Palombaro Lungo

Among the main attractions of the city, we can mention the Palombaro Lungo.

What is the Palombaro Lungo?

The inhabitants of the Sassi of Matera have always had to find creative solutions to deal with water scarcity.

Each house was equipped with a cistern dug inside the house, which was filled through a system of canalization of rainwater coming from the hills.

With the increase in the population and the settlement of the wealthiest families in the Plan, the administration decided to build a larger cistern to meet the needs of this part of the population.

The cistern, called Palombaro Lungo, was made up of several underground rooms joined together, the walls of which were covered with cocciopesto to prevent water leaks.

The Palombaro Lungo was expanded several times to increase its storage capacity, and was constantly supplied by the water from the hills above the historic center of Matera.

It was accessible to the population through holes at the top, from which buckets were lowered to draw water.

In 1920, the Apulian aqueduct installed public fountains to supply water to the city, and the Palombaro Lungo became unused.

However, in 1991 Matera decided to secure it and make it accessible to the public.

Today, the  Palombaro Lungo, about 18 meters high, is located under Piazza Vittorio Veneto and is easily accessible.