Built on a rocky outcrop, Matera is, perhaps, the most unusual town in Italy. Tourists can still see old buildings carved directly in the rock massif. The whole settlement looks so picturesque that no wonder why travelers from different countries come here to see these unusual houses with their own eyes. Nowadays, there are roughly one hundred and thirty different attractions in Matera. These are dwellings, temples, and ancient churches in the caves. Although the number of foreign guests in Matera is growing, many mainstream tourists are still not aware of this Italian settlement. Archaeologists love this old settlement that never stops surprising scientists. Matera is an old town. The first settlement on the site of modern Matera existed yet in the Neolithic period. Already at that time, people tried to settle in the outcrop, making cave carved dwellings their homes. For a long time, Matera was a part of Magna Graecia with Civita being its center. When the Romans added this region to their empire, they protected the town’s territory with a wall and made even more dwellings in the caves. Soon, a whole new district called Sassi appeared in the rocky formations. The district continued growing as new dwellings were added to it. Byzantine monks settled in Matera in the 8th century. They opened churches in the cave grottoes. Peasants also used these grottoes to make homes. Starting from 1623 and until the beginning of the 19th century, Matera was the capital of
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