Sassi of Matera: Italy’s Ancient City of Stone

Known for its ancient habitations literally set in stone, the sassi, and for its rupestrian churches, Matera is an undisputedly fascinating city. Appreciated by tourists from all over the world, this town in historic Lucania is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Matera, a rare jewel of Basilicata, is an enchanting miracle of time. Visiting this Lucanian city is like reliving a glorious past. It resembles a small and delightful nativity scene, which is why it is known as 'the second Bethlehem', providing a backdrop for films such as Pier Paolo Pasolini's The Gospel according to St. Matthew and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. 

The symbol of the city are the “Sassi”, caves dug into the mountain where the local people lived until they were forced to settle in modern accommodation in the 1950s.
Overlooked for many years, the Sassi of Matera entered the World Heritage List as an example of an age-old way of life to be preserved and handed down to posterity.

The history of Matera goes way back to Palaeolithic settlements, while the first Neolithic pottery in Matera dates back to around 7500 years BC, when terracotta pottery was produced in the villages. Built on an entrenched prehistoric village, the town is likely to have Greek origins.

In the times of Magna Graecia, Matera shared a close relationship with colonies on the southern coast, becoming a trade and transit route in Roman times.
It hosted key immigrations of Byzantine and Benedictine monks, who transformed the caves of the huge Gravina valley into Rock Churches.

After the settlement of the Normans in Italy, the city enjoyed a period of peace, followed by famine and earthquakes. Matera was a royal city for a long time, until it came under the rule of the Aragonese and was ceded to Count Giovan Carlo Tramontano, who was later killed by the tax-oppressed locals.

It is an extraordinarily rich place for travelers who have great artistic and culinary sensibilities. In Matera, we can observe how men have been able, over the centuries, to coexist with the landscape, indulging nature without distorting it.
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