Phone free now 0800 047 1066
In the remote Basilicata region sits the ancient and evocative city of Matera. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and European Capital of Culture in 2019, Matera is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world and famed for its extensive cave-dwelling districts, the Sassi.
On a rocky outcrop in the deep south of Italy, Matera is a sprawling complex of stone dwellings carved into the hillsides in amphitheatre style, with two main quarters, or Sassi, Sasso Caveoso to one side and Sasso Barisano to the other, presided over by Matera’s graceful cathedral set on the ridge above.
Carved out of limestone tufa, the city’s caves have been inhabited for centuries and the Sassi appear like a chaotic and fascinating jumble of cave-houses, beautifully frescoed rock churches and stone buildings piled one on top of another. Some of these age-old caves and former homes have now been restored and opened as trendy cafés, art galleries, restaurants and hotels to attract visitors, whilst the city’s unearthly, ancient beauty has made it perfect backdrop to a number of films including The Passion of the Christ and the latest Bond, No Time to Die.
In the remote Basilicata region sits the ancient and evocative city of Matera. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and European Capital of Culture in 2019, Matera is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world and famed for its extensive cave-dwelling districts, the Sassi.
On a rocky outcrop in the deep south of Italy, Matera is a sprawling complex of stone dwellings carved into the hillsides in amphitheatre style, with two main quarters, or Sassi, Sasso Caveoso to one side and Sasso Barisano to the other, presided over by Matera’s graceful cathedral set on the ridge above.
Carved out of limestone tufa, the city’s caves have been inhabited for centuries and the Sassi appear like a chaotic and fascinating jumble of cave-houses, beautifully frescoed rock churches and stone buildings piled one on top of another. Some of these age-old caves and former homes have now been restored and opened as trendy cafés, art galleries, restaurants and hotels to attract visitors, whilst the city’s unearthly, ancient beauty has made it perfect backdrop to a number of films including The Passion of the Christ and the latest Bond, No Time to Die.
40 |
||||||||||||
30 |
||||||||||||
20 |
||||||||||||
10 |
||||||||||||
0 |
||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
11 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 23 | 28 | 32 | 32 | 27 | 22 | 17 | 13 | |
Average daily hours of sun |
40 |
||||||||||||
30 |
||||||||||||
20 |
||||||||||||
10 |
||||||||||||
0 |
||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
11 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 23 | 28 | 32 | 32 | 27 | 22 | 17 | 13 | |
Average daily hours of sun |