Meta Matera Sassi : Matera/Basilicata

In the last 70 years Matera has been highly influenced by the events of its historical centre, which has been extremely degraded in the Second Postwar, aban- doned and closed in the 60’s, recognized World Herit- age in 1993 and today a crucial part of the European Capital of Culture 2019. In particular, the design ex- ploration of the workshop was mainly addressed to the qualification of a plural fruition of the Sassi’s ur- ban landscape and in a single project to the Matera presentation by transforming a faraway rail station. The accessibility and inclusiveness are influenced by the articulation of the routes to qualify the cultural experience of citizens and tourists, respecting that historical centre so much unique as fragile. In fact, the Sassi configuration expresses a border condition and an inseparable link with the Gravina landscape, perfectly integrated in a millenarian work that shaped the arduous soils to create spaces for living, whether they are hypogea, on surface, open or closed. Articu- lated between excavation, construction and water management, these same spaces establish a striking dialogue among gorges, rocks, architectures, monu- mental complexes, steep paths, visual references and terraces, always open to extraordinary panoramas.