Matera: Rocks!

I Sassi di Matera

Nestled in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, Matera is the city that puts the "stone" in "Stone Age chic."

Matera is a city literally made of rocks. It's in Italy, and it's so old and awesome that is listed as a "World Heritage site," which is just a fancy way of saying it's super duper important.

Imagine living in a cave house! That's what people in Matera do. It's like having a secret hideout, but way better because you don't have to build it yourself. These cave houses are so good at staying cool, it's like they have their own built-in air conditioning!

And the food here is yummy! They have this soup called "Crapiata" that sounds funny but tastes amazing. It's like a big bowl of magic beans!

Matera has tons of old churches too. Some are even carved right into the rocks! It's like someone said, "Hey, let's make a church, but make it extra cool by putting it inside a mountain!"

Did you know that movies are made here? Yep, even Hollywood wants to hang out here. Matera rocks!

Almost everything is in a cave, there's this huge underground water tank called the Palombaro Lungo.

If you visit, you can even sleep in a cave hotel! It's like camping, but with comfy beds and no bugs. Plus, you can pretend you're a cave kid from a million years ago!

So, if you want to have the coolest vacation ever, come to Matera! Just remember to bring your walking shoes - there are lots of stairs, and your legs might get tired. But trust me, it's totally worth it.

Rossana Carlâ