Matera, the most famous City of the Sassi, was the European Capital of Culture in 2019.
Renowned worldwide for its historic Sassi districts, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site on December 9, 1993, Matera is one of the oldest and most fascinating cities in Southern Italy.
Matera is a city rich in history and culture. The two districts of the Sassi (Barisano and Caveoso) are urban settlements shaped by successive forms of civilization over the centuries, and today they represent the oldest part of the city.
The city is also famous for its ingenious cisterns and water collection systems, numerous archaeological sites, and its natural treasures such as the Park of the Murgia Materana, which encompasses the entire Gravina di Matera area and its world-famous rock-hewn churches.
