Matera is a city founded by the Romans in the 3rd century BC and is in the Provence of Basilicata. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was declared the Italian host of the European Capital of Culture for 2019.
Between a documentary I had watched on Matera & the local guide today, I learned that the 'sassi' was a settlement carved into & out of the rock. Some parts of the sassi have streets built on top of dwellings. So today when we were walking through the sassi we were actually walking on the rooves of other dwellings.
The dwellings further to the top of the mountains where for the better off while the poorer lived towards the bottom. Even up to the 1950's there was no sewerage or electricity. As you know, gravity goes down, so when sewerage was thrown out the window to the street it would trickle down to the poorer areas.
Because of this, Matera was considered the scandal of Italy & in the 1950's the government was forced to relocate the residents to the new town of Matera.
Around the 1980's with the increase of tourism some of the dwellings have had electricity, plumbing, etc added with the rejuvenation of the sassi and turned into pubs, restaurants and b&b. What was once a scandal has now turned into the place to visit & even stay!
In the 50's there could be 3 levels in a dwelling. Top level for living, next for the animals/livestock (inside the dwelling!) and the lower to keep the wine produce.
Inside decked out to reflect dwelling of the 50's.
Matera
It's amazing to think of the loooong history of this place. There's a lot more to it. Look it up if you have some time. I would love to have a look inside a renovated b&b 'cave'.
Maybe I'll stay in a cave next time......