Since the dawn of humanity, humans have learned to interpret stone, to work with it, and to make it their home
The Stone That Tells a Story
Every space at FOVEA has been shaped and carved out of the rock with patience and skill. The calcarenite rock, the same material that gave rise to the Murgia and the Sassi of Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Fovea Gate - The Ancient Entrance to the Quarry
FOVEA is accessed through an ancient calcarenite quarry. The intense quarrying activity gave rise to the urban development of Sasso Barisano, one of the oldest neighborhoods in the Sassi. Every cut in the stone walls of FOVEA bears the signature of those who literally built Matera by carving it out from within.
Today, crossing this threshold means entering the place where the city was born
1710 - The Winery
The rhythm of the grape-crushing, the scent of the must, and the songs of the grape-pickers filled this nobleman’s wine cellar during the weeks of the harvest—a collective ritual that marked the community’s rhythm of life.
Today, the vats where the grape-pickers’ feet once danced host theatrical and musical performances. In a space that amplifies every breath and every gesture, sit down and close your eyes for a moment: this place still knows how to make you feel part of something.
The Foggiali - The Roots of FOVEA
The name itself comes from here: the “foggiali,” bell-shaped silos carved into the Matera tuff to store grain. Together with the cisterns for collecting water, they represent the first underground structures that shaped the life of the Matera community. Deep roots that still today underpin everything FOVEA has built within them.
Today, the labyrinth of the foggiali serves as the common thread connecting a journey through different moods in FOVEA’s immersive experiences
The Acoustic Cistern
An underground cistern for collecting and storing rainwater. The cocciopesto walls still bear the imprints of the water that stagnated there for decades—a musical score without a key, where every mark is a sound wave waiting to be heard.
Today, sound replaces water. The artist plays the space; the air around him becomes sound matter; the frequencies seek their natural resonance and find it, enveloping you completely.
Close your eyes and let yourself be immersed
La Neviera - On the Threshold of Imagination
An extraordinary example of Matera’s advanced excavation techniques: a perfectly square chasm carved into the rock to store snow collected in winter and produce ice. Ice, a resource of crucial importance for health and food purposes, was so valuable that it determined the socioeconomic status of those who possessed it.
Today, the space that once held the cold hosts light projections and video mapping. The dark depths of the ice house become a canvas where light and images come to life on the centuries-old stone
Cave House - Fovea Bar
Among the spaces at FOVEA is an ancient cave dwelling that has sheltered families within the rock for generations. It embodies the ingenuity and dignity of rural culture.
Today, this ancient dwelling has become the FOVEA Bar, with the original wood-burning stove still in place. Here, memory is not turned into a museum piece but remains tangible and accessible—a direct bridge between Matera’s recent past and its contemporary cultural renaissance.
