Photo Credits: Alp Ancel (Unsplash)
Hiring a car in Matera unlocks one of Italy's least-explored regions. The Sassi are best discovered on foot, but the surrounding Basilicata demands wheels: cave villages, Ionian beaches and lunar landscapes that no bus will ever reach.
Where to pick up a hire car in Matera
There are two practical options for car hire in Matera: picking up the vehicle in the city itself, or collecting it at Bari Airport, around 65 kilometres away.
In the city, a handful of local agencies and some international brands have pick-up points near the historic centre, generally along Via Nazionale or in the parking areas on the edge of the Sassi district. Vehicle choice is more limited than at the airport, but for short stays beginning and ending in Matera it is the most straightforward option.
Travellers arriving by air will find all major operators — Hertz, Avis, Europcar, Sixt, Enterprise — at Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport, with a wide range of vehicles available. Picking up the car on arrival and driving to Matera along the SS99 is the smoothest way to make the most of your time. For more on this route, see our guide to transfers from Bari Airport to Matera.
Parking in Matera: what you need to know
Matera's historic centre has strict traffic restrictions. The Sassi — Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano — are pedestrian zones or limited traffic areas (ZTL) for much of the day, accessible only to residents and hotel guests with a specific permit.
The most convenient car parks for visitors are:
- Via Lucana: the closest parking area to the Sassi entrance, with good availability throughout the day
- Piazza Vittorio Veneto: the natural access point to the historic centre, with street parking on nearby roads
- Parcheggio Lanera: a multi-storey car park outside the old walls, recommended for longer stays
From any of these, the heart of the Sassi is a five to fifteen minute walk. If you are staying in a cave hotel, check in advance whether your accommodation has a ZTL pass or specific vehicle access instructions.
Which car to choose
For getting around Matera and its immediate surroundings, a small hatchback or compact saloon is more than adequate. Most of the main tourist routes in Basilicata are on well-maintained roads.
An SUV or crossover becomes useful if your itinerary includes unmade tracks leading to certain masserie or lesser-visited archaeological sites. For the Ionian coast or the main inland villages, a standard car handles everything without difficulty.
In high season — July and August — availability drops quickly. Booking at least a week in advance is advisable. The same applies over Easter and the spring bank holidays.
Where to drive from Matera
The real reason to hire a car in Matera is Basilicata itself — one of Italy's most underrated regions and among its most rewarding to explore slowly.
Aliano (around 50 km) is the village made famous by Carlo Levi's Christ Stopped at Eboli. The surrounding landscape of grey clay gullies — the calanchi — is among the most otherworldly in southern Italy, and the museum dedicated to Levi is well worth a visit.
Metaponto (around 65 km) preserves the remains of the ancient Greek colony, including the Archaeological Park and National Museum. It also has a long sandy beach on the Ionian coast, ideal for a summer stop.
Craco is an abandoned hilltop village, evacuated after a landslide in the 1960s and now frozen in time — a hauntingly photogenic ruin that has served as a backdrop for several films.
Maratea (around 130 km) is the jewel of the Tyrrhenian coast: a rugged shoreline of hidden coves, clear water and the giant Christ the Redeemer statue watching over the headland. The coastal road winding down to the sea is one of the most scenic drives in the south.
The Lucanian Dolomites (around 50 km) at Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa offer an unexpected landscape of jagged rock spires and the famous Volo dell'Angelo zip-line connecting the two villages.
Practical tips for driving in Basilicata
Distances in Basilicata often take longer than expected. Winding mountain roads and significant changes in altitude mean that 50 kilometres can take well over an hour. Build in extra time, especially when visiting multiple places in a single day.
Fuel is available in the main towns and along the state roads, but petrol stations become sparse in more remote areas. It is worth filling up in Matera or in the larger towns before heading onto secondary roads.
GPS navigation works well on most routes, but the signal can be intermittent in hilly areas. Downloading an offline map before setting off is a sensible precaution.
Returning the car
If you collected the vehicle at Bari Airport, return it to the same location. Allow at least an hour and a half of driving from Matera, plus time to refuel if required by your rental agreement.
Some local agencies in Matera offer a drop-off in the city with a separate pick-up arrangement at Bari: worth checking at the time of booking if your itinerary ends with a taxi or private transfer to the airport.