Matera is a one-of-a-kind destination that you should try to fit into your Italian itinerary. It’s the main site of the Basilicata region of Italy and is one of the world’s oldest cities. Matera is located halfway between Calabria and Apulia and is also known as the “City of Stones”. The Sassi (stones) of Matera are ancient, cavernous villages located between the “Murge” plateau and the “Gravina” stream, where the local population lived for centuries, along with their cattle. However, for a variety of reasons, the last 70 years in Matera have been a never-ending series of negative and positive events. Back in the 1950s, Matera was considered a national…