incredible stone houses
Sassi di Matera: A great amphitheater of 10,000 years oldThe term "Sassi" was used for the first time in 1204, referring to two picturesque neighborhoods known as the Sassi of Matera, whose extraordinarily original appearance has impressed travelers of all ages . Unlike what one might think, the “Sassi” were not a ghetto where people were relegated, it was just a peculiar neighborhood where people built their houses into the stones.
With the 'increase of the population, however, were overcrowded and the housing shortage had led many families to use as dwellings caves and cisterns are not of a requirement of habitability.
In 1993 Sassi di Matera were included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site. The first of the two Sassi, Sasso Barisano is rich in gardens, monasteries, houses the carved portals. The Caveoso, laid out like a Roman amphitheater.
Entering in the dense residential streets you can appreciate the variety of spontaneous architecture rise through the centuries. To understand the uses and customs of the inhabitants of the old quarters of the Sassi of Matera before they drop, you can also visit a typical cave dwelling is furnished with antique furniture and equipment.
The Sassi of Matera, a town located in very poor water, they also represent an extraordinary example of wise use of natural resources and harmonious coexistence between the 'man and nature. Right from 'Bronze Age' s water was stored for long periods of drought, thanks to an ingenious system of collecting, funneling it through channels within tanks dug into the limestone. Gardens, hanging gardens and streets are often based on the roofs of the houses below, the houses are lit up by 'high; to' internal, thanks to the insulating properties of the tuff, the temperature remains constant at 15 degrees.
