Sassi of Matera hosts Materadio from 30 October

The Sassi of Matera (I Sassi) in Matera host Materadio from 30 October to 1 November 2026, bringing Rai Radio 3 broadcasts, discussions, theatre and live music into the historic districts. The event marks the return of the radio festival after seven years and places the World Heritage landscape at the centre of a three-day cultural programme.

Materadio brings Rai Radio 3 back to Matera

Materadio is produced by Rai Com in collaboration with the Basilicata Region. The programme also involves the Fondazione Matera Basilicata 2019, the Municipality of Matera and Italy's Ministry of Culture, according to Rai News' event report.

The schedule runs from Friday 30 October through Sunday 1 November 2026. Rai News reports that broadcasts and events are planned from Piazza Vittorio Veneto to the Teatro Guerrieri, with alleys and small squares among the Sassi also used for the radio output. The programme includes conversations about geopolitics, current affairs and emotional education, alongside theatre and live music.

The announced participants include Gino Cecchettin and director Paola Randi in a discussion about a film dedicated to Giulia Cecchettin. The programme also includes a concert by Les Amazones d'Afrique, a performance by Carmen Consoli on 31 October and a closing appearance by Banda Rulli Frulli on 1 November. These items connect the festival's broadcast format with the lanes, squares and public venues that define Matera's old quarters.

The Sassi setting is a protected cave settlement

The event takes place within a wider cultural landscape rather than a single hall. UNESCO lists the Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera as a World Heritage property in Basilicata, southern Italy. Its official description identifies houses, churches, monasteries and hermitages built into the natural caves of the Murgia.

The property covers 1,016 hectares and contains more than 1,000 dwellings, shops and workshops, according to UNESCO's World Heritage entry. The first inhabited zone dates from the Palaeolithic, while later settlement developed through the districts now called Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano.

That long history gives Materadio a specific setting: the radio festival's live conversations and music are distributed through an ancient settlement whose buildings follow the rock and ravines of the Murgia. Visitors therefore encounter the programme alongside cave houses, churches and stepped lanes, rather than in a purpose-built festival enclosure.

Visiting Sassi of Matera: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Materadio takes place from 30 October to 1 November 2026 in Matera, including Piazza Vittorio Veneto, the Teatro Guerrieri and spaces among the Sassi.
• The event adds broadcasts, discussions, theatre and live music to the historic districts; the announced programme includes Carmen Consoli on 31 October.
• Matera is in Basilicata in southern Italy. Piazza Vittorio Veneto and the Teatro Guerrieri are named venues in the published programme.
• The World Heritage area includes steep lanes, ravines, rock-cut buildings and steps, so visits involve uneven historic terrain.
• Italian is the official language and the currency is the euro.

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Frequently asked questions about Sassi of Matera

When does Materadio take place at the Sassi of Matera?

Materadio runs from 30 October to 1 November 2026. Rai Radio 3 uses venues and public spaces in Matera, including areas among the Sassi.

What is the Sassi of Matera?

It is part of a UNESCO World Heritage property made up of cave-built houses, churches, monasteries and hermitages in Basilicata. The wider property covers 1,016 hectares.

Where are the Sassi of Matera and how do you get there?

The Sassi are in Matera in southern Italy. The published Materadio programme names Piazza Vittorio Veneto and the Teatro Guerrieri as venues within the city.