by Jackie Cooperman
Long overlooked by tourists, the Italian cave town of Matera is having a moment, spurred by its selection as the 2019 European Capital of Culture, its recent designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site and a timely dose of Hollywood: The just-released remake of "Ben-Hur" was shot here.
Matera's nascent popularity is justified. Carved out of limestone and inhabited since the Paleolithic era, the city of 62,000 in the region of Basilicata has a storybook look — with lower-level homes carved directly into the rocks and its upper town capped by Baroque churches. Dozens of stone staircases join the two sections, which are flanked by small gardens called vicinati.
Source: http://nypost.com/
