Sasso Caveoso: the neighbourhoods where Matera still lives

Almost everyone arrives in Matera from the same spot: the balcony of Piazzetta Pascoli or the terraces overlooking the Sasso Caveoso, where the Church of Santa Maria de Idris stands out against the rocky spur and the crowds jostle for the photo. But just go down a handful of steps, slip into a side alley and turn your back on the "official" panorama, and you'll find yourself in a different city, where the noise of backpacks and smartphones vanishes within a few metres.

The neighbourhoods

The less-visited districts of the Caveoso don't have names that make it into the guidebooks. They are the vicinati, small communal courts where the cave dwellings open around a shared cistern and a shared oven. Here life is not a stage set: there's washing hung out to dry, cats asleep on the warm low walls, elderly people sitting in their doorways. It's worth losing yourself with no destination towards the far end of the Sasso, where the rock dwellings grow simpler and less restored, and where the stairways descend to the edge of the Gravina, the canyon that separates the city from the Parco della Murgia.

How to visit them

The right way to visit is with a slow pace and respect. These are spaces where people actually live, not shop windows: better to speak softly, ask before photographing people, buy a coffee or some Matera bread from a neighbourhood shop rather than at the fashionable spot on the terrace. Comfortable shoes are a must, because the stone is polished and slippery and the changes in level are constant.

At sunset

At sunset, when the coaches have left and the rock glows orange, these corners give back the most authentic Matera: silent, lived-in, intimate. It's the same city everyone is looking for, but found from the right side.

Related guides: An alternative to Matera: 7 stone and cave towns of the South to discover · Off-season destinations in Italy: where to go far from the crowds (and when) · Basilicata without a car in 3 days: Matera, the Murgia and the Lucanian Dolomites.

Getting there

The Sasso Caveoso is part of Matera's historic centre and is explored entirely on foot, descending from the viewpoints of the newer town. By train the relevant station is Matera Centrale, reachable on the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane from Bari, where the national trains arrive. The nearest airport is Bari, connected to Matera by shuttle bus; by car, follow the SS99 arriving from Bari or Altamura.

Practical guides

• How to Get to Matera: All Transport Options
• Two Days in Matera: Descending into the World's Oldest City
• Where to Stay in Matera: Sleeping in Stone Among the Sassi and the Murgia
• Where to Eat in Matera: Bread, Stone and Lucanian Flavours