4Matera, Italy
Matera is one of Italy’s most extraordinary historic cities, famous for the Sassi — ancient neighborhoods carved directly into the rock.
Although Matera is not completely underground, its architecture creates the impression of a city growing both into and out of the stone. Homes, churches, stairways and courtyards occupy caves and rock-cut spaces across the dramatic landscape.
Some former cave homes have been transformed into museums, restaurants and hotels, allowing visitors to experience the unusual relationship between architecture and geology.
Matera demonstrates that an underground city does not necessarily have to disappear beneath the surface. Here, the rock itself became part of the city.
