On the way to our next destination on our road trip, we did a day trip to another town in the Basilicata Region.

Sassi di Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993, is one of the oldest cities in the world dating back to the Paleolithic period. It’s known for its ancient cave dwellings which are truly remarkable to see. This historic town is unlike any other city I’ve visited in Italy where we spent the day just strolling the streets and admiring the beauty of the city.

We first visited a small Baroque style church, Chiesa di San Francesco d’Assisi, where there were some cryptic and gory paintings hanging on the walls of the church.

We walked throughout the historic city center where the views were unreal! The city almost looks fake.

At the highest point in the city lies Cattedrale di Maria Santissima della Bruna e Sant’Eustachio, a 13th century Roman Catholic cathedral. Beautiful.

We ended the day by visiting Belvedere Piazzetta Pascioli, a viewpoint on the other side of the city. It’s about a 30 minute walk from the parking lot but the scenery is unmatched.

Sassi di Matera is slowly becoming a more popular tourist attraction and it’s easy to see why. This ancient town has so much history and is worth visiting if you’re in the region.