The rock-hewn Sistine Chapel: the Crypt of Original Sin

Everyone rushes to the Sassi of Matera, by now overrun with coaches and film sets. But you need only travel a dozen kilometres, along the road toward Gravina, to stumble upon something far more intimate and silent: the Crypt of Original Sin, a natural cave carved into the limestone that scholars have nicknamed the "Sistine Chapel of rock art". Here there is no crush, no endless queues: only a few people at a time, accompanied by a guide, may enter.

The frescoes

Inside, the half-light kindles slowly. On the walls appear frescoes attributed to an anonymous early-medieval painter, dubbed the "Painter of the Flowers of Matera" for the distinctive red blooms that dot his scenes. You can make out episodes from Genesis, ranks of apostles, archangels and a Madonna Queen painted with surprising delicacy. After centuries of abandonment, the colours retain a freshness that takes your breath away. The lighting is designed not to damage the pigments, and this makes every visit an almost theatrical experience.

A place apart

Part of the spell lies in its isolation. The crypt sits deep in the gravina, among rocks, Mediterranean scrub and utter silence. To visit it you must book ahead, because admissions are capped to protect the frescoes: a limit that, paradoxically, is its salvation. No crowds, no compulsive selfies, only the time to truly look.

When to go

Visit in the shoulder seasons, avoiding the height of summer when Matera turns scorching and packed. A spring morning or an autumn afternoon offers soft light and pleasant walks. It is a real way to experience Basilicata away from the spotlight, leaving the Sassi to their crowds and treating yourself to a small, ancient secret painted in the rock.

Related guides: An alternative to Matera: 7 stone-and-cave towns of the South to discover · Basilicata without a car in 3 days: Matera, the Murgia and the Lucanian Dolomites.