topography in Matera

Consider staying in cave hotel in the Sassi to understand the ancient town. On our 2019 RS South of Italy tour we stayed here: http://www.locandadisanmartino.it/en/termae-romanae-3/

Since Sassi roads are for walking, not driving, you will need to park your rental car in the upper “new” town. I don’t remember the name of the museum but it was a dwelling left intact when the occupants were moved out by the government in the mid-1950s. It’s worth a visit to understand the town. Or hire a local tour guide. If you’re not familiar with the town’s history, here’s a good article https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/mater-went-from-ancient-civilization-slum-hidden-gem-180949445/

I think nobody has ever been interested in visiting modern day Matera. We all go to Matera to see the Sassi district, so if I were you I'd try to sleep there.

Even if it's a little more expensive and the Sassi cave rooms are different from the accommodations we may be used to.

You can drive into the Sassi and unload your luggage without being fined, I did it last summer. Unfortunately we were on the main pedestrian road and it was a little noisy in August.

Look at Terrazo Santa Barbara. Excellent reviews and parking available. My memory of Matera is that we were able to walk most places. The driving around Matera is difficult.

My husband and I loved staying at the B&B La Corte dei Pastori for two nights: https://lacortedeipastori.com/

Comfortable cave room, our own terrace overlooking the sassi, a parking place right where the sassi meets the modern town, good breakfast, good people.

Really good restaurants, wise to make a reservation. We were there in early November 9 years ago and needed reservations.

Thanks for the good information so far! It seems as if we will most likely need to park the car in a garage and shuttle to our hotel or have the hotel pick us up. As an option to finding a place with actual parking which does not seem possible to be in or right next to the historic area. Do I have that correct? Is getting a "secure" garage a consideration?

We parked in the Piazza San Pietro Caveoso right below our B&B. No need for shuttle or garage. You can see where it is on Google Maps.

One thing to have in mind is that the old part, the Sassi, is the lower part of Matera along the canyon. There are no hotels with a view on the Sassi (that are hidden from the city). The typical view on the photos and postcards is taken from the opposite hill.
Said that, an hotel in the Sassi is definitively charming, but as others said you cannot drive to the hotel, but leave the car in a parking lot outside the pedestrian area. There are several good hotels even in the modern part (I stayed at Nazionale and Palace), where you can easily leave the car and the reach the Sassi walking or by public transport.

We were there in October 2021 and found street parking that we used then we walked to our hotel. We stayed two nights and didn't use the car. Stayed in the old area and wandered around. So unique- we loved it.

What Linda said. We found street parking on Via Vena within 100 meters of one entry to the Sassi. On this same street there is the multi-story Parcheggio Via Vena which charges only about .50E per hour. I found driving in Matera less difficult than many medium sized cities. One way to make arrival easier is to use the Google Maps directions found by entering 'parking Matera'. Just pick a likely facility from the red 'P' dots shown and follow the directions to it. So far we have always used the facility, but if it's not usable, you are still in a better position.

Thank you everyone for the great information! This has all been very helpful!

Locanda di San Martino (located in the Sassi) https://www.locandadisanmartino.it/en/home/
This hotel in the Sassi is magical, well-run, great cave thermo pool & excellent food. Get a room with access to amazing views looking into the Sassi neighborhood.