For
the first time traveller to Matera,
the discovery of a town so unusual and old is a breathtaking
experience.
One of the most fascinating historic centres in Italy, is
within the city of Matera. One could describe the ancient
district of Matera, the Sassi,
as one gigantic sculpture that has been carved out of the
rock along the side of a ravine. In essence, it is an urban
miracle, where it is possible to discern many different
signs of the rich, long history this city has witnessed
over the course of many centuries. The Sassi are built along
the right bank of a ravine that presents itself as a labyrinth
of winding streets, neighbourhoods, squares, caves, rock
churches and cantinas that are sunken into the viscera of
the earth. Some parts of the habitations are literally
carved
out of the rock, while other parts have been constructed
or added. The roofs of the houses would have served one
of two purposes: as a pathway upon which people could walk;
or as the floor of the home above it.
Behind every door, there awaits an architectural gem. The
type of habitation (Cavernous, court-yard, attached or terraced),
can be differentiated by its historic period and orografic
position.
This same differentiation may be made with respect to religious
buildings. There are around ten rock-cliff churches within
the Sassi, and over a hundred and fifty in the whole territory
along the ravine.
Then, there are the constructed churches
of various periods dispersed throughout the town, such as
the 
Romanesque
“Cattedrale” (Cathedral) and the church of “San
Giovanni” (Saint John), or the Baroque churches of
“San Francesco” (Saint Francis) and “Purgatorio”
(Purgatory), all beautifully constructed on the plateau
of the ravine, bordering the more modern part of the city.
The Sassi were abandoned in the 1950’s,
when its inhabitants were moved to the new/modern neighbourhoods.
In the last fifteen years the Sassi have been re-evaluated
and numerous renovation projects have begun. 
It was in 1993 that UNESCO formally recognized
the Sassi as a world heritage site.
