Resurrection of the Christ: Filming Sites in Southern Italy

When Lionsgate set new release dates for The Resurrection of the Christ in May 2026, the film was quickly described as Mel Gibson’s Matera film. Many articles still say it was shot in Matera, and that is only partly true. The production cancelled its shoot in the Sassi, the cave districts of the city, in April 2026, according to ANSA. What it did film near Matera was the Murgia Materana park, on the belvedere of Murgia Timone, on 18 and 19 February 2026.

The rest of the production sits across southern Italy. Craco, the abandoned hill village in Basilicata, and Pisticci were confirmed by local authorities and the press. Gravina in Puglia served as the base camp, and Torre Guaceto on the Adriatic coast was under a restricted-access ordinance in spring 2026. This guide sorts each place into one of three groups: what was filmed, what you can visit today, and what remains unconfirmed. It also covers the Viator tours that run around the scheduled release, and how to get there from Bari.

What was filmed, and what you can visit

The table below relies on the studio statement relayed by the press and on the local reports we could open. “Confirmed” means that an official source or at least two independent press reports name the place as a shooting location.

Three other towns appear in production databases or press reports without confirmation from the studio or a local authority: Altamura, Laterza and Anzio. Bari is named in the studio statement as a location city, but no set was identified there, so we use it only as the travel gateway. We left these towns out of the table on purpose.

Shooting began on 6 October 2025 and wrapped in the spring of 2026. Lionsgate announced on 21 May 2026 that Part One is scheduled for Thursday 6 May 2027 and Part Two for Thursday 25 May 2028. The earlier schedule had Part One in late March 2027, so treat these dates as scheduled, not fixed. In Germany, where Leonine distributes the film, 6 May 2027 is also Ascension Day. We could not find an Italian distributor or release date.

The Murgia park above Matera: the one confirmed shoot near the city

The Parco della Murgia Materana is a protected landscape of limestone ravines, caves and rock churches that surrounds Matera. Regione Basilicata says the shoot took place exclusively in the park, on the belvedere of Murgia Timone, on 18 and 19 February 2026. AltamuraLive reports that the crew made no invasive set dressing, out of respect for the protected area. The landscape you see from the belvedere is therefore close to what the camera recorded.

The 2004 Passion of the Christ also used Murgia Timone, so check which film an article means before you follow its locations.

Access changed in 2026. A news report from 7 August 2026 describes a visitor centre at Jazzo Gattini, a checkpoint at Porta Pistola, and fees of 10 euros for a full ticket and 7 euros reduced for Murgia Timone, plus 15 and 10 euros for the Sentiero 406 trail. These are press figures for an area whose rules have just changed, so confirm them with the park before you plan the day.

The belvedere is reached by car or taxi from Matera, since we did not verify a bus line. A guided Murgia tour that names the Golgotha viewpoint does not run between 25 April and 20 May 2027, so we have not listed it.

Matera’s Sassi: visit them, but not as a film location

The Sassi are the reason most people come to Matera. These cave districts were inscribed by UNESCO in 1993 as “The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera”. The 2004 film used the Sasso Caveoso for its market sequences, according to the Italy for Movies database, so the Sassi have a real film history. That history is not the same as this release.

What happened in 2026 is different. ANSA reported on 8 April 2026 that the Matera shoot was cancelled, and Radio Monte Carlo reported that the production called off its filming in the city of the Sassi. Neither report gives a reason, and we did not find a production statement explaining the change. The Sassi are therefore not a confirmed set for this film, and articles that place scenes there should be read with caution.

For visitors, the practical question is how to see the cave houses and rock churches. Most people join a guided tour, because it includes entry to a cave house and a rupestrian church. A local operator lists the classic guided tour at 25 euros, or 21 euros online, on an undated page, so treat that price as indicative.

Craco: the abandoned village that did make the film

Craco is one of the most solidly confirmed sets in the production. ANSA’s report of 8 April 2026 names Craco and Pisticci as the sets that remained after the Matera cancellation, and Sky TG24 reports that the director chose Pisticci and Craco. The village is an abandoned hill town about 50 kilometres from Matera by car, and it is one of the strongest visual settings in the film.

Its emptiness has a history. According to Wikipedia, Craco was abandoned after landslides in 1963, a flood in 1972 and the Irpinia earthquake of 1980. It was placed on the World Monuments Fund watch list in 2010. Earlier productions also used the village, including The Passion of the Christ (2004) and Quantum of Solace (2008).

Access is the hard part. Two Tripadvisor reviewers say visits are guided only. A June 2026 guide from Viaggiando Italia says visitors enter only accompanied, then claims that inside the fence you can visit freely. We treat the access as guided only until the municipality or the park confirms otherwise. The interiors of the buildings are closed to visitors.

Plan the heat as well as the access. A reviewer who visited in June 2025 found Craco “very hot” on a cloudy day, and the village is open to the sky with little shade. Go early in the morning in spring or autumn. The village sits on unstable ground, which is the reason it was abandoned in the first place, so follow your guide at all times.

No Viator product in our Matera selection covers Craco on its own, so there is no card for it here. The Ecoluxury four-day package from 950 euros includes a group visit to Craco, but its price basis is not stated and its page predates the release, so use it only as a reference.

Pisticci: the second hill town of the shoot

The municipality of Pisticci confirmed the filming on its social media, as Finestre sull’Arte reported on 13 April 2026. Pisticci sits in the province of Matera, and the production used it alongside Craco. We could not identify the exact street or building that was used, and we found no published list of sets, so this guide does not name one.

If you are already in the area, ask the municipality which streets were used. Do not treat Pisticci as a visit site unless an operator confirms it.

Gravina in Puglia: the base camp, not a scene

Gravina in Puglia was the production’s base camp. SassiLive reported in April 2026 that the crew set up at the town’s fairground, and Finestre sull’Arte reported reinforced security there. A base camp is not a scene location, so this guide describes Gravina as the place the crew worked from, not as a set.

Gravina lies on the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane line between Altamura and Matera, so it fits a train journey from Bari.

Torre Guaceto: the Adriatic side of the story

Torre Guaceto is the only confirmed site on the coast. The studio statement, relayed by Crosswalk and reported by AltamuraLive and Movieplayer, lists Torre Guaceto alongside Brindisi. A Carovigno ordinance reserved parts of the reserve for the production in spring 2026. PugliaPress reported on 29 March 2026 an access ban until 5 May, covering a restricted zone from Punta Penna Grossa to the Aragonese tower. The rest of the roughly 8 kilometres of reserve stayed open at that point. Antennasud gives 8 May as the end date, so the sources disagree.

The ordinance was temporary, and we could not find the reserve’s current rules, so check with the reserve before you go. Brindisi is the nearest city, not the set itself, and we did not verify a public transport route, so plan on a car.

Cinecittà: the interiors in Rome

The interiors were shot at Cinecittà studios in Rome, according to ProductionList and Crosswalk. Cinecittà is a working studio complex, not a visitor attraction. Do not plan a trip expecting to walk onto the sets, and do not assume the public can enter the studios.

Getting there from Bari

Most travellers fly into Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport (BRI) and continue south. The options below come from an undated travel guide, so check each operator before you book.

A rail link called AMTAB line 16 connects the airport with Bari Centrale, according to Wikipedia. The FAL route runs from Bari through Altamura and Gravina to Matera, so check the departure station on the FAL timetable before you travel.

Between Matera and the locations, a car is the simplest choice. Craco is about 50 kilometres away, and Torre Guaceto and Pisticci are not on any public transport line we could verify.

Tours that fit the route

Several Viator tours run through the scheduled release window. We checked availability for each product on each day from 25 April to 20 May 2027, the three weeks around the scheduled release, and we list only products that run on every day of that window, with one exception that is flagged below.

If you prefer a single local guide who walks you through the main sites, the Giulio tour has a 5.0 rating from 264 reviews, the most of any 5.0-rated tour in our selection. Its price depends on the group option, from 30 to 90 euros for two adults.

For a walk focused on the rock churches, the Sassi tour that includes the iconic churches carved into the rock runs for two hours and has 562 reviews at 4.8 stars. It includes entry to a cave house and to a church in the old town.

For a faster look at the city, the panoramic tuk-tuk tour lasts about 40 minutes and covers the three districts of the historic centre, with stops and background on the city’s recent history. Its confirmation is manual: the operator must confirm your date before it is booked, so request it early and do not treat it as final until you receive written confirmation.

For a slower day, the cooking class runs for four hours at a farmhouse set in the Basilicata countryside, with more than 2,000 olive trees and around 300 orange trees on the land. It includes antipasti, a fresh pasta course, wine and water, and it has 96 reviews at 5.0 stars. Two cautions apply. It requires manual confirmation, and it runs on 17 of the 26 days in the window, so check the date before you build the plan around it.

A route you can actually follow

The shoot spread over several days and several provinces, so trying to cover it all in one day is unrealistic. A three-day plan works better.

On the first day, take a morning guided tour of the Sassi, then book the night walk from sunset. You will see the city in daylight and after dark, and you will understand why the rock churches matter to any reading of the landscape. Keep the evening free for the cave house entry, since the night walk includes it.

On the second day, go to the Murgia park by car or taxi. Start at the belvedere of Murgia Timone, where the shoot took place, and confirm the entry rules and fees for that morning. Plan the afternoon around the rest of the park and keep the schedule flexible, since the regulated access can change without notice.

On the third day, drive to Craco. The village is about 50 kilometres from Matera, and the guided visit takes about an hour. Go early, bring water and non-slip shoes, and head back to Matera in the afternoon. If you have a second car day, add Pisticci or the coast at Torre Guaceto, but only after checking the reserve rules.

Budget: what the trip really costs

The figures below are indicative. Each one comes from a source we could open, and each must be checked with the operator before you travel.

Some savings are simple. Pair the Murgia belvedere with a Sassi walk on the same day to share one car journey. Choose a shared Sassi tour over the private one if the budget is tight, since the gap is 30 to 90 euros against 200 euros for two adults. Take the bus from the airport rather than a taxi, which is the cheapest option in our sources.

When to go

Spring from April to early June, and autumn from September to October, are the windows that fit the terrain best. The Murgia park and the Sassi are open ground with little shade, and the heat in Craco is noticeable even on cloudy days. Summer works for the cave-house walks, but start early.

The release has no effect on access, but if you travel in the same weeks, check that the Murgia belvedere and the Craco visit are open on your day.

For readers who like the set-jetting approach, our guide to the filming locations of Netflix’s Ripley in Italy uses the same method: separate what was filmed from what you can visit. You can find it at Ripley filming locations on the Amalfi Coast.