Basilicata · Matera
Grottole
A hilltop borgo between the Bradano and Basento, where six hundred empty houses outnumber residents in the centro storico.
Known for
EMPTY CENTRO
Six hundred empty houses and around three hundred residents in the centro storico, the visible signature of inland Lucanian depopulation.
ITALIAN SABBATICAL
Airbnb and Wonder Grottole's 2019 three-month volunteer programme drew about 280,000 applications for five spots in the village.
HONEY
Wildflower and millefiori varieties from apiaries in the surrounding pasture and scrub, anchor of the Città del Miele designation.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J11°
- F13°
- M14°
- A17°
- M23°
- J29°
- J34°
- A32°
- S27°
- O22°
- N16°
- D12°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Grottole sits on a hill between the Bradano and Basento rivers, seventeen kilometers from Matera. The current population is around two thousand on paper, but the centro storico has roughly three hundred residents and six hundred empty houses. At its centre stands the Chiesa Diruta, the medieval church of Saints Luke and Julian, roofless since the seventeenth century and photographed more often than it is prayed in.
The Norman-era Castello di Grottole, with a central watchtower, sits on the high point. The town drew international attention in 2019 when Airbnb and the NGO Wonder Grottole launched the Italian Sabbatical, a three-month volunteer programme offering five people the chance to live in the village free, in partnership with Fondazione Matera 2019. Around 280,000 people applied for the five slots.
The point of the experiment was not tourism but repopulation. Honey, anchored by the Città del Miele designation, comes from the surrounding scrub and pastures and is the village's signature product.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Grottole’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
How to get there
From Bari / Brindisi (BRI), about 1h 30m by car.
Naples / Salerno (NAP) is about 3 hours away.
By car from the centre of Bari 1h 33m, Salerno 2h 20m or Naples 3 hours.
What to see
Chiesa Diruta
Medieval church of Saints Luke and Julian, roofless since the seventeenth century, the most photographed ruin in the centro storico.
Castello di Grottole
Norman-era fortress on the hilltop with a central watchtower, the high point of the village and the orientation marker visible from the surrounding valleys.
Centro storico
Stone village with around six hundred empty houses and three hundred residents, the Wonder Grottole programme working to restore and repopulate it house by house.
Chiesa Madre dei Santi Luca e Giuliano
Active mother church near the Diruta, holding services and the parish records for the small remaining residential community.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Grottole fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
Living here
- Population 2,031
- Off the beaten pathi
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Bari / Brindisi, 1 h 30 min drive
- Regional capital Potenza, 1 h 12 min drive
Common questions
- What is Grottole known for?
- Grottole is a hilltop borgo at 481 meters between the Bradano and Basento, where six hundred empty houses outnumber residents in the centro storico.
- Where is Grottole?
- Grottole is a comune in the province of Matera, in Basilicata.
- What is the nearest airport to Grottole?
- Bari / Brindisi (BRI), about 1h 30m by car.
- How long is the drive from Bari to Grottole?
- About 1h 33m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Grottole?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 34 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 12 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Grottole?
- Miglionico, San Mauro Forte and Poggiorsini.
- How many people live in Grottole?
- 2,031 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 481 m
- Population: 2,031
- Surface area: 117.15 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Similar
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