Domenico Ridola

Important to reconstruct the origins of the city of Matera and its surroundings is a visit to the National Museum “Domenico Ridola”, established in 1911 and dedicated to one of the most distinguished men of the city and located in Via Ridola, near the Sassi di Matera. The doctor and senator Domenico Ridola, passionate about archeology, started various excavation campaigns at the end of the 19th century, which led him to discover some of the most important Paleolithic and Neolithic settlements in the area and to constitute a very interesting collection of archaeological finds, enriched and updated by the work of the museum technicians. Of great interest are also the collections concerning the settlements of Magna Graecia which saw its blossoming on the Ionian coasts.