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?

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 ...

Matera is a 2019 European Capital of Culture. On this trip, you’ll see the vast collection of caves and houses carved into the hillsides of our New World Wonder, Sassi di Matera. You’ll also visit the ...

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 ...

Long overlooked by tourists, the Italian cave town of Matera is having a moment, spurred by its selection as the 2019 European Capital of Culture, its recent designation as a UNESCO World Heritage ...

In what is the instep of Italy’s boot, the first forays into Italy from North Africa came to settle in Matera 10,000 years ago. Living quarters were fashioned in both the limestone caves and built ...

Fifty years after Italy's Matera was a national embarrassment because of its extreme poverty, the city is rescuing its dignity, baroque palaces and cave churches to become a European Capital of ...

Discover Europe’s best-kept secrets—10 under-the-radar destinations set to captivate travelers by 2025 with history, culture, and charm.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I cover the world’s best hotels, restaurants and wine. You may well have a sense of déjà-vu when you enter Matera, a place that ...

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 ...

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 ...

It’s difficult to imagine that Matera’s ancient warren was known not too long ago as “the shame of Italy” for its dismal poverty. In the 1950s, the entire population of roughly 16,000 people, mostly ...