Unless you are spending several weeks in Italy there are things that are much more interesting to see. Matera is a very sad place, not that large, and not in a beautiful area. I would recommend spending that day somewhere wonderful instead. Youtubers and Instagramers seem to love it but for an actual visit, it is not that impressive.

Posted by
4438 posts

It depends on your overall itinerary whether to fit it in this time, but I found it a extraordinary place and enjoyed two visits there. Though there is a sad aspect to the history, I actually found it to have a young, vibrant vibe. The area is gorgeous, would you drive?

Posted by
404 posts

If you want to see more if Matera and aren’t able to go, check out the tv show “Le Sorelle”/ the sisters. It used to be ion Acorn tv. Its a big soapy but gives you a different, non-car chase version of the town.

Posted by
101 posts

I LOVE Matera! IMO a place to see, very different from anywhere else. It's one of my favorite places in Italy! I'm going back in May for the 2nd time.

Posted by
101 posts

I LOVE Matera! IMO a place to see, very different from anywhere else. It's one of my favorite places in Italy! I'm going back in May for the 2nd time. Now, Naples is a place I avoid at all costs! Yuck! LOL

Posted by
6918 posts

I don't know what's "yuck" about Naples, which is a fascinating city if a bit intimidating at first, especially around the main train station. Anyway.

As for Matera: it is great, and definitely worth a visit.
Do you think you'll be able to take a trip to southern Italy in the coming years? Then perhaps hold off, since there are many things to see in the region besides Matera.
But if your travel opportunities are scarce, then you can do the side trip to Matera.

Posted by
37 posts

Pre-COVID we took the RS Southern Italy tour which spent time in Matera. It happened that the Bond film was actually in production while we were there and we saw a bit of the activity. We were impressed with Matera's strangely stacked streets, extremely ancient archeology and long (and, yes, sad history of) the cave houses. Did lots of walking on our own. Wonderful food - loved the Ricotta with carmelized pears for dessert. Most importantly, Matera is just one part of a very interesting area of Italy. It's definitely worth more than a few hours. I'd make a full trip of it at a later time.

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