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Matera

Situated in a deep ravine in Basilicata, Matera is known internationally for its 'Sassi' - ancient troglodyte caves cut into the limestone rock face, and used as dwellings and churches since the Palaeolithic era. Historically, this position made the town easy to defend but much more difficult to supply with water. Much of the town began to develop outside the canyon, and the Sassi was inhabited but largely ignored for centuries. By the early 20th century, many of the Sassi's inhabitants were living in appalling conditions, and the area was rife with disease.

Fortunately, the town cleaned this up, and set to restoring the ancient area. The project was a great success, and resulted in the town being declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993. Over the last decade many of the Sassi have been adapted into fantastic houses, hotels and restaurants - making this truly unique area even more fascinating to discover. Another major attraction in the town is the collection of cave churches, carved out by monks and often decorated with Byzantine murals painted directly onto the rocks.

2 results matching: Escorted Rail Tours to Matera

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Last-Minute Savings
8 days from
£949
per person
View Details
tour map
  • DestinationItaly
  • Starts / EndsLondon Gatwick
  • AccommodationHotel
  • TransportFlight, Coach
Map and accommodation
Puglia & Basilicata
Small Group
Last-Minute Savings
3.9 stars(63 reviews)
2023SepOct
12 days from
£2,295 pp £2,095 pp
View Details
Last-Minute Savings
12 days from
£2,295
£2,095
per person
View Details
tour map
  • DestinationItaly
  • Starts / EndsSt Pancras International / St Pancras International, London Gatwick
  • AccommodationHotel
  • TransportRail, Coach
Map and accommodation
Our customers love our Matera tours
Puglia - Italy’s Undiscovered Coast
24/May
Graham Robinson
4 stars
“I enjoyed the trip very much, I would have given it a 5 but the journey coming back over 2 days was tiring, a day brake in Turin would have been better, overall the trip was fantastic The service from Sherpr was time consuming, when filling in the details, and the labels came off the case on the outward journey, this caused problems on the return of my case
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