Sassi Di Matera has an unforgettable history. Until the mid-1950s, the inhabitants lived in caves without running water, electricity and sewage. It was a place full of poverty, malaria and a high rate of infant mortality. The city was called the shame from Italy.

The grief of the past to this beautiful place is what makes it so interesting and unique. When you know what it has been through for centuries, you get filled with sadness, or perhaps rather: melancholy. But Matera has a longer and richer history that dates far back. The Sassi actually has traces back to the year 7000 BC.

The beauty of the past. Combined with the amazing new architecture inside the caves, they have really changed Matera from being a shame for Italy to being the beauty. The contrast between the ancient caves carved out of limestone, and what they have managed to accomplish inside the caves, is incredible. Sober and thoughtful architecture. Tasteful, clean and minimalist hotels and restaurants that you have never seen before. Sassi di Matera has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993, and in 2019 it received the title of European Capital of Culture. And that is for a reason.

Sassi di Matera made my life stop for a moment and just be, in the presence of the past. This ancient city is a beauty that I keep as a secret inside.