Matera Private Tours

Every year for the past 630 years, Matera has celebrated its patronal feast on July 2nd, an event of great significance for the city. The celebration includes several processions, culminating in a richly decorated papier-mâché cart, which is paraded through the streets. This cart, pulled by mules and escorted by knights in historical costumes, carries the statue of the Madonna della Bruna in procession.

In the evening, after the cart completes the traditional “three laps” in Piazza Duomo—symbolizing the Madonna’s symbolic possession of the city—it is attacked by the crowd and destroyed. The crowd eagerly tries to grab a piece of the cart, whether it’s a papier-mâché statue, a frame, or even just a piece of paper, as these are considered signs of blessing and good fortune.

To maintain order and ensure the cart reaches the main square before it is torn apart, it is escorted by police in riot gear. Once the cart reaches Piazza Duomo, the crowd tears it apart, reducing it to a bare wooden skeleton within a minute or two. The remains of the cart are then ready to be redecorated for the following year’s festival.

It is a tradition at the end of the day to say, “A mogghj a mogghj all’onn c’ van’,” which means, “Next year we will do even better.” This tradition is renewed with the same enthusiasm every year.