World Travel

Matera, located in the Basilicata region of southern Italy, is renowned as one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities, with a rich history stretching back over 9,000 years. The city is especially famous for its ancient cave districts known as the “Sassi di Matera,” which are a remarkable example of rock-cut urban settlements. These cave dwellings were originally carved out of the soft limestone in prehistoric times and have been expanded and adapted over millennia.
The Sassi, divided into Sasso Barisano and Sasso Caveoso, were inhabited by families and even livestock well into the 20th century. Life in these cave homes was extremely challenging, and by the 1950s, poverty and disease had earned Matera the nickname “the shame of Italy.” The government relocated many residents to modern housing during this periodLeggi altro