Sassi di Matera, Ancient cave settlement district in Matera, Italy
The Sassi district contains numerous dwellings and structures carved into limestone cliffs, forming a multilevel network of interconnected caves and passages.
Dating back 9,000 years, this prehistoric settlement evolved from natural caves into complex residential structures, becoming one of the oldest continuously inhabited places worldwide.
The district includes many rock churches with medieval frescoes, demonstrating the religious traditions and architectural methods of different historical periods.
Visitors can explore the district through guided walking tours that lead through narrow stone paths, ancient caves, and underground water systems.
The entire neighborhood functions as a vertical city where streets often run above houses, creating an intricate pattern of buildings stacked upon each other.
Location: Matera
Architectural style: rock-cut architecture
Part of: The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera
Address: Sassi di Matera, 75100 Matera MT, Italy 75100 Matera
Website: http://sassidimatera.it
GPS coordinates: 40.66670,16.60830
Latest update: July 15, 2025 11:03
The historic districts display local architecture from medieval to baroque periods. The streets connect markets, cafes and old houses. The quarters preserve elements from their time of origin, from Romanesque churches to neoclassical facades.
Italy preserves numerous historical sites away from standard tourist routes, ranging from medieval hill towns to Etruscan burial grounds. These locations document different periods of Italian history through architecture, art and natural settings. The collection includes Roman archaeological sites such as Palazzo Valentini Domus Romane, where ancient townhouses remain beneath modern streets, and Basilica di San Clemente, which displays three construction phases built one above another. In southern Italy, the Sassi of Matera show cave dwellings from prehistoric times, while the Crypt of the Original Sin presents early Christian frescoes from the 8th century. The architectural variety ranges from the conical trulli houses in Alberobello to the Moorish inspired rooms of Sammezzano Castle. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a tufa rock plateau separated from surrounding land by erosion. The Greek Theatre of Taormina and the Temple of Concordia in Agrigento document the ancient Greek presence in Sicily. Natural formations such as Grotta Azzurra on Capri and the thermal springs of Saturnia complement the historical structures. The sites spread across the entire country, from the Alps to the Aeolian Islands.
Basilicata in southern Italy contains cave settlements, medieval castles and nature parks. The region features Roman ruins, karst caves and abandoned villages. The area includes Pollino National Park with rare pine species and historic centers like Matera with its Sassi cave dwellings.
Italy presents architecture from two millennia, from Roman temples to Renaissance museums. The country features volcanic zones near Naples, stone dwellings in Matera, and canals in Venice. Religious structures include St. Mark's Basilica, while art museums display Renaissance collections.
Matera Cathedral
254 m
Chiesa di Santa Maria di Idris
432 m
Castello Tramontano
368 m
The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera
171 m
Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista
122 m
Palazzo Lanfranchi
456 m
San Francesco d'Assisi (Matera)
165 m
Chiesa dei Santi Pietro e Paolo
444 m
Chiesa del Purgatorio
262 m
Convento di Sant'Agostino
415 m
National Museum of Matera
323 m
Palazzo del Sedile
198 m
Chiesa di Santa Lucia alle Malve
520 m
National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art of Basilicata
437 m
Museo della Scultura Contemporanea
340 m
Palazzo Malvinni-Malvezzi
247 m
Conservatorio Egidio Romualdo Duni
198 m
Palazzo Bernardini (Matera)
235 m
Chiesa di San Domenico
141 m
Casa Noha
324 m
Santa Lucia alla Fontana
217 m
Museo-laboratorio della Civiltà Contadina
168 m
Église Sainte-Marie-des-Arméniens de Matera
522 m
Sant'Antonio
674 m
Biblioteca provinciale Tommaso Stigliani
147 m
Ex ospedale di San Rocco
100 m
Palazzo Bronzini
170 m
Casa Grotta del Casalnuovo
613 mReviews
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