Ancient districts of cave dwellings

Which films used Matera as a location?

The Passion of the Christ and No Time to Die

Matera Quiz: Sassi Cave Dwellings and Rock Churches

This Matera quiz explores the stone city carved into a ravine in Basilicata. Play 10 interactive questions on the Sassi districts, homes dug into soft rock, thousands of years of settlement, Carlo Levi's book, the 1950s evacuation, rock churches with frescoes, UNESCO status in 1993, European Capital of Culture in 2019 and films shot there.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Region
Which Italian region is Matera in?
Sassi
What are the Sassi?
Rock
What were the homes dug into?
Age
How long has Matera been inhabited?
Book
Which book drew attention to poverty in the area?
1950s
What happened to Sassi residents in the 1950s?
Churches
What decorates many rock churches?
UNESCO
When did the Sassi become a UNESCO site?
Culture
What title did Matera hold in 2019?
Films
Which films used Matera as a location?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which Italian region is Matera in?
Answer: Basilicata
It is in the south.
Q2: What are the Sassi?
Answer: Ancient districts of cave dwellings
There are two main Sassi.
Q3: What were the homes dug into?
Answer: Soft limestone rock
Façades were added later.
Q4: How long has Matera been inhabited?
Answer: Thousands of years
It is among the oldest inhabited places.
Q5: Which book drew attention to poverty in the area?
Answer: Christ Stopped at Eboli
Carlo Levi wrote it.
Q6: What happened to Sassi residents in the 1950s?
Answer: They were moved to new housing
Conditions were very poor.
Q7: What decorates many rock churches?
Answer: Frescoes
Some date back centuries.
Q8: When did the Sassi become a UNESCO site?
Answer: 1993
Their revival had begun.
Q9: What title did Matera hold in 2019?
Answer: European Capital of Culture
It drew many visitors.
Q10: Which films used Matera as a location?
Answer: The Passion of the Christ and No Time to Die
It doubles for ancient cities.

Cave Homes That Went From Shame to Showpiece

Matera in the southern region of Basilicata is famous for the Sassi, two ancient districts of homes carved into the soft limestone of a ravine. People have lived there for thousands of years, making Matera one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world.

By the 1900s, families and animals shared crowded caves without clean water. Carlo Levi's book Christ Stopped at Eboli drew national attention to the poverty, and in the 1950s residents were moved to new housing. The empty Sassi were later restored as homes, hotels and restaurants.

Many rock churches in and around the city hold old frescoes. The Sassi became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, and Matera was European Capital of Culture in 2019. Its timeless look has made it a film set, from The Passion of the Christ to the James Bond film No Time to Die.

What This Quiz Teaches

History fans will enjoy these questions.

What the Sassi are
How old Matera is
Why residents left
How it was revived
Which films used it

Did You Know?

Huge underground cisterns once stored rainwater.
Pane di Matera is a famous local bread.
Nativity scenes are staged in the Sassi at Christmas.
Viewpoints across the ravine show the whole town.
The Murgia park protects the ravine's other side.