The Old Town Of Matera In Southern Italy. Stock Image

Matera Italian pronunciation: [maˈteːra] or locally [maˈtɛːra] About this sound listen; Materano: Matàrë IPA: [maˈtarə] is a city in the province of Matera in the region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Matera and the capital of Basilicata from 1663 to 1806. The town lies in a small canyon carved out by the Gravina. Known as `la Città Sotterranea` the Subterranean City, Matera is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, having been inhabited since the 10th millennium BC.[2] Its historical center `Sassi`, along with the Park of the Rupestrian Churches, is considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1993