Matera

Matera rises above a deep ravine in the limestone country of southern Italy. Its Sassi are a dense landscape of dwellings and churches cut into the rock, joined by streets and stairways beneath the cathedral on the ridge of the Civita. The caves and built houses form an old settlement adapted to the steep sides of the ravine, where churches and homes share the same rocky landscape.

In 1514 townspeople rebelled against Count Giovanni Carlo Tramontano and killed him, bringing his oppressive rule to an end. Matera later became the seat of the royal court of Basilicata in 1663. It remained the provincial capital until 1806, when the French government transferred that role to Potenza. The city expanded beyond the Sassi as its administrative importance grew.