Matera

Palombaro Lungo, the Civita and the gorge path

Two days in Matera covers the Palombaro Lungo cistern, Sasso Barisano, the cathedral on the Civita and Sasso Caveoso with a furnished cave house on day one. On day two, hike down into the Gravina ravine and up to the Belvedere di Murgia Timone, carrying water, and visit the rock churches on the plateau.

On the first morning, walk down Via Roma to Piazza Vittorio Veneto and tour the Palombaro Lungo, the great cistern beneath the square. Then take the stairs into Sasso Barisano and wind up to the cathedral on the Civita for the view over both districts.

After lunch, cross into Sasso Caveoso. Visit San Pietro Caveoso on its platform above the gorge and one of the furnished cave houses that show how families and animals shared a single room. Rest through the hottest hours and come back out at dusk, when lamps light the stairways.

On day two, follow the path from the north-east edge of the city down into the Gravina ravine and up the far side to the Belvedere di Murgia Timone. Carry water; there is no shade. Explore a few of the rock churches in the park on the plateau, then return for a last evening walk and dinner in the Sassi.

Pane di Matera, cialledda and peperoni cruschi

Matera's food comes from a poor farming past, with bread at its centre. Pane di Matera is a tall durum-wheat loaf that keeps for days, and cialledda uses stale bread with tomatoes, onion and olive oil. Peperoni cruschi, sun-dried red peppers flash-fried until crisp, are the other local signature.

Matera's food comes from a poor farming past, and bread sits at the centre of it. Pane di Matera, made from durum wheat semolina, comes in tall, crusty loaves that keep for days, and old recipes were designed to use up every crumb. Cialledda, a peasant dish of stale bread with tomatoes, onion and olive oil, is one of them.

The other local signature is peperoni cruschi, sweet red peppers dried in the sun and then flash-fried until crisp, crumbled over pasta or eaten as a snack. Pasta is usually durum wheat too, in shapes such as cavatelli and orecchiette, often with vegetables or legumes.

Restaurants are spread through both Sassi and the upper town; the ones with terraces over the gorge charge for the view.

The Festa della Bruna on 2 July and spring hikes on the Murgia

Matera's biggest day is 2 July, the Festa della Bruna, when a papier-mache cart is pulled into Piazza Vittorio Veneto and torn apart by the crowd; rooms sell out weeks ahead. Spring and autumn are best for hiking the Murgia plateau. In summer, walk at dawn to avoid the heat on the limestone.

The great day in Matera's calendar is 2 July, the Festa della Bruna, honouring the city's patron. After a day of processions, a huge papier-mache cart is pulled into Piazza Vittorio Veneto and torn to pieces by the crowd, who carry off fragments as souvenirs. Rooms sell out weeks ahead.

Season matters for walking. The Murgia plateau across the gorge, protected as the park of the rupestrian churches, is best in spring and autumn, when the hike down into the ravine and up to Murgia Timone is comfortable and the grass is green or gold. Summer heat on the limestone is fierce, so walk at dawn. Whatever the month, avoid Sunday and holiday late mornings in the Sassi, when large tour groups jam the narrow lanes.