🏛️ The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera
UNESCO World Heritage Site of rock-cut churches and troglodyte settlements in southern Italy
📋 Fast Facts
- UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1993
- Two districts of cave dwellings: Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano
- Comprises rock-cut churches dating from the 9th to 17th centuries
- Located in the Basilicata region of southern Italy
The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera represent one of Europe's most distinctive settlements, combining prehistoric troglodyte dwellings with medieval monastic architecture. The two Sassi districts comprise a complex network of cave dwellings carved into soft tufa rock, inhabited continuously since prehistoric times. Surrounding the Sassi lies a vast plateau known as the Murgia Materana, dotted with hundreds of rock-cut churches, monasteries, and hermitages created by ...