History buffs, rejoice: this quaint, “untilted” town in Southern Italy is every culture fan's dream and, as the third oldest city in the world, has earned it a well-deserved UNESCO World Heritage Site title.
Basilicata is home to the ancient city of Matera, the oldest town in Europe. The city was built on the Gravina valley of Matera and is known as the “Sassi di Matera”. “Sassi” means stone in Italian.
Though the town is beautiful today, it was once known as a “national disgrace” and, according to a report by National Geographic, was plagued by chronic poverty and people were dying of hunger and disease.
In the '80s the town was repopulated with bars, restaurants and boutique hotels, and now tourists flock from all over to enjoy all that this amazing town has to offer, transformed from its former cave dwellings.
There's an endless amount of things to do during your visit – this cultural city has been the filming location for many Hollywood blockbusters, so it's worth taking a guided walking tour of its cobbled streets.
The tour will take you through two districts of the city: Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano. To get an idea of what life was like in the Sassi before they were abandoned, you can visit the cave dwellings, which have been converted from the original cave dwellings.
History buffs will enjoy the numerous museums on offer, while the Museum of Contemporary Sculpture houses masterpieces by artists such as Arnaldo Pomodoro in an underground cavern.
The so-called “New Town”, formed in the 17th century, is the perfect place to spend an evening in Matera, with lively cocktail bars, live music and great restaurants in the squares – and because it's Italy, the wine bars are the best.
One travel influencer recently came under fire after sharing a guide to Matera with her 259,000 followers. Chloe Rushworth, who runs the Instagram account @thewhitepinesproject, claimed Matera was an “untouched region” and urged her viewers to “visit this part of Italy before it becomes too popular.”
About the ancient city, she said: “Honestly, Matera is the most amazing ancient city – not to be missed. It's the perfect alternative to other romantic getaways like Rome. I highly recommend staying in a boutique cave hotel. We stayed in the hot tub and terrace suite at the L Hotel in Pietra.”
“It was absolutely amazing. The view from the terrace was just amazing.”
“We stayed in Matera for two nights and one day, which was just the right amount of time. The best part was not making any big plans and just wandering around Matera's beautiful streets.” “This town was popular for years before you arrived,” commented one angry critic, while others complained that the once quaint town was now overrun with tourists.
Nonetheless, others praised videos of Chloe's trip, which she said cost £1,800 for the two of them – flights to Brindisi start from around £64 with Ryanair, and hotels in Matera cost around £80 a night in the off-season.
