The Sassi of Matera, unique in their kind, are classified World Heritage by Unesco.

The troglodyte city is a blend of beauty and contrasts. It is a maze of stairs and alleys, churches and spiers, arches and balconies, gardens and terraces, houses stacked on top of each other and cling to deep gorges, magnificent palaces and caves. Caves once used as dwellings and often shared with animals, have been partially restored and some are also open to visitors.