Property for Sale in Matera, Basilicata
The Province of Matera covers the eastern part of Basilicata, from the limestone plateau of the Murgia on the border with Puglia, through a band of clay hills and eroded badlands, to the flat, fertile plain of Metaponto on the Ionian Sea. It is a sparsely populated province, best known for the cave city of Matera itself.
The property market ranges from restored cave houses and historic homes in Matera’s Sassi to apartments in the modern city, stone houses in the hill towns, farmhouses on the plain and holiday homes near the Ionian beaches. Away from Matera, prices are generally modest.
Matera and the Sassi
The Sassi, two ancient districts of houses, churches and cisterns carved into the side of a ravine, were evacuated in the 1950s and have since been restored, earning UNESCO listing in 1993. Matera was European Capital of Culture in 2019, and the old districts now contain homes, hotels and restaurants. The plateau above, known as the Piano, has the cathedral, baroque churches and palazzi, and beyond it lies the modern city with schools, shops and apartments.
Across the ravine of the Gravina, the Murgia Materana park protects a landscape of cave churches with frescoes and rocky grazing land. Property in the Sassi and the historic centre is the most sought-after in the province, while the modern city offers apartments and family houses at more ordinary prices.
Montescaglioso, Miglionico and the Bradano Valley
Close to Matera, Montescaglioso has a large Benedictine abbey above the Bradano valley, and Miglionico is known for its castle and a polyptych by Cima da Conegliano in its mother church. Irsina, further north, has an old centre with a cathedral. These towns have stone houses in their centres and farmhouses among wheat fields and olive groves.
Pisticci, Craco, Aliano and the Calanchi
In the middle of the province, rivers have cut the clay hills into deep gullies known as calanchi. Pisticci is famous for its rows of white terraced houses, Craco is an abandoned village on a crumbling hilltop, now a film location, and Aliano is where the writer Carlo Levi was exiled, as described in Christ Stopped at Eboli. Tursi, further south, has an old Arab quarter called the Rabatana. Village houses here are usually very inexpensive, but many need full renovation.
Metaponto, Policoro and the Ionian Coast
The Ionian coast is a long, straight line of sandy beaches backed by pine woods. Metaponto was a Greek colony, and its Doric temple, the Tavole Palatine, still stands. Policoro, near the ancient city of Heraclea, is the main town of the coast, and the plain around it, Scanzano Jonico and Nova Siri is intensively farmed for strawberries, citrus and other fruit. Homes on the coast include apartments, holiday houses and farmhouses on the plain.
Property and Lifestyle in Matera Province
Matera and Policoro provide hospitals, schools and year-round services, and smaller towns have local shops and markets. Matera has a lively cultural life, particularly since 2019, and the coast fills up in summer and is quiet the rest of the year.
The local food includes Matera bread made from durum wheat, peperoni cruschi, lamb, pecorino and Ionian fruit and vegetables. Buyers planning holiday lets, particularly in Matera, should check the municipal and regional registration rules before purchase.
Airports and Transport Connections
Bari Karol Wojtyła airport is the main international gateway, and is the most convenient for Matera and the north of the province. Brindisi airport is an alternative.
Matera is linked to Bari and Altamura by road and by the narrow-gauge Ferrovie Appulo Lucane railway. The Basentana road runs from Potenza to the coast near Metaponto, and the Ionian road follows the coast between Taranto and Calabria. Metaponto is on the railway lines along the Ionian coast and inland to Potenza. A car is essential for the hill towns and the countryside.
Buying and Renovating Property in Matera Province
Homes in the Sassi have their own rules. Some properties are privately owned, while others are publicly owned and held under long-term concession, so title must be checked carefully by a notary. Restoration is subject to strict heritage controls, and cave rooms need attention to damp, ventilation and natural light.
Elsewhere, have a local surveyor (geometra) check that the building matches its cadastral and planning records. The clay hills are prone to landslides and erosion, so check hazard maps and the stability of the site, and older stone houses in a seismic area benefit from a structural assessment. On the coast, check flood risk, coastal building rules and the condition of shared complexes.
From restored homes in the Sassi of Matera to village houses in Pisticci and farmhouses near the Ionian coast, the Province of Matera offers a distinctive and still affordable corner of southern Italy.