Matera

Matera is the capital of its province in Basilicata, in southern Italy, and has been continuously occupied since the eighth millennium BC. It is known for its rock-cut urban core, the twin cliffside zones known together as the Sassi, dug into the ravine rather than built on it. Within living memory the Sassi were emptied as a national disgrace and have since been reoccupied, which is a strange and specific history to walk through. The stone holds the light in a way that has to be seen late in the day.