Matera or the city of the ‘Sassi’ is is the capital of Matera Province in the Basilicata region of Southern Italy and has its own Matera DOC. Its original settlement lies in two canyons carved by the Gravina River. This area, the Sassi di Matera, is a complex of cave dwellings carved into the ancient river canyon. Over the course of its history, Matera has been occupied by Greeks, Romans, Longobards, Byzantines, Saracens, Swabians, Angevins, Aragonese, and Bourbons.

Recent history: By the late 1800s, Matera’s cave dwellings became noted for intractable poverty, poor sanitation, meager working conditions, and rampant disease. Evacuated in 1952, the population was relocated to modern housing, and the Sassi (Italian for “stones”) lay abandoned until the 1980s. Renewed vision and investment led to the cave dwellings becoming a noted historic tourism destination, with hotels, small museums and restaurants – and a vibrant arts community. The city of Matera’s extensive cave dwellings (‘sassi’), known as ‘la Città sotterranea’ or the underground city), the Sassi and the park of the Rupestrian Churches saw it awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1993. In 2019, Matera was declared a European City of Culture.

Tourism: The town’s main annual festival, the Festa della Bruna, takes place on 2nd July.

Gastronomy: Matera’s bread is made from durum wheat (grano duro) and has its own protected regional appellation.