Matera, in the arch of Italy's boot, is based in the region of Basilicata. Car hire in Matera, which lies in a small canyon due to erosion caused by a stream called the Gravina, enables you to access whole swathes of Southern Italy. The 'Sassi', in the ancient town, are stones which are thought to be the remains of some of the first human settlements in Italy, and originate from a troglodyte, prehistoric settlement. Hiring a car in Matera allows you to base yourself in this interesting and historical town, whilst accessing cities like the important port of Taranto, a coastal city only an hour and six minutes away.
Sassi, mentioned above, are homes dug into the rock itself. Being deemed uninhabitable by Italy's government in the 50s, the area became poverty stricken, but with the realisation of their heritage, from the 80s the town began to thrive again, and the temporarily deserted Sassi is now home to restaurants, businesses and hotels. The single landscape created by carving this city out of the rockface makes it stunning - Sassi was deemed a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1993. Hiring a car in Matera allows you to access this, but also allows you to explore further afield. Rent a car in Matera and also visit Gravina, a crumbling medieval town next to national park, Alta Murgia.
