Matera, Italy
Matera is one of the oldest cities found by the Romans around 3 BC. Earlier people used to stay in the caves in the ravines around & till the 1950s the city was in dire straits with poverty, sub-par living standards & high children mortality rates due to various diseases. Then the 16,000 people were shifted elsewhere & the city was left in shambles of a ghost town. Around the 1980s the tide was turned with artists, entrepreneurs returning to this historic city & rejuvenating it to a sparkling gem of Italy. A city ravaged by centuries of neglect & left unkempt today is one big tourist attraction with its medieval architecture, ancient caves & a time-machine throwback to an era bygone.
Matera, Italy
Matera is one of the oldest cities found by the Romans around 3 BC. Earlier people used to stay in the caves in the ravines around & till the 1950s the city was in dire straits with poverty, sub-par living standards & high children mortality rates due to various diseases. Then the 16,000 people were shifted elsewhere & the city was left in shambles of a ghost town. Around the 1980s the tide was turned with artists, entrepreneurs returning to this historic city & rejuvenating it to a sparkling gem of Italy. A city ravaged by centuries of neglect & left unkempt today is one big tourist attraction with its medieval architecture, ancient caves & a time-machine throwback to an era bygone.