Matera's Sassi sit behind ZTL cameras. The Sassi zone is closed to cars without a permit 10:00–20:30 every day, and the Centro zone round the Corso is closed all day. A foreign plate gets the letter too, up to 360 days later.
My plan: leave the car at Via Saragat, €0.50 an hour or €5 a day according to Telepass, and ride the Linea Sassi bus in. Buy the €0.80 ticket before you board; on the bus it's €1.50.
Parking in Matera: Matera's car parks sit outside the Sassi cameras
1. Learn the ZTL clock before trusting satnav
The tourist board's table, in force since 11 April 2022, has seven zones. Sassi (Via Buozzi, Via Madonna delle Virtù, Via D'Addozio): 10:00–20:30. Centro and San Giovanni/San Biagio: 24 hours. Prefettura, Ridola, Casalnuovo, Stigliani: 20:30–midnight. Weekends and holidays included. The comune's own ZTL page wouldn't open for me.
2. Pay the blue lines until 20:30
Telepass lists the comune's blue bays as charged every day, holidays included, 08:00–20:30: €1 an hour in zone A (minimum €0.50), €0.70 in zone B. An older 2020 listing gives 08:30–13:30 and 16:00–20:30. Since March 2023 residents park free 13:30–16:00 in zones A and B, which only makes sense if visitors pay then, so I'd pay through lunch. Pay with EasyPark or the city's K-City app.
3. Use Firrao or Piazza Municipio for short stops
Piazza Cesare Firrao (146 spaces) and the underground car park under Piazza Municipio were €1 an hour, no day cap, open 24/7 in a 2020 listing. The second is reachable without crossing a camera.
4. Take a roof box to Via Lucana
The Via Lucana car park, entered from Via Pasquale Vena, was €0.50 an hour with a 4.10 m height limit in the same listing. Telepass counts 340 spaces at Vena.
5. Skip Damasco unless your hotel arranges it
Autoservizi Damasco is covered and staffed, €20 a day maximum according to Telepass, but it's inside the ZTL. You enter by the Via Roma gate with authorisation and tell the attendant. Phone +39 0835 334605.
The mistake I'd expect most: following the satnav down Via D'Addozio or Via Buozzi to "the hotel". One blogger also warns of a camera right by the Scotellaro car park exit.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | Height | EV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Via Saragat (park and bus)Via Giuseppe Saragat, off SS7 exit 2 "Matera Centro"; 530 spaces according to Telepass (285 in a 2023 report). Linea Sassi bus from the entrance every half hour | €0.50 an hour, €5 a day (Telepass; a camper listing also gives €0.50). Height not published by the operator; a camper site lists 3.5 m. | not published | Not published. |
| Piazza Cesare Firrao (underground)Piazza Cesare Firrao, by the Prefettura ZTL; 146 spaces (Telepass). Open 24/7, unattended | €1 an hour, no day cap (2020 listing). Height not published. | not published | Not published. |
| Piazza Municipio (underground)Entered from Via Vincenzo Cappelluti (Piazza Kennedy); reachable without entering the ZTL. Open 24/7, unattended | €1 an hour, no day cap (2020 listing). Not for campers. | not published | Not published. |
| Via Lucana / VenaEntered from Via Pasquale Vena, south of the Bracco ZTL; Telepass counts 340 spaces at Vena. Open 24/7 | €0.50 an hour, no day cap, height 4.10 m (2020 listing). | 4.1 m | Not published. |
| Sant'Isidoro (private)Via Lanera side; phone +39 328 1863127. A 2026 blog says it took pre-booked cars only | €0.70 per 30 minutes by day, €0.50 by night, €20 a day maximum (Telepass). | not published | Not published. |
| Park Scotellaro (private)Via Rocco Scotellaro, open 24 hours. A ZTL camera sits by the exit, according to a 2026 blog | €1.50 an hour 08:00–24:00, €0.80 overnight (Telepass). Height not published. | not published | Not published. |
| Autoservizi Damasco (inside the ZTL)Via XX Settembre, entered only by the Via Roma gate with authorisation; covered and staffed. Phone +39 0835 334605 | €20 a day maximum, 07:30–20:30 (Telepass; a 2020 listing gave Sunday hours 07:30–13:00 and 15:30–21:00). | not published | Not published. |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | Via Saragat (park and bus) | €1 | Bus to the Sassi €0.80 a ride, €1.50 on board |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Via Lucana / Vena | €1 | height 4.10 m |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Blue bays, zone A | €2 | Telepass lists zone A at €1 an hour (minimum €0.50) and zone B at €0.70, every day including holidays, 08:00–20:30. A 2020 listing gave a lunch break; since March 2023 residents park free 13:30–16:00, so visitors pay then. Unpaid blue bays are €42–€173 under the highway code. |
| A full day (10 h) | Via Saragat (park and bus) | €5 | Bus to the Sassi €0.80 a ride, €1.50 on board |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Via Lucana / Vena | €5 | height 4.10 m |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Blue bays, zone A | €10 | Telepass lists zone A at €1 an hour (minimum €0.50) and zone B at €0.70, every day including holidays, 08:00–20:30. A 2020 listing gave a lunch break; since March 2023 residents park free 13:30–16:00, so visitors pay then. Unpaid blue bays are €42–€173 under the highway code. |
| 24 hours | Via Saragat (park and bus) | €5 | Bus to the Sassi €0.80 a ride, €1.50 on board |
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Towed in Matera: A Matera ZTL camera costs more than a tow
1. Ring 112 if the car's gone
Matera publishes no car pound address, opening hours or towing tariff that I could find. Neither the comune's ZTL page nor the tourist board names a tow firm. Call 112 first, then the hire company.
2. Budget €83 for every camera day
Under article 7 of the Italian highway code, driving into a ZTL costs €83–€332; Matera is on the transport ministry's list of camera-authorised ZTLs (January 2026). Pay within five days and you save 30%, so €83 becomes €58.10. Repeated entries into the same zone on the same day now count as one fine. The letter can reach a foreign address up to 360 days later.
3. Get the hotel to register your plate
The tourist board only says to check with your accommodation before arrival. It doesn't publish who sends the plate, by when or at what cost. Blue-badge holders must notify the ZTL office on 800 091980 or [email protected] within 48 hours.
I'd email the hotel my full plate with the booking and wait for a written yes.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- The comune of Matera runs the ZTL cameras and the blue bays. Neither the comune's pages I could read nor the tourist board publishes who tows, where the car pound is or what it costs
- Phone
- Emergency number, if the car is gone: 112
ZTL office free number (published for blue-badge access notices, within 48 hours): 800 091980 - Collect it at
- No car pound address is published.
- Hours
- Not published.
- What it costs
- Towing and storage: not published. ZTL entry €83–€332 (highway code art. 7), 30% off within five days, so €58.10 at the minimum; one fine per day for repeated entries into the same zone. Notices can reach a foreign address up to 360 days later.
- Bring
- Nothing is listed for visitors. I would bring my driving licence, passport and the rental contract, and ring the hire company first.
EV charging in Matera: Matera keeps no public charger list
1. Arrive with charge to spare
Neither the comune nor the tourist board publishes a list of public chargers or tariffs. I couldn't confirm a single charger with a price, so I'd treat Matera as a place to arrive charged, not to charge.
2. Don't assume an electric car enters free
A 2025 guide says electric cars can apply for special ZTL authorisation. The tourist board's table makes no exception for them, so I'd treat an EV like any other car at the gates.
3. Ask the hotel about a socket
With no published network, the realistic plug is at your lodging. Ask before you book, not at the door.
On this page Matera is unpublished, and I won't pretend otherwise.
Where to charge
- No public charger list — Neither the comune nor the tourist board publishes chargers or tariffs for Matera. Arrive charged; ask your lodging about a socket before booking. A 2025 guide says EVs can apply for ZTL authorisation; the tourist board's ZTL table makes no exception
Free parking in Matera: Saragat's €5 day and the Linea Sassi
1. Park all day at Via Saragat
Via Saragat car park is the one I'd use: off the SS7 at exit 2 "Matera Centro". Telepass gives €0.50 an hour, €5 a day, 530 spaces; a 2023 council report said 285. Nine hours in a zone A bay is €9, so the day rate saves €4 before you've walked a step.
2. Ride the Linea Sassi in
The tourist board says the Linea Sassi, run by Miccolis, leaves the Saragat car park every half hour; a 2024 guide gives 07:30–23:30. Miccolis's urban fares: €0.80 a ride from a shop or machine, €1.50 on board, €1 for 180 minutes. Car plus two return tickets is €6.60 for one; two adults paying on board, €11.
3. Try Via Lanera from the south
Via Lanera is the tourist board's pick from SS7 exit 1 "Matera Sud", with its own Linea Circolare Lanera. The board lists it as paid by EasyPark; Telepass calls its spaces unattended. No tariff is published, so read the meter.
4. Don't count on a hotel car park
I found no Matera hotel whose own site says parking is free. Telepass names Via Annibale Maria Di Francia as free parking; the city doesn't confirm it.
Prices here were checked on 2 November 2026; most come from Telepass and the tourist board, because the comune's pages wouldn't load.
Free or nearly-free spots
Via Saragat: €5 for the day, bus at the door
Not free, but the cheapest all-day option published: €0.50 an hour or €5 a day (Telepass), then the Linea Sassi every half hour. Car plus two €0.80 rides is €6.60, against €9 for nine hours in a zone A bay.
Via Lanera, from SS7 exit 1
The tourist board's recommended car park from the south, with its own Linea Circolare Lanera bus. The board says pay by EasyPark; Telepass calls the spaces unattended. No tariff published.
Via Annibale Maria Di Francia, listed as free
Telepass lists it as free parking; the city doesn't confirm it. Check the bay lines: white is free, blue is paid.
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- ZTL Sassi (Via Buozzi, Via Madonna delle Virtù, Via D'Addozio) is active 10:00–20:30 every day; Centro and San Giovanni/San Biagio 24 hours; Prefettura, Ridola, Casalnuovo and Stigliani 20:30–midnight. Loading 07:00–10:30 and 15:00–17:00. Tourist board table, in force since 11 April 2022; the comune's page would not open.
- Hotel guests: the tourist board says only to check with your accommodation before arrival. Who sends the plate, by when and at what cost is not published. Get a written confirmation.
- Blue-bay hours conflict: Telepass gives 08:00–20:30 every day; a 2020 listing gives 08:30–13:30 and 16:00–20:30. Since March 2023 residents park free 13:30–16:00, which implies visitors pay then. I'd pay through lunch.
- A 2026 blog warns of a ZTL camera by the exit of the Scotellaro car park; leave the way the signs point.
- The comune's own parking and ZTL pages were not readable on 2 November 2026. Prices on this page come from Telepass, the tourist board, Miccolis and older listings.
Take these places with you
Every place on this page as a file you can keep — car parks with their prices, the free and park-and-ride spots, the chargers and the pound.