Matera museums

DOMENICO RIDOLA ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM

The collection of artefacts, donated by founder and archaeologist Domenico Ridola in 1911, traces the history of human settlement in Matera from the Paleolithic era to the Middle Ages via the Greek occupation. Exhibits include the fossilised ‘Julian whale’ and reproductions of Magna Graecia vases. It forms part of the National Museum of Matera, along with the Museum of Medieval and Modern Art in the splendid Palazzo Lanfranchi. museonazionaledimatera.it

MUSEUM-WORKSHOP OF THE PEASANT CULTURE

Picking up where the Domenico Ridola leaves off, this museum’s exhibition rooms are reconstructions of craft workshops and homes from Matera’s more recent history. Visit a blacksmith, barber, cobbler and cabinet maker on a tour of peasant life before the evacuation. You can also see a typical cave house and public wine cellar, where peasants would have gathered to relax and chat. museolaboratorio.it

MATERA OLIVE OIL MUSEUM

Where else but Matera could you find a 500-yearold olive oil mill in a cave? A ticket gets you a 30-minute guided tour through the mill’s rooms, including the stable, which housed the donkeys used to turn the mill, as well as the room where the olives were deposited, which is now used for tastings. moom.bio