Holiday in Matera

About Matera

Matera is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world — a place that seems so prehistoric that Mel Gibson chose it as the backdrop for the crucifixion scenes in The Passion of the Christ. The Sassi di Matera, residential and church caves carved into the soft tuff stone, are a UNESCO World Heritage site and tell a human story that dates back 9,000 years: from the Neolithic period through antiquity to the 20th century, people lived here in the rocks. The Sasso Barisano and the Sasso Caveoso, the two historic districts, terrace down the steep canyon of the Gravina: caves overlap caves, stairs lead through rock openings, and churches with medieval frescoes hide behind unremarkable stone facades. The Chiese Rupestri (rock churches) — over 150 in the city area and the surrounding Murgia plateau — preserve Byzantine and medieval frescoes of astonishing beauty. Until the 1950s, the Sassi were a blemish on Italy: 15,000 people lived in the caves under miserable conditions, without sewage or electricity, with donkeys and goats in the living room. Carlo Levi's book Christ Stopped at Eboli (1945) made the misery of Matera world-famous. The government forcibly resettled the residents, and the Sassi stood empty for decades — a ghost town of stone. The rebirth came in the 1990s: UNESCO status in 1993, followed by a careful restoration that transformed the caves into boutique hotels, restaurants, and museums without destroying their character. In 2019, Matera was chosen as the European Capital of Culture — the triumph of a city that went from being a shame of Italy to a travel highlight. From the Belvedere della Murgia on the opposite side of the Gravina gorge, the most breathtaking view is offered: the entire city, layered like an organic relief grown from the rock, lies spread out before you — especially at sunrise and in the evening light, an unforgettable sight.