Porta Matera

Porta Matera was one of the main gates of the old city of Altamura. They were part of the City Walls of Altamura (dating back to Middle Ages and rebuilt in 1648), which were completely demolished during the nineteenth century since they had become useless for defence purposes. The gate itself was demolished in 1872. The monastery Monastero del Soccorso is located on the left side of the gate, while on the right some ruins of the city walls can be seen, presumably saved from destruction because of the bas-relief depicting "Pipino's leg" (relating to the killing and subsequent dismemberment of Giovanni Pipino di Altamura in the Middle Ages).

In the past, it was known as porta montium, which is Latin and it means "the gate that leads to the mountains" of Italian region Basilicata. Nowadays, the gate is known mostly because of the Altamuran Revolution (1799).