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 | Abruzzo Basilicata Matera Calabria Campania Emilia Romagna Friuli Venezia Giulia Lazio Liguria Lombardia Le Marche Molise Piemonte Puglia Sardinia Sicily Tuscany Trentino Alto Adige Umbria Valle D Aosta Veneto | | MateraItaly > Basilicata > MateraMatera is a town and a province in the region of Basilicata, sometimes referred to as Lucania, in the south of Italy. Apart from an economy which has traditionally been based on agriculture, in the late 1990s the major economic base of Matera, and of surrounding cities, is the production of drawing-room furniture. At the beginning of the 21st century, the town had a population of 57,785 (2001 census). Matera had gained international fame for its ancient town, the so-called "Sassi di Matera" (meaning "stones of Matera") which is a prehistorical (troglodyte) settlement, and is suspected to be one of the first human settlements in Italy. This ancient town lays over a small canyon, which has been dug in the course of years by a small water stream, called "Gravina". The "Sassi" are houses dug into the tuff rock that characterize Puglia and Basilicata. Many of these "houses" are really only caverns. During the 1950s, the government relocated most of the population of the Sassi to the modern city of Matera. People still live in the Sassi today, however. Until the late 1980s this was considered an area of poverty, since these houses are mostly unlivable. Current local administration, becoming more tourism-oriented, has promoted the gentrification of the "Sassi" and the tuff houses are becoming more livable and attractive. There is a great similarity in the look of the Sassi with that of ancient sites in and aound Jerusalem, which are as ancient.Because of the ancient and primitive scenery in and around the Sassi, it has been used by film makers as the setting for ancient Jerusalem. Pages referring to MateraHere are links to a selection of pages that mention Matera within this website: Basilicata Content Referred to by This ArticleFind out more about the information contained in this article by clicking one of the links listed below. Basilicata Snippets of Articles Relating to MateraItaly > Basilicata Basilicata is a region in the south of Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Puglia to the east, Calabria to the south, it has one short coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea and another of the Gulf of Taranto in the Ionian Sea to the south-east. The region covers 9,992 km² and in 2001 had a population of 597,768 (pop. density 60) The regional capital is Potenza. The region is divided into two provinces: Potenza and Matera. Italy > Basilicata > Potenza Potenza is a town and comune in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is the capital of the Potenza province. The province lies in the southern part of Apennines, and is almost entirely mountainous; it has been (and is still) a poor and underdeveloped area, and in the past (approx. 1850-1950) it was hit by heavy emigration waves. Today, only the biggest centers have recorded an increase in population. Italy > Lombardia Lombardia is one of the three richest regions in Europe, with a GDP per capita 30% higher than the rest of Italy. Many foreign and national companies have their headquarters in Milan. Lombardy seems to be very active in sports with many top-rated clubs in football, rugby, ice hockey and basketball. | |
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