Matera, Basilicata’s second city is situated on the western slopes of the Murge, a subregion of Puglia, which expands up to the province of Matera.
It ‘s a town that lies on a plateau surrounded by the gorge of the ravine.

The site is noteworthy because the particular environment appears to be equal only to itself. Indeed, in this respect there are many films set in this town that arouses the curiosity of many visitors and therefore valuable to filmmakers who were inspired by this landscape so special.

The top 10:
1 – The Stones
2 – The Cathedral
3 – The Convent of St. Augustine
4 – The rock churches (more than 150)
5 – The Castel Tramontano
6 – The National Archaeological Museum Domenico Ridola
7 – Palace Lanfranchi
8 – The Sanctuary of Madonna della Palomba
9 – The Sanctuary of Madonna di Picciano
10 – The Regional Reserve San Giuliano

About Matera:
The city’s history is very old, there are many evidences that prove the presence of past civilizations. From the Paleolithic to the Neolithic Age to the Bronze and Iron Age to the Roman and Greek.
Another historical point of note is without doubt the testimony of the writer, doctor and painter Carlo Levi, who, on the basis of what became profound human experience, in 1945 published his novel Christ Stopped at Eboli.
A reading that has become a full part of the classics of Italian literature.
Matera also was the first city to rise against the Nazis and for that reason was awarded the silver medal for military valor.
Reserved matters to tourists and scholars many insights, the town’s name refers to the Latin word ‘Murex’ or sharp rocks.
The stones famossissimi allowed to Matera to be recognized by the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. Among other things, was the first town in southern Italy to receive this prestigious award.
The Stones are the oldest part of the city that witnessed the presence of a unique urban setting that is simply the result of a slow anthropic environment nothing short of an ‘inhospitable’. The inhospitable slowly became one of the most picturesque settlements that man has ever made.
The types of stone are the Barisan Sasso, Sasso Caveoso the combination of which remained unchanged until today. A labyrinth of tunnels, walkways, walls, roofs, caves, places of worship and various buildings that give the whole a magic charm which take us back thousands of years.


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Photo:

www.maestrilavoro.it/…/sassi_di_matera.jpg

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Palazzo_Lanfranchi.jpg

http://www.sitiunesco.it/index.phtml?id=198