Matera is the Chief Town of the region Basilicata in the heart of Southern Italy and its unique and breathtaking architecture and old city are a truly remarkable experience. It includes about 55,000 inhabitants and is about 401 m a.s. and only 45 km from the sea. The city is divided in different parts which can all be linked to very different epochs: The most ancient part is joined to the lower city spur by the Duomo (Cathedral); the Medieval- Renaissance area extends along the plains at the edge of the 'Sassi'; and finally the new city, with its many elegant neighborhoods realized by the most famous Italian architects.
The most peculiar and fascinating part of Matera is most definitely the ancient district called the Sassi, which could be described as one gigantic sculpture that has been carved out of the rock along the side of a ravine. The Sassi, namely meaning “the rocks”, are built along the right bank of a ravine that presents itself as a labyrinth of winding streets, neighbourhoods, squares, caves, rock churches and cantinas that are sunken into the viscera of the earth. Some parts of the habitations are literally carved out of the rock, while other parts have been constructed or added. Behind every door, there awaits an architectural gem.
Then, there are the constructed churches of various periods dispersed throughout the town, such as the Romanesque “Cattedrale” (Cathedral) and the church of “San Giovanni” (Saint John), or the Baroque churches of “San Francesco” (Saint Francis) and “Purgatorio” (Purgatory), all beautifully constructed on the plateau of the ravine, bordering the more modern part of the city.
The Sassi were abandoned in the 1950’s, when its inhabitants were moved to the new/modern neighbourhoods. It was in 1993 that UNESCO formally recognized the Sassi as a world heritage site.
Matera is today a very lively modern city that lives the facts of history and modernity and will host the first three days of the Session during its days of Teambuilding activities.