What to see
The sheer scale of the cistern is striking: it measures around 18 metres in height and 50 metres in width. The current space was formed by connecting several pre-existing caves during the 16th century to meet the demands of a growing population for water reserves. While the ancient continuous habitation of Matera's caves makes precise dating difficult, the final layout was officially completed in 1882 under the direction of engineer Rosi. The rounded, imposing walls are carved directly into the calcarenite rock and coated with cocciopesto, an ancient Mediterranean waterproofing plaster essential for stopping the porous stone from absorbing the water. Looking up, you can identify two external holes through which citizens once lowered their small buckets to draw water. Over the centuries, several of these containers slipped from their ropes; today, they can still be seen resting in a now-dry, formerly submerged section affectionately known as "la spiaggetta" (the little beach).
Visiting
Descending into the Palombaro Lungo provides a deep understanding of "Matera sotterranea", the intricate subterranean water system extending the entire length of the Sassi. Above ground, Piazza Vittorio Veneto acts as a social and architectural watershed between the peasant dwellings of the Sassi and the "al piano" district, historically home to bourgeois families. This square was created by filling the original clay terrain with earth and debris to stabilize the ground for construction. The visit also sheds light on the structure's curious name. While "lungo" refers to its immense size, "palombaro" has multiple proposed origins: the Latin palumbarius (a diving bird of prey), the ancient Greek coliumbao (to dive), or the Latin plumbarius (relating to water collection). It is an ancient concept, used in translations of the Iliad regarding the fall of Cebriones (the "naked divers") and by Thucydides describing the siege of Syracuse to denote plunging below the water's surface.
Our editors' tip
Pay close attention when you reach the section known as "la spiaggetta": spotting the original, lost buckets lying on the dry stone floor provides a highly tangible connection to the daily physical labour of Matera's past residents before modern plumbing.