How to spend a weekend in Matera, Italy's rock-hewn city. This ancient city offers an enticing Italian getaway with its frescoed churches, Michelin stars and underground art.

A trip to Matera, Italy, will take you back in time. By. ... Matera is filled with historic churches, and as you can tell from its hotel selection, plentiful cave dwellings, too.

Matera, Italy — The cave dwellings are piled atop one another like giant rocks spilled from the sky. ... the 12th century cathedral that’s the centerpiece of the town’s 170 churches.

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 ...

From Positano to Portofino, here are Italy's prettiest small towns. Breathtaking!

The Matera Cathedral dates from 1270 with a tall bell tower and a Byzantine-style fresco from the 14th century. Other noteworthy cave-churches are the San Pietro Caveoso and San Pietro Barisano ...

Matera is one of two European Capitals of Culture in 2019­ – Plovdiv in Bulgaria is the other. Yet, even 15 years ago, the idea that this town in Basilicata, in Italy’s deep south, would ...