Quick Half Day Trips From Matera, Italy

Have you got a car? If so, Altamura is about twenty minutes by car and Gravina in Puglia about 30 minutes. If you set off not too late you could see both by 3 pm. They aren't big. https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2022/01/puglia-in-october-gravina-in-puglia.html

Well, this was pretty incredible...

Flight of the Angels - Zipline in Basilicata

As an aside: everyone talks about "the Dolomites" as if it was a singular place. Dolomites are actually a kind of mountain (tall, spikey, scenic), not a specific range. The famous ones are the northern Dolomites. Turns out, there is a range of southern Dolomites, too: the Lucanian Dolomites, in Basilicata - about an hour's drive from Matera. And they've got a zipline (actually, two of them) that run between two towns, on opposite sides of a valley. You take one zipline across the valley, hike up a bit (OK, more than a bit, it's fairly steep but we survived it), then you take the other zipline back to where you started from - crossing the valley twice. It's pretty incredible, as is the scenery. Look.... Not for the faint of heart, but incredibly scenic and atmospheric - felt a lot like being in an Alpine village.

Not everyone's cup of tea, but if you're up for a little bit of a drive through scenic little mountain villages, and some heart-pumping thrills (and a little stair climbing), consider it. You'll probably want reservations (and nerves of steel).

We loved it. It was the cherry-on-top at the end of our wonderful Puglia trip last year. YMMV.

Last November, we stayed in Altamura, and visited Matera for a daytrip. If you did that in reverse, going for a quick trip to Altamura, it’s the “City of Bread.” Be sure to stop by the Antica Forno Santa Caterina, where they’re still using the giant wood-burning bread oven that dates back to the 1300’s.

There was some kind of construction that had the area fenced off in front of the cathedral last fall, but there were passageways around it, and people could still get in to the cathedral and its upper corridors. Maybe that’s all cleared up now. Our apartment was a short walk from the historic center of tuen, so we were already parked away from it. If you’re coming by car, it might take a little effort to find a parking lot downtown. It’s worth the visit.

We hiked along the gorge just outside Laterza, and we took a tour of Craco, an abandoned village. You can also arrange for a tour of a cave church in the countryside.

We ended up booking an excursion from Matera to Alberobello (about an hour or so away from Matera) known for its storybook conical huts. Once there an English speaking tour guide walked us through a large conical house, along the streets, and past interesting sites. She provided the history of the city and the conical houses. We enjoyed it. The tour was an hour and 15 minutes. We could have happily spent more time in Alberobello but didn’t have the luxury of time.

I think a trip to Craco might be the best quick side trip, within Basilicata.

If you had more time, I would recommend other towns but not for only a half day.

A lot depends on which direction you are coming from, and are headed...

Do you have a car?

Glad you made it to Alberobello, ehof36, as a trullo building is unique to that part of the world. I wonder if the large building your guide showed you was the museum in town, the only centuries-old trullo with a second story? We visited it on last year’s trip, although while staying in Martina Franca, a small city closer to it than when we had been staying in Altamura earlier.

I also wonder if you’ve gotten any rainstorms while you’ve been in the Basilicata/Puglia area. We had torrential downpours last November. Hopefully, you haven’t had to wade through water! Thank you for sharing your experiences with this Rick Steves’ Travel forum.

Thanks for your input. Yes, the building was the two story museum. We have not had any rainstorms while in Basilicata/Puglia, but we only arrive here the day before yesterday.