One of the oldest Cities in the World: Matera (Italy)

@delilhavores · 2025-11-04 17:08 · Amazing nature (AN)
ENG Good morning Hivers and welcome back to my blog. The **city of Matera** is one of the oldest in the world, with the first settlements dating back to the Paleolithic Age. Over the centuries, it has been inhabited by **numerous civilizations**, each of which has left traces of its presence. We are in Italy, specifically in the **Basilicata region**, in the south. I discovered this city, rich in history, thanks to its nomination as the European Capital of Culture.
ITA Buongiorno amici Hivers e bentornati sul mio Blog. La **città di Matera** è una delle più antiche del mondo, in quanto i primi insediamenti risalgono all’età paleolitica e, nel corso dei secoli, è stata abitata da **numerose civiltà**, ognuna delle quali ha lasciato i resti del proprio passaggio. Siamo in Italia, in particolare nella **regione Basilicata**, al sud. Ho scoperto questa città ricca di storia grazie al fatto che è stata nominata Capitale della Cultura Europea.
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The road to Matera is truly evocative, as the city was built right next to a **large karst rock** crevice, called "gravina," with which it has established a **symbiotic relationship** over the centuries. In fact, Matera's distinctive feature is its famous "**sassi**", which means “stones”. There are numerous stone caves in the area, which were once used as dwellings. People also extracted **building blocks** from the "sassi" to construct the entire city.
La strada per arrivare a Matera è davvero suggestiva, perché la città è stata costruita a ridosso di una grande spaccatura di **roccia carsica**, chiamata “gravina”, con cui ha instaurato un **rapporto di simbiosi** nel corso dei secoli. Infatti, la particolarità di Matera sono proprio i suoi famosi **sassi**. Nel territorio sono presenti numerose caverne di sasso, che in passato erano utilizzate come abitazioni. Dai sassi le persone hanno anche estratto i **blocchi di materiale edilizio** per costruire tutta la città.
![hive dividers-02.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/delilhavores/23swpjp3K9usTpjZpcGEgSWJyy64LDu48Kiqqpo9XdwH4KrnjbgAnNc1kSKsUhn568CLw.png) ![301k.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/delilhavores/EpZSTf3Yj1ZwTPmfhbG8w2ZewiwhhWXWHBdFvpj2CY1HE7PXdBwhStCowTT89QkZgmo.jpg) ![301m.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/delilhavores/Eoprx6nXdftvvmjsSVmq8f7JXoTHYBzSzUxqX5Gs56ZuTcAMWiujJBpcmgr4UJRXBtp.jpg) ![301n.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/delilhavores/EogQksyaqZEfr8xt3NCSML1k3jBxcUUJVkAzXLhKmrX9nYMMB2xNKyoEPwxCtkzLxHn.jpg) ![301a.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/delilhavores/EqWmp57cqc6MKeeo2jA8sPg6Jwb6mPLifyKjZw6JL28TTK3dsQNwAmLHXoutPfCZLUm.jpg) ![301b.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/delilhavores/EqL9JQ9UtsonMG3As8q5GxDh7Aiv8e7YiLSdCxE4M1pkEZ3CAA3k3a4dNNUayBzh6Xd.jpg)
Numerous artifacts have been found in the gravina's caves, testifying to the passage of man, dating back to the **Paleolithic, Roman, Byzantine, and Vatican eras**. Matera was **destroyed and rebuilt several times**, both due to natural disasters and wars. Walking through the streets of this city truly feels like stepping back in time. The most famous sassi are undoubtedly: **Sasso Barisano**, located on the edge of a cliff, and **Sasso Caveoso**, which is laid out like a Roman amphitheater.
Nelle grotte della gravina sono stati ritrovati numerosi reperti a testimonianza del passaggio dell’uomo, risalenti per esempio al **paleolitico, ai romani, ai bizantini e allo stato Vaticano**. Matera venne **distrutta e ricostruita più volte**, a causa sia di eventi naturali che di guerre. Passeggiando tra le vie di questa città sembra veramente di essere in un’altra epoca. I sassi più famosi sono sicuramente: il **Sasso Barisano**, situato sull’orlo di una rupe, e il **Sasso Caveoso**, che è disposto come un anfiteatro romano.
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Unfortunately, during my vacation I didn't have time to experience sleeping inside one of these sassi, where numerous hotels now stand, but I hope to one day. **It must be amazing to wake up inside these structures built into the rock**! I'll leave you with some photos of my trip. **Thanks for following**! See you next time, *Delilha*
Purtroppo, durante la mia vacanza non ho avuto il tempo di vivere l’esperienza di dormire all’interno di uno di questi sassi, dove oggi si trovano numerosi hotel, ma spero di poterlo fare un giorno. **Deve essere fantastico svegliarsi all’interno di queste strutture costruite nella roccia**! Vi lascio con alcune foto della mia gita. **Grazie per avermi seguito**! Alla prossima, *Delilha*
[//]:# (!worldmappin 40.66605 lat 16.60861 long d3scr) Sources - Fonti: https://italy-trails.com/the-stones-of-matera/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karst ![Firma.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/delilhavores/EoCg8WX1cpDj8UR2Q9v7DpHtCcH56dZpJ7zNxgsPbBAV3LHe3FVpZBPYnJQyA7iinci.jpg) [![Support3.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/delilhavores/gdrkl374-Support3.jpg)](https://hivesigner.com/sign/account-witness-vote?witness=discovery-it&approve=true)
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