# Matera's ZTL: the Sassi shut to cars twice a day

> Matera's Sassi ZTL runs daily, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm; the Duomo area is closed round the clock. And there is no mainline train.

URL: https://myitalia.it/ztl/in-matera
Last updated: 2026-09-11

In Matera the Sassi traffic zone, the yellow zone, is restricted every day from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and from 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm, while the blue zone around the Duomo and San Biagio is closed to unauthorized cars 24 hours a day.

## Three colours, three rules

Matera's restricted area is split into 3 coloured zones plus the pedestrian areas, and each has its own timetable.

| Zone | Where | Restriction |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | The Sassi | Every day, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm - 9:30 pm |
| Blue | Duomo and San Biagio | 24 hours a day |
| Green | Historic centre: Mercato, Prefettura, Centro | Seasonal hours |
| Pedestrian areas | Various | Goods loading 7:00 am - 10:00 am and 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm, not on holidays |

Exemptions depend on the zone and can cover authorized residents, emergency vehicles, holders of a disabled badge, electric vehicles and taxis. The seasonal hours of the three green sub-zones are not in the data this page relies on, so they are not given.

## An ordinance from 2014, reminders from this year

Executive ordinance 291 of August 27, 2014 sets the basic rules. The council's open data sheet on the zones was updated on August 9, 2026 and offers the perimeters in KML and GeoJSON.

The map files attached to that sheet still date from 2014, while the council keeps issuing supplementary ordinances for the Sassi. Before driving in, read the latest ones on the council's official notice board: that is where a temporary change will appear.

## How the fine reaches you

Matera works on the same model as Italy's other art cities in 2026: only authorized vehicles, only in set time bands, with cameras reading every plate at the boundary and a penalty issued automatically to anyone without a registered permit.

There is no barrier and no warning at the moment you drive in. The notice comes later, by post, to the registered keeper. The gate locations in Matera are not published in the sources behind this page.

## Why so many people arrive by car: no mainline railway

Matera is not connected to the national rail network in 2026: the city is served only by the narrow-gauge Ferrovie Appulo Lucane. A new line from Ferrandina to Matera La Martella, 20 km of electrified single track costing €525 million, partly from the PNRR recovery plan, has been under construction since 2023 and is due to open in 2028.

Until then the train means the FAL. On the weekday timetable in force since August 31, 2026, the first train leaves Bari Centrale at 4:14 am and the last at 10:10 pm, and most Matera services require a change at Altamura, reached in about 1 hour 12 minutes. The full Bari-Matera time cannot be read with certainty from the published timetable, so it is not stated here.

On Sundays and holidays the FAL replaces its trains with buses that accept rail tickets. They leave from the bus terminal in via Capruzzi, in front of Bari's FS station rather than the FAL one, and the August 3, 2026 timetable shows 8 arrivals at Matera Centrale between 9:48 am and 11:03 pm. Some departures end at Altamura or Gravina, so check the destination on the bus.

## Where to leave the car

There is no verified parking price or car park list for Matera in this site's data, so the page gives none. The practical rule stands anyway: park outside the coloured zones and walk down into the Sassi.

See also [Matera](/towns/matera), [getting to Matera](/towns/matera/getting-there), [the Sassi](/attractions/sassi-di-matera), [the capital without a railway](/stories/the-only-capital-without-a-railway) and [ZTL rules across Italy](/themes/ztl).

## FAQ

### What are the ZTL hours in the Sassi of Matera?

The yellow zone covering the Sassi is restricted every day from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and from 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm. The blue zone around the Duomo and San Biagio is restricted 24 hours a day. The council issues recurring ordinances for the Sassi, so check the latest one.

### Can I drive into the Sassi to reach my accommodation?

Only with an authorization registered to your plate for that zone and time band. Italian ZTLs are watched by cameras that read every plate and issue fines automatically, and in Matera the exemptions depend on the zone: authorized residents, emergency vehicles, disabled badge holders, electric cars and taxis.

### Is there a train to Matera?

Not on the national network. Matera is served only by the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane narrow-gauge line from Bari, and most trains need a change at Altamura. On Sundays and holidays buses replace the trains. A new national line from Ferrandina is due in 2028.

### How do I get from Bari to Matera on a Sunday?

By FAL bus, which replaces the train on Sundays and holidays and accepts rail tickets. It leaves from the bus terminal in via Capruzzi, in front of Bari's main FS station, and the August 3, 2026 timetable shows 8 arrivals at Matera Centrale, from 9:48 am to 11:03 pm.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Matera la ZTL dei Sassi (zona gialla) e' attiva tutti i giorni 10.00-13.00 e 17.00-21.30, mentre la zona blu Duomo/San Biagio e' interdetta 24 ore su 24 e il centro storico ha una zona verde con limitazioni stagionali; la disciplina di base e' l'Ordinanza dirigenziale n. 291 del 2014 | [Comune di Matera - portale open data](https://dati.comune.matera.it/dataset/ztl-e-apu) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Nelle citta' d'arte italiane il centro storico e' quasi sempre una Zona a Traffico Limitato (ZTL): l'ingresso e' consentito solo ai veicoli autorizzati in determinate fasce orarie, i confini sono presidiati da varchi con telecamere che leggono automaticamente le targhe e la sanzione e' emessa d'ufficio a chi transita senza permesso registrato (2026). | [Roma Servizi per la Mobilita' (Roma Capitale)](https://romamobilita.it/infomobilita/ztl-orari-citta/); [Comune di Firenze](https://mobilita.comune.fi.it/muoversi/muoversi/ztl.html); [Comune di Milano](https://www.comune.milano.it/aree-tematiche/mobilita/area-c); [Comune di Napoli](https://www.comune.napoli.it/articolo_tematico/trasporti-mobilita/ztl-e-aree-pedonali/ztl-del-centro-antico/) | high | 2027-09-01 |
| Matera e' l'unico capoluogo di provincia italiano non collegato alla rete ferroviaria nazionale: la nuova linea Ferrandina-Matera La Martella, 20 km a semplice binario elettrificato per 525 milioni di euro anche da PNRR, e' in costruzione dal 2023 con completamento previsto nel 2028 | [Gruppo FS Italiane](https://www.fsitaliane.it/it/opere-strategiche/nuova-linea-ferrandina-matera-la-martella.html) | medium | 2027-08-31 |
| L'orario ferroviario feriale delle Ferrovie Appulo Lucane in vigore dal 31 agosto 2026 prevede da Bari Centrale una prima partenza alle 4:14 e un'ultima alle 22:10, con i treni per Matera che nella maggior parte dei casi richiedono un cambio ad Altamura, raggiunta in circa 1 ora e 12 minuti. | [Ferrovie Appulo Lucane](https://ferrovieappulolucane.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ORARIO-TRENI-DA-E-PER-BA-DAL-31-AGO-2026-1.pdf) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| La domenica e nei giorni festivi le Ferrovie Appulo Lucane sospendono il treno fra Bari e Matera e lo sostituiscono integralmente con autobus, sui quali sono ammessi anche i viaggiatori con biglietto ferroviario; con il quadro del 3 agosto 2026 gli arrivi a Matera Centrale da Bari sono otto, dalle 9:48 alle 23:03. | [Ferrovie Appulo Lucane](https://ferrovieappulolucane.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ORARIO-BUS-FESTIVI-E-DOMENICA-03-AGO-2026.pdf); [doc 2](https://ferrovieappulolucane.it/tratta/orari/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |

## 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

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