Matera, Italy: Hands down my favorite city in southern Italy. This fantastic city has been inhabited since the Neolithic times. The Sassi, or cave houses, actually housed the local population until the 1960's when the government instituted a relocation program, leaving many of these historical gems to crumble and rot. With continued construction and excavation, Matera has developed in to a fantastic, romantic retreat. International publicity came with the filming of Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ", which occured in this city.
Matera, Italy: Hands down my favorite city in southern Italy. This fantastic city has been inhabited since the Neolithic times. The Sassi, or cave houses, actually housed the local population until the 1960's when the government instituted a relocation program, leaving many of these historical gems to crumble and rot. With continued construction and excavation, Matera has developed in to a fantastic, romantic retreat. International publicity came with the filming of Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ", which occured in this city.