Matera : Italy
Matera is a town and a province in the region of Basilicata, sometimes referred to as Lucania, in the south of Italy.
Apart from an economy which has traditionally been based on agriculture, in the late 1990s the major economic base of Matera, and of surrounding cities, is the production of upholstery furniture.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the town had a population of 57,785 (2001 census).
The province of Matera covers an area of 3,447 sq. km, with a 2001 population of 204,239.
Matera had gained international fame for its ancient town, the so-called “Sassi di Matera” (meaning “stones of Matera”) which is a prehistorical (troglodyte) settlement, and is suspected to be one of the first human settlements in Italy. This ancient town lays over a small canyon, which has been dug in the course of years by a small water stream, called “Gravina”.
