CULTURAL EVENTS BRING US CLOSER

It’s not about tourism, Paolo Verri, general director of Matera 2019 European Capital of Culture, said of Matera’s cultural capital status. “It’s more how to increase the quality of culture, how to involve citizens to make more of a cultural base in the city,” he said. “And also a long-term strategy to let us maintain Matera on the map.” Among events this year in Matera:

The Renaissance as Seen From the South. A large art exhibit featuring the top masterpieces from southern Italy. They’ll include one work by Raphael, commissioned by the King of Naples, as well as works by Caravaggio. The collection totals 180 pieces from Italian and European museums and is as diverse as portraits, sculptures and navigational charts. Inhabiting the Opera. The opera “Cavalleria Rusticana,” by Pietro Mascagni, will be performed Aug. 2-11 in Sasso Caveoso.

Meteradio. The Festival of Rai Radio 3. Live concerts, theater performances, dances and talks about radio. Sept. 13-15. The Poetry of Primes: From Pitagora to Algorithms. A technological exhibition linking Pythagoras, the Greek philosopher and inventor of mathematics, to Dutch artist M.C. Escher. Metaponto archaeological museum. Through Oct. 31.

People can attend events all year with the Passport, a combination ticket that’s available to locals for 12 euros (about $13.50) and to outsiders for 19 euros (about $23). Info: Matera 2019, bit.ly/Matera2019events