Photo spot in Matera
Sasso Caveoso and Santa Maria de Idris
The oldest, rawest half of the city: cave façades, staircases cut into rock, and a church sitting on top of a boulder above it all.
About Sasso Caveoso and Santa Maria de Idris
Get directionsThe Caveoso is where Matera looks least restored: dwellings cut straight into the tufa, roofs that are somebody else's street, and stairs that turn back on themselves every twenty metres. The rock church of Santa Maria de Idris stands on a spur in the middle of it, and the path around its base gives the classic upward frame with the church against the sky.
Work downhill. From Piazza Pascoli the lanes drop past San Pietro Caveoso towards the ravine, and every level gives a different mix of doorways, arches and roofs; going back up the same way is a much longer job than it looks. Early morning has the lanes to yourself and the low sun reaching into them; by afternoon the tour groups arrive and the light is overhead.
Inside the rock churches, most are ticketed and several do not allow photography at all — ask at the door before planning anything indoors.
Best time to shoot
The first two hours after sunrise, before the groups and while the sun is still low
Tips
Plan the route downhill and arrange a car or a taxi for the way back. Steps are polished smooth by use — flat shoes with grip, not new soles.
Other spots in Matera
The Murgia belvedere, across the ravine
The one viewpoint that holds all of Matera in a single frame — the whole city on its cliff, seen from the empty side of the Gravina.
Piazza Duomo and the cathedral terrace
The highest point of the Civita, where the town ends in a balcony over the Sasso Barisano and the roofs run downhill from your feet.
Belvedere Luigi Guerricchio
A small terrace at Piazzetta Pascoli where the whole Sasso Caveoso opens below — the postcard view, two minutes from the main street.
Ready to book?
Our concierge team will hand-pick 2-3 photographers who know Sasso Caveoso and Santa Maria de Idris — free of charge.