Matera

Matera is one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the world, an extraordinary city of cave dwellings, the Sassi, carved into the sides of a rocky ravine in the far south of Italy and lived in for millennia. Once so poor it was called the shame of Italy and evacuated, it has been reborn as a UNESCO marvel of honey-coloured stone, cave hotels and churches.

What you'll find

• The Sassi - the ancient cave dwellings tumbling down the ravine.
• The rock churches - the churches carved into the stone, some frescoed.
• A cave dwelling museum - the recreated homes showing the old hard life.
• The ravine viewpoints - the views across the gorge to the cave-pocked cliffs.

When to go

Spring and autumn for mild weather; the honey stone glows at sunrise and sunset. Summer is very hot in the stone city. It has grown popular, especially since featuring in films.

Things to know

It is far south, a real journey, most easily reached via Bari. The Sassi are steep and stepped, so it is a lot of walking on uneven stone. It has become popular, so it is busier and more polished than its recent poverty suggests.

Nearby

The Puglia coast and its trulli towns are within reach; Bari is the nearest airport.