Sassi - Attractions in Matera

Matera is in the south region of Basilicata. It has gained international fame for its ancient town, the Sassi di Matera. It means stones of Matera. The Sassi originate from a prehistoric settlement and are suspected to be some of the first human settlements in Italy. The Sassi are houses that are dug into the tuff rock itself and a characteristic of Basilicata and Puglia.  Many of the houses are only caverns and some of the streets in Sassi are situated on the rooftops of other houses. This is the most outstanding intact illustrations of a troglodyte settlement in the Mediterranean region.