It’s not the town of Matera itself, which is interesting, but its old slum districts or "Sassi". There’s enough to keep you occupied here for a whole day.
Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano are the two districts that up until the 1960s housed thousands of people in stone houses and conditions reminiscent of third-world conditions. In Carlo Levi’s novel “Christ Stopped at Eboli”, where Levi is banished to the under-privileged Southern Italy, his sister compares Sassi with Dante’s Inferno: “Never before have I seen such an outpouring of human suffering,” she says. The residents had “the gnarled faces of old men, desperate with hunger, and hair teeming with lice. Most had swollen stomachs and faces yellow with malaria.” When they begged, they didn’t ask her for money but for quinine.
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After the Second World War, the Italian government decided to put an end to the scandalous conditions in Matera. However, when they evacuated over 15,000 residents to more modern accommodation in the town, they ended up having to wall up some of the old Sassi stone houses to prevent their former residents moving back in! In recent decades, renovation work has been going on in the area, and some accommodation is beginning to be allocated to newly-weds. The ‘ghost town’ is now becoming fashionable, especially amongst artists, and there are even some bars and restaurants here now.
Besides the many cave dwellings, there are quite a few cliff-top churches in the town. Examples of these are Santa Maria de Idris and Santa Lucia, which both house 13th century frescos, and, in the so-called Albanian neighbourhood, Santa Maria alle Malve from the 10th century, with frescos in Byzantine style from around 1250. The neighbourhood is known as the Albanian quarter because 15th century Christians fleeing Albania following the Turkish occupation settled here.
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As mentioned, there is enough of interest in Matera’s Sassi for quite a lengthy visit, and we recommend reading up on the town’s history before your visit, so you can get the most out of your trip to this fascinating town. We also recommend getting hold of a map before you begin exploring the Sassi, since it’s very easy to get lost. Remember that Matera lies in a ravine, and is therefore not suited for exploration if you have trouble walking or are in bad shape.
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