Matera is the second Regional town for the number of inhabitants. There are many churches and lots of Latin and Byzantine frescoes made by monks.
It's over 401 metres above the sea level. Primitive men, monks and farmers have lived for centuries near a mountain torrent, called "Torrente Gravina di Matera".

Since 1993 the Sassi of Matera and its archaelogical sites are included in the UNESCO world heritage list as an European heritage site. There are 120 rocky churches. The Sassi are old houses located on two town areas: Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano. These buildings are to be found in thousands natural caves excavated in calcareous tuff. They were excavated between the 7th and 14th century and inhabited till 1952.

From the 7th and 14th century, Greek and Latin monks have lived in these caves and built 120 churches in the tuff rock. If you visit them you will see lots of frescoes, graffito's and bas-reliefs.