# Matera beyond the Sassi: a crypt, a cistern, a bread

> The Crypt of Original Sin opens only by booking, the Palombaro Lungo held 5 million litres, and Palazzo Lanfranchi opens daily 9:00 to 20:00 (2026).

URL: https://myitalia.it/towns/matera/things-to-do
Last updated: 2026-09-11

Beyond the Sassi, Matera's visits go underground or out of town: the Palombaro Lungo cistern under piazza Vittorio Veneto, 16 metres deep, the frescoed Crypt of Original Sin, seen only by booking at fixed times, and the national museums at Palazzo Lanfranchi and San Rocco.

## The Crypt of Original Sin, by booking only

The Crypt of Original Sin is a rock church frescoed between the 8th and 9th centuries, on the Gravina di Picciano outside Matera, and you can visit only with a booking at fixed times. In 2026 there are six slots a day from April to September, at 9:00, 10:30, 12:00, 15:00, 16:30 and 18:00, five in March and October and four from November to February.

The time you book is when you meet at the ticket office, and the visit itself starts 30 minutes later. Groups over 14 book through a separate section, and a private visit for up to 20 people costs €85.40 on top of the individual tickets.

The individual ticket price couldn't be verified, because the ticket pages of the official site answered 404. Ask when you book.

## The Palombaro Lungo, a cistern under the square

The Palombaro Lungo is 16 metres deep and 50 long, and it could hold 5 million litres of water. It was dug under piazza Vittorio Veneto in several phases from the 16th century, with the last enlargement recorded in 1870, and it was rediscovered in 1991 still full of water.

FAI runs it, and you walk it on raised walkways. FAI's page gives neither opening hours nor a ticket price, so the figures that circulate online are not repeated here.

## The national museums: one shut, two open

The national museums of Matera have three sites, the Ridola archaeological museum, Palazzo Lanfranchi and the former Ospedale di San Rocco, open daily from 9:00 to 20:00 (2026). Palazzo Lanfranchi costs €10, San Rocco €3, a combined ticket €15 for 2 days and a year pass €25, with free entry under 18.

The Ridola has been closed since April 7, 2025 for energy works and a new layout funded by the PNRR, and no reopening date has been announced. Its €10 fare is still listed, so check what the combined ticket covers before you pay for it.

## Across the ravine: the Murgia park

The park of the rock churches of the Materano, the Murgia Materana, was set up by regional law 11 of 1990 and covers 8,056 hectares in the comuni of Matera and Montescaglioso. Its management plan was approved on February 15, 2005.

The often quoted count of churches inside it doesn't appear on the park's own page, so this page gives no number.

## A bread with an IGP

Pane di Matera has been an IGP since EU regulation 160/2008, published on February 22, 2008, in the EU class for bread and pastry. The specification itself wasn't opened for this page, so shape and weights aren't given here.

## A small city with a European title

Matera, with 59,368 residents on January 1, 2026 by ISTAT's estimate, was designated at the end of 2014 as European Capital of Culture for 2019, the first city of the Italian South to hold the title.

The city's own page is [Matera](/towns/matera), the arrival at [getting to Matera](/towns/matera/getting-there), the law that emptied the Sassi at [Matera evacuated by law](/stories/matera-evacuated-by-law), and the cistern's neighbours underground at [two staircases that never meet](/stories/two-staircases-that-never-meet).

## FAQ

### Do you need to book the Crypt of Original Sin?

Yes, booking is compulsory and visits run at fixed times: six slots a day from April to September, five in March and October, four from November to February (2026). The slot is your meeting time at the ticket office, and the visit starts 30 minutes later.

### How much are Matera's national museums?

€10 for Palazzo Lanfranchi and €3 for San Rocco, with a €15 combined ticket valid 2 days and free entry under 18 (2026). The Ridola museum still has a €10 fare listed but has been closed since April 7, 2025, with no reopening date announced.

### What is the Palombaro Lungo in Matera?

A cistern dug under piazza Vittorio Veneto in phases from the 16th century: 16 metres deep, 50 long, able to hold 5 million litres. It was found still full of water in 1991 and is run by FAI, which doesn't publish opening hours or prices on its page.

### Was Matera a European Capital of Culture?

Yes, for 2019. It was designated at the end of 2014, the first city in southern Italy to hold the title. Matera had 59,368 residents on January 1, 2026, by ISTAT's estimate.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Cripta del Peccato Originale, chiesa rupestre affrescata tra VIII e IX secolo sulla Gravina di Picciano fuori Matera, si visita solo su prenotazione obbligatoria a orari fissi: sei turni al giorno da aprile a settembre (9.00, 10.30, 12.00, 15.00, 16.30, 18.00), cinque a marzo e ottobre, quattro da novembre a febbraio (2026) | [Cripta del Peccato Originale - Fondazione Zetema](https://www.criptadelpeccatooriginale.it/info/opening); [doc 2](https://www.criptadelpeccatooriginale.it/info/where); [doc 3](https://www.criptadelpeccatooriginale.it/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Il Palombaro Lungo, la grande cisterna scavata sotto piazza Vittorio Veneto a Matera, e' profondo 16 metri, lungo 50 e poteva contenere 5 milioni di litri d'acqua; fu ritrovato ancora pieno d'acqua nel 1991 ed e' gestito dal FAI | [FAI - Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano (ente gestore)](https://fondoambiente.it/luoghi/palombaro-lungo) | medium | 2028-12-31 |
| I Musei nazionali di Matera hanno tre sedi (Ridola, Palazzo Lanfranchi, ex Ospedale di San Rocco), aprono tutti i giorni 9.00-20.00 e costano 10 euro per Ridola, 10 per Lanfranchi, 3 per San Rocco, con cumulativo 15 euro valido 2 giorni e abbonamento annuale 25 euro; gratis sotto i 18 anni (2026) | [Musei nazionali di Matera - Ministero della Cultura](https://www.museonazionaledimatera.it/acquisto-biglietto-online/); [doc 2](https://www.museonazionaledimatera.it/chiusura-temporanea-museo-ridola/comunicazioni/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Il Parco archeologico storico naturale delle Chiese rupestri del Materano (Parco della Murgia Materana) e' stato istituito dalla Regione Basilicata con la legge regionale 11/1990, si estende su 8.056 ettari nei comuni di Matera e Montescaglioso e ha il Piano del Parco approvato dal Consiglio regionale il 15 febbraio 2005 | [Ente Parco della Murgia Materana](https://www.parcomurgia.it/pagina.php?id=36) | medium | 2030-12-31 |
| Il Pane di Matera e' IGP dal regolamento (CE) n. 160/2008 della Commissione, pubblicato in Gazzetta ufficiale dell'Unione europea il 22 febbraio 2008, nella categoria dei prodotti della panetteria e pasticceria | [EUR-Lex - Unione europea](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/IT/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32008R0160) | medium | 2099-12-31 |
| Matera e' stata designata alla fine del 2014 Capitale europea della cultura per il 2019, prima citta' del Mezzogiorno a ottenere il titolo, e per l'occasione ha ricevuto finanziamenti dedicati con successivi provvedimenti statali | [Camera dei Deputati - documentazione parlamentare](https://temi.camera.it/leg19/temi/tl18_le_capitali_della_cultura.html) | medium | 2099-12-31 |
| Matera ha 59.368 residenti al 1 gennaio 2026 (stima ISTAT) | [ISTAT - Demografia in cifre](https://demo.istat.it/app/?i=POS&l=it); [ISTAT - dataset comunale POSAS 2026](https://demo.istat.it/data/posas/POSAS_2026_it_Comuni.zip) | medium | 2027-03-31 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/city.matera.1600.jpg
Author: Gianfranco Vitolo. License: CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Matera_(235706743).jpeg

## Other languages

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