The two old districts called Sassi (that means stones) have been declared, in 1993, Unesco world heritage site because they represent “the most outstanding, intact example of a troglodyte settlement in the Mediterranean region, perfectly adapted to its terrain and ecosystem”.
The tour of the Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano is a unique experience among rupestrian churches and houses partly carved in the calcareous stone and partly built with the blocks extracted from the rock.
We will visit one (or some) of the most interesting rupestrian churches (San Pietro Barisano, Santa Lucia alle Malve, Santa Maria De Idris and San Giovanni in Monterone. We recommend to include the visit of a typical cave dwelling with the original furniture and tools. We can visit also the other districts and monuments of Matera: the Apulian-Romanesque stlyle cathedral, the Sedile square, the Piano district with its baroque style palaces and churches (such as the Purgatorio one), Vittorio Veneto square, the medieval church of St. John the Baptist. During the tour we will enjoy this magic, unique town of stone that has been chosen as natural set for several movies (such as Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ”) and that’s been recently declared European Capital of Culture for 2019.