In what is the instep of Italy's boot, the first forays into Italy from North Africa came to settle in Matera 10,000 years ago. Living quarters were fashioned in both the limestone caves and built outward from the rock.

Much like America's Appalachia, the people there developed their own style of thriving in harsher living conditions, and also like Appalachia, they grew to be scorned by their fellow countrymen.

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Source: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/