Once branded a source of “national shame”, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and European Capital of Culture, the city of Matera boasts a past with as many twists and turns as the honeycomb of cave dwellings that make up its ancient town, the Sassi. 

Situated on the border between Puglia and Basilicata, a lesser-known region in Italy’s deep south, Matera has only gained true international recognition in the last decade or so, previously characterized by its longstanding reputation of destitute poverty.