Matera’s Cave Homes: From Shame to Capital of Culture
I’m standing on a stone balcony carved into the side of a ravine, looking across at a city that was once called “the shame of Italy.” The sun is setting behind the cathedral on the Civita ridge, and the entire Sassi district glows the color of warm honey. Matera’s cave dwellings — the Sassi — are among the longest continuously inhabited settlements on Earth, with human presence here dating back to the Neolithic period. This guide is for anyone wondering