Matera – Sassi
The Sassi di Matera are two districts of Matera, Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano, formed by buildings and rock architecture carved into the rock of the Murgia materana and inhabited since prehistoric times. Together with the Civita district, they make up the historic center of the city of Matera.
Sassi di Matera , 75100, Matera
basilicataturistica.it
The Sassi have been defined as a cultural landscape, to quote the definition by which they have been accepted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The term “Sassi” refers to the two neighborhoods that make up, together with the “Civita” and the “Piano,” the historic center of Matera. The plural declension, therefore, derives from this duplicity and not, as many believe, from the fact that a dwelling or room within such districts is called a “stone.” The Sassi are arranged around and at the bottom of two valley furrows, shaped by the passage of water, which is channeled into so-called “grabiglioni” at the bottom of them.
