Matera is one of the most ancient towns in the world because of the continual presence of mankind from the Paleolithic age up to present times. An archaeologist from Matera, Domenico Ridola, after whom the National Museum has been named, supplied copious stratigraphic documentation especially regarding the different historic periods of the town from the Early Iron Age up to the Roman and Greek periods. In 664 Matera became part of the Longobard dukedom, in 938 it was sacked by the Saracens and in 1043 it was dominated by the Normans when Guglielmo Braccio di Ferro was nominated the Count of Matera and Apulia. After the Norman domination, Matera underwent the Hohenstaufen domination. In 1497 Giancarlo Tramontano, who came from Naples, became the Count of Matera but he was killed in 1514 by the insurgent populace who could not bear his persistent cruelty any longer. In 1663 Matera, that had already been annexed to the "Terra d'Otranto", became part of Basilicata as the regional capital until 1806. Matera has been the provincial capital since 1927.

The "Civita" is one of the most ancient parts of the town of Matera and archaeological research has proved that the "Civita" was one of the prehistoric settlements in the area surrounding Matera. The first nucleus of Matera, that was later enclosed within fortified walls, rose when the tribes of the ditched villages of the Murgia plateau crossed the torrent Gravina to settle down in the "Civita", probably because here they felt safer and more protected. The "Civita" overlooks the two karst valleys that, in ancient times, were rich in vegetation and caves; later, due to demographic growth, the population had to move from the Civita to other places situated outside the town-walls. As time passed, the population inhabited the two karst valleys underlying the Civita that developed into the characteristic quarters, known as the "Sassi". The implementation of a special law in the 50s led to the removal of the population living in the Sassi because of bad hygienic and sanitary conditions. After, the law n. 77/1986 was implemented to protect this exceptional and original urban structure from decay, that is nowadays inscribed on the "World Heritage List" on behalf of Unesco.

Among the several churches, that are all worth seeing, three in particular, stand out: the Church of Purgatorio built during 1747 in Late Baroque architecture and embellished with beautiful allegoric elements; the Church of San Francesco d’Assisi dating to 1230 and rebuilt in 1670 boasting the beautiful and majestic Baroque façade; the Church of San Giovanni Battista dating to 1233 and possessing the unique characteristics of Romanesque architecture. Matera is also rich in outstanding noble palaces both from the Renaissance period and from the 18th century. Besides Palazzo Lanfranchi, that has previously been described, there are: the palaces "Sedile" and "Bronzini", nowadays housing the Conservatory; "Palazzo Alvino" and “Palazzo Firrao-Giudicepietro" built on the ancient town-walls; "Palazzo Santoro-Padula" situated in Via Duomo and "Palazzetto Enselmi" situated in Via San Biagio.

It was built in 1668 to be used as the diocesan seminary and subsequently it housed the Grammar School where the poet Giovanni Pascoli also taught. Today, it houses the "Centro Carlo Levi" where it is possible to admire the "Lucania '61" and to visit the art gallery called "Pinacateca D'Errico" where about 300 paintings by the School of Naples, dating back to the 17th and 18th are exhibited. From the adjacent small square "Piazzetta Pascoli" the visitor can enjoy the extraordinary panoramas of the "Sasso Caveoso" and of the Murgia high plateau, the latter situated beyond the torrent Gravina.

Dating back to 1270, this imposing monument, built in Romanesque-Apulian architecture, overlooks the ancient quarters of the "Sassi", as well as the medieval and the modern part of the town. The outside construction is very harmonious and simple in its elegant architecture; the façade has a big rose-window representing the "wheel of life" and on the right-hand side there are two portals which are sumptuously decorated. The interior has one nave and two aisles and it contains the 13th century fresco of the Madonna della Bruna along with a beautiful wooden choir dating to 1453 and the Stone Nativity sculptured by Altobello Persio in 1534.

Its construction began at the end of the 15th century and was commissioned by the Count of Matera, Giancarlo Tramontano who came from Naples. Situated in a dominant position, it is composed of one central donjon and two side towers. It has never been completed because the detestable Count was cruelly killed during a popular uprising that broke out in 1514.

Pope Urban VI, previously bishop of Matera, introduced the Feast of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary on 2nd July 1389. Perhaps, to recall this event, the people decided to celebrate the "Festa della Bruna "on 2nd July. This Feast dates back to ancient times. It is an extraordinary feast with a broad programme including: the Procession of Shepherds which leaves the Cathedral at dawn, the costumed Cavalcade and the parade of the "Carro Trionfale" (the triumphal float), all being the main attractions of the feast. The "Triumphal Float" is a craftswork of papier-mâché made by local artists. The feast reaches its climax when a large and exultant crowd of people, among whom there are many foreigners, assault the "Carro" in order to destroy it. The feast ends with grand fireworks that illuminate the Murgia Plateau.

The Tufa quarries the particular characteristic of the land, its morphology and that of the Murgia Plateau of Matera, between the 8th and the 13th centuries encouraged the development of an intense monastic movement that found the ancient cave-dwellings as the ideal habitat for monasteries and rock-hewn churches that reproduced the original pattern of those existing in their own countries. Throughout the countryside of Matera there are more than 130 rock-hewn churches, some of them are only underground churches, whereas the others are carved into the rock integrating with the outside construction that witness the presence of Latin and monastic cultures in Matera, their meeting point throughout the centuries. Most of these underground churches still contain frescoes of great artistic value (The Crypt of the Original Sin, The Churches of: Madonna della Croce, Santa Lucia alle Malve, San Nicola dei Greci, Santa Maria della Valle, Santa Barbara. Leaving from S. Maria della Valle and following the National Road "SS 7 Appia" driving towards Laterza, on the right-hand side it is possible to see unique kinds of big tufa quarries attesting to the hard work of the ancient quarrymen who extracted the tufa stone, the raw material used for the construction of the new part of the town on the "piano"

This building dates to 1698. In the past, it was used as a convent, known as the convent of S. Chiara; at present, it houses the National Museum named after Domenico Ridola, the doctor and archaeologist who came from Matera and who provide an extensive collection of finds resulting from his tireless activity of research. The finds, that date from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic, to the Bronze and Iron Ages up to the Greek and Roman periods, are suitably exhibited.