The ancient city of Matera is one of the first settlements in Italy

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In the southern part of Italy, in the province of Basilicata, there is a small, beautiful and ancient city that few people know about. Matera has existed in the canyon of the Gravina River since prehistoric times (since the Neolithic). Due to the unique historical part of the city called "Sassi", Matera is also sometimes called the "Underground City".

It has been proven that people lived here as early as 9000 years ago, but the official history of the city begins with the Romans, namely, from the third century BC. The original name of the Roman settlement was Mateola. Historians believe that the name was probably given in honor of the Roman consul Lucius Cecilius Metellus.

In 664 AD, after the Lombards conquered the province of Matera, the city changed many owners.

In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Byzantine and German emperors constantly fought for Matera, until William the Iron Hand began to rule it. At the beginning of the 17th century, the importance of the city increased so much that it became the capital of the entire Basilicata region. This "position" Matera held until 1806, when the capital was moved to Potenza.

Matera also played an important role during World War II, when it became the first Italian city to actively fight against the Wehrmacht.

Probably the most interesting part of the city is its historic center - the old part of the city called "Sassi di Matera".

The Sassi (meaning "stones") still has prehistoric houses built by cavemen (troglodytes) who inhabited the region thousands of years ago. The village of Sassi is very similar to the dwellings in the village of Mellieha in the northern part of Malta.

Since archaeological evidence shows that the first settlements of primitive people existed here as early as 7000 BC, "Sassi di Matera" is considered one of the first settlements in modern Italy.

These dwellings in Sassi were painstakingly carved into limestone cliffs. There were so many underground houses in some parts of the area that streets were literally built on the “rooftops” of houses.

Due to a number of changes in government policy and due to the malaria epidemic threatening it in the 1950s, the Italian government decided to relocate the residents of Sassi to the newly built part of the city.

However, many people refused to move, so today Matera is the only place in the world where people can boast that they still live in the homes of their ancestors, in which they lived 9000 years ago.

The Gravina River divides the city, built on rocks above ancient cave dwellings, in two. This feature led to the fact that the water was very difficult to access for its inhabitants. This is why humans started making huge tanks (known as "cisterns").

One of the largest water reservoirs is located under the Vittorio Veneto square. The height of the walls in it is as much as 15 meters and there are even boat excursions inside it. As the population in Matera began to increase, many of the old "cisterns" were eventually converted into residential buildings.

The cave houses are not the only attraction in Matera. There are also some very beautiful churches to be found in this city. For example, the central cathedral of Matera, called Santa Maria Della Bruna, was built in 1389 and is crowned with a 52-meter bell tower.

The historic center of Matera retains its original charm to this day. Because of this, many directors choose this city as the ideal location for filming ancient Jerusalem.

Many films based on biblical themes were filmed here, such as The Gospel of Matthew directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini (1964) or The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson (2004). Today Matera is a thriving city with many businesses, taverns and hotels, and its beauty literally mesmerizes thousands of visitors every year.

And also in Italy there is huge "living" statue of the 16th century … She's really impressive!