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During our stay we visited the town of Matera in Basilicata, about a two hours journey. We had heard about the "sassi" cave dwellings and also that the area had been chosen as the film location for The Passion of Christ because of its spectacular scenery. Transit Management can give further information |
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The first thing we found was this gorge with some caves in the side on the outskirts of Matera. We were disappointed - but were on the wrong side of town. |
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On the other side of Matera we found the "sassi" - houses built on the side of a steep gorge. Many of the buildings opened out into caves tunneled into the rock |
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. People lived in these caves in primate conditions until the 1950's.The whole family lived in one room together with the mule, chickens, sheep and other valuables.
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Today the "sassi" is a World Heritage Site. Many of the homes have been modernised and it is quite stylish to live in a cave. |
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There are many ancient churches in the town and some have traces of original frescos still visible on the walls. The tufa rock is very soft and local people can be seen carving objects for sale. |
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