In the heart of the Sasso Barisano, in Via Sette Dolori, a few steps from Piazza del Sedile and the Conservatory, there is a 400-square-meter underground system that tells eight centuries of history carved into the rock. What began as a natural cave became, over time, a rock church, then an oil mill, then a cellar in the 17th century: each room preserves the signs of a different transformation, each passage an era of the underground city.
The route passes through six cisterns carved into the rock on multiple levels, once the heart of the Sassi's water system, with water channels still visible and the presence of the statue of St. George. It ends in an authentic cave house with its surroundings, where the visit encounters the daily memory of the Matera community — not a reconstruction, but a space inhabited until decades ago.
The entrance and exit are the same, in Via Sette Dolori: the visit is a circular route that ends at the same starting point. Average duration: 15-20 minutes, at your own pace. Visit independently, with a free audio guide available in ten languages (Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Romanian) directly on your smartphone. No fixed-time booking: enter whenever you want during the public opening times.