Matera

Matera’s dual historic districts of the Sasso Barisano and Sasso Caveoso are nothing short of pure Italian drama. Clinging to the dry ridges of the Basilicata interior, they cascade down the city’s gorges and canyons in a show of majestic, pre-historic troglodyte culture. Tagged by UNESCO, this ancient city of houses and chiese rupestri (churches carved in rock) makes for one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in Europe. The Sassi are now the stomping ground of Matera tour guides, who weave between the shadowy caves of the Caveoso half, while the cave spaces on the Barisano side have been refitted into cafes, hotels, museums and even thrumming clubs, making for one of Europe’s most exotic touristic experiences. But Matera’s magnificence doesn’t end with its famous pre-Roman cave dwellings. The soaring Church of San Agostino crowns the middle of the historic town and the Matera Cathedral oozes with Baroque, Byzantine and Renaissance mastery, both unmissable cultural treats complete with religious artwork and sculpture. A stroll around the Civita’s cobbled streets and spectacular views of (the other side of) Matera from the Parco della Murgia Materana explain why the scenic locales of this town have been favourite spots for shooting biblical films; remember Mel Gibson’s the Passion of the Christ?