Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 340 6659107;
www.laraccoltadelleacquematera.it
; Via Bruno Buozzi 67; adult/child €2.50/1.50;
9.30am-1pm & 2-7pm Apr-Oct, 9.30am-1pm Nov-Mar)
Matera's fascinating water-storage system
can be better understood when you visit this ancient complex of underground cisterns and
canals, which was used to collect rainwater from roofs, streets and houses in the vicinity.
The largest cistern is nearly 15m deep and 5m long.
Casa-Grotta di Vico Solitario
(admission €2)
For a glimpse of life in old Matera visit this historic
sasso
off Via Bruno
Buozzi. There's a bed in the middle, a loom, a room for manure and a section for a pig
and a donkey. You also have access to a couple of neighbouring caves: in one, a black-
and-white film depicts gritty prerestoration Matera.
HISTORIC SITE
Museo della Scultura Contemporanea
MUSEUM
(MUSMA; 366 9357768;
www.musma.it
; Via San Giacomo; adult/reduced €5/3.50; 10am-2pm
Tue-Sun & 4-8pm Sat & Sun Apr-Sep, 10am-2pm Tue-Sun Oct-Mar)
Housed in Palazzo Pomarici,
MUSMA is a fabulous contemporary sculpture museum. The setting - deeply recessed
caves and frescoed palace rooms - is extraordinary and the works themselves absorbing.
You can also book a tour to visit the
Cripta del Peccato Originale
(Crypt of Original Sin),
which is located 7km south of Matera and has well-preserved frescoes from the late 8th
century. It's known as the Sistine Chapel of the cave churches and the frescoes depict dra-
matic Old Testament scenes.
1
The New Town
The focus of the town is Piazza Vittorio Veneto, an excellent, bustling meeting point for a
passeggiata
(evening stroll). It's surrounded by elegant churches and richly adorned
palazzi,
with their backs to the
sassi;
an attempt by the bourgeois to block out the shame-
ful poverty the
sassi
once represented.
MUSEUM
Museo Nazionale d'Arte Medievale e Moderna della Basilicata
