Matera Tour

Duration

5 hours

Overview

Matera, second city of Basilicata for its population and its surface, European capital of culture. The city is famous for its troglodyte dwellings (the Sassi di Matera), classified on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The old neighborhoods called Sassi, together with the cisterns and the water harvesting system, are characteristic of this city. These are small, very old houses dug into the rock, built near the Gravina di Matera, a large valley that shares the territory in two: The Sasso Barisano and The Sasso Caveoso. To visit Matera is like going back to a forgotten past. When you visit this charming city of Basilicata, you have the feeling of setting foot in a living nativity scene. It is no coincidence that Matera is also called the "second Bethlehem".