Historic site · UNESCO
Sassi di Matera
Matera, Italy
The ancient cave districts carved into the ravine.
City · Italy · Basilicata
Matera
A city of ancient cave dwellings carved into a ravine, once one of Europe's poorest, now a UNESCO site.
about 5 h
For storytellers
Why Matera matters
Matera is unlike any other place in Italy. The Sassi districts are a maze of houses, churches and courtyards cut into the pale rock of a ravine, inhabited for thousands of years. In the 20th century, families were moved out of the caves, and the area was abandoned. Today it has been revived with boutique hotels, restaurants and museum-houses, and big films such as The Passion of the Christ and a James Bond movie were shot here.
Talking points
- People have lived in the caves for thousands of years.
- The Sassi are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Viewpoints across the ravine are spectacular at sunrise and night.
- Matera has appeared in several well-known films.
Free to read aloud or adapt in your video. Check facts that matter to you against an official source before you publish.
What to see in Matera
Church, mosque or temple · UNESCO
Matera Cathedral
Matera, Italy
A Romanesque cathedral on the highest point of the old town.