The Sassi di Matera, two districts of the Italian city of Matera, are well-known for their ancient cave dwellings that were inhabited since the Paleolithic period. The 'Sassi', houses dug into the calcarenitic rock, trace their roots back to prehistoric troglodyte settlements and are among the first human settlements in Italy.
In the 1950s, the government of Italy forcefully relocated most of the population of the Sassi to areas of the developing modern city. Today, these cave dwellings have been revitalized and thriving businesses, pubs, and hotels can be found among them.
The Sassi di Matera have been used in many Christian-themed films, including 'The Gospel According to St. Matthew' and 'The Passion of the Christ'. The band Corde Oblique even released a song, 'I sassi di Matera', on their album 'I Maestri del Colore'.
The Sassi di Matera are part of the Murgia Plateau and are among the first human settlements in Italy. They were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 and continue to be one of the most unique landscapes in Europe.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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