Once known for their squalid living conditions, the prehistoric limestone warrens have been repurposed as lodgings, bars, and artist workshops. Would staying there feel extraordinary or tasteless?

In the southern Italian town of Matera, a system of natural caves called Sassi first inhabited during the Paleolithic Age has become a bustling tourist destination. It’s something of a full-circle ...

Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review, Vol. 15, No. 2 (SPRING 2004), pp. 61-78 (18 pages) Matera, Italy, is currently the subject of a municipal tug-of-war over image and significance. Infamy ...

A must-visit location, Matera is a unique town in southern Italy surrounded by mystery and chilling history. Its breathtaking landscape, made up of cave homes carved in stone, will leave you in ...

Once the “shame of Italy,” the ancient warren of natural caves in Matera may be Europe’s most dramatic story of rebirth Tony Perrottet Contributing writer Matera’s paleolithic past has made it a ...

Stephanie Ostroff adds another spot to our unending travel wish list: an Italian cave hotel. Past and present exist in harmony at Sextantio Albergo Diffuso Le Grotte Della Civita, where caves ...

MATERA, Italy (Reuters) - Italy is teeming with places that make you feel like you are on a movie set -- the Trevi Fountain in Rome, the Amalfi coast near Naples and Venice's lagoons come to mind. But ...

IT was early evening in Matera, a city in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, and swallows circled the sky, their melodious calls interrupted only by the clanking of bells worn by cows drinking ...

Built atop a rugged mountainous landscape and home to unique dwellings carved from stone, Matera is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Located in the Basilicata region of ...

My first attempt to explore Matera, one of Italy’s most ancient towns, was an exercise in picturesque frustration. I drove around rocky cliffs and limestone grottos and never found the city center, ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. An award-winning writer/podcaster, I've been to 100+ countries. Matera, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, has been ...