Matera: UNESCO World Heritage Site and European Capital of Culture 2019 in Italy
This small corner of southern Italy has recently come out of the shadows and is known mainly for its dwellings carved into the rock. However, in the 1950s it was still considered“a disgrace“to Italy. People lived in rock dwellings in the Sassi di Matera, sharing their homes with livestock. The dwellings were very unhygienic, mainly due to overcrowding, disease, and poverty. The inhabitants were evacuated and moved to two-story houses on the outskirts of town.Today, these hewn buildings are UNESCO-listed and the once forgotten town is coming back to life. Now it can open its doors to tourism. This is Read more »