Casa Noha
A noble house cut into the tufa of the Sassi, Casa Noha no longer shows its rooms but tells a story: projected across its bare walls, vaults and floors, the history of Matera unfolds in light.
At a glance
Casa Noha stands in the Sassi di Matera, the cave-city district that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a short walk from the Civita and the Cathedral. The building is a textbook example of private Sassi architecture: tufa-stone walls, vaulted ceilings, carved detail, and an external staircase climbing from a courtyard to five interior rooms. Once owned by the noble Noha family, it was donated to FAI in 2004 by heirs of the Fodale and Latorre families. After a conservative restoration the trust left the rooms empty, turning the house itself into the screen for a film about the city.
Key facts
- Location: Recinto Cavone 9, Sassi di Matera, Basilicata
- Type: noble house in the Sassi, tufa construction with vaulted rooms
- Donated to FAI: 2004, by heirs of the Fodale and Latorre families
- Today: home to the multimedia narration “I Sassi invisibili. Viaggio straordinario nella storia di Matera”
- Narration by: Giovanni Carrada, projected on walls, ceilings and floors
- Themes: architecture, art history, archaeology and cinema of Matera
History
The Sassi are the oldest part of Matera, a warren of houses dug and built into the soft tufa of a ravine, inhabited from prehistory until the mid-twentieth century. Casa Noha belonged to one of the families who lived above the poorest cave dwellings, and its rooms, courtyard and external stair are typical of the better Sassi houses. The Noha family owned it for generations.
In 2004 the heirs of the Fodale and Latorre families gave the house to FAI so that its history and setting could be shared with the public. Rather than refurnish it as a period interior, the trust restored the fabric and conceived a different kind of visit. The empty rooms became the canvas for a film.
The result, “I Sassi invisibili,” was devised by the science writer Giovanni Carrada. Projected across the tufa surfaces, it carries visitors through the origins, abandonment and rebirth of Matera, weaving together architecture, art history, archaeology and the city’s long career as a film set.
What you see
From the street a courtyard opens, and an external staircase rises to the entrance, just as it would have done for the household that lived here. Inside, the five rooms are stripped of furniture; the tufa walls and vaults are the exhibit.
The projection uses every surface. Images move across the curve of the ceilings and pool on the floors, so that the architecture of the Sassi becomes part of the film about the Sassi. The visit is short and immersive, and works best as the first stop before walking the cave-city itself.
Practical information
- Opening hours are seasonal; check the FAI website before visiting
- The narration lasts about 25 minutes
- The Sassi are steep and cobbled; wear comfortable shoes
Getting there
Casa Noha is in the heart of the Sassi, reached on foot from Piazza del Sedile and Via Duomo. Matera is served by rail from Bari on the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane line, and by road from the Bari and Taranto motorways. Cars are best left in the upper town.
Nearby
- Cathedral of Matera, on the Civita ridge above the Sassi
- Rock churches of the Sassi and the Murgia ravine opposite
- Casa Grotta, a furnished cave dwelling, for the everyday counterpart to Casa Noha
Sources
- FAI – Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano, “Casa Noha.” fondoambiente.it.
- UNESCO World Heritage List, “The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera,” 1993.
- Coordinates verified against OpenStreetMap / Nominatim (40.66634, 16.61214).
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