Matera is a town and a province in the region of Basilicata, sometimes referred to as Lucania, in the south of Italy.
Apart from an economy which has traditionally been based on agriculture, in the late 1990s the major economic base of Matera, and of surrounding cities, is the production of upholstered furniture.
The town lies athwart a small canyon, which has been eroded in the course of years by a small stream, the Gravina.