Re-Inventing Underground Space in Matera

The site of Sassi in Matera originates from a troglodyte village that is believed to be one of the first human settlements in Italy. The structure reflects the progressive transformation of natural caves into closed caves for urban use, and over time has distinguished a complex urban landscape that can only be fully appreciated when observed in cross-section. During the 20th century, the demographic rise and the socio-economic decline of the area turned these dwellings into a socio-environmental disaster and the area was definitively evacuated in the 1960s. Since then, the underground settlement has been revisited and is now considered and valorized as a cultural site. Inscribed in the UNESCO list in 1993, Sassi in Matera is the current European Capital of Culture (2019). This paper presents a brief overview on the worldwide approach to historical underground artifacts within contemporary urban planning, followed by an analysis of the application of the recent classification for underground built heritage (UBH) to Sassi. The different levels of reuse that have been carried out in Matera during the last decades are examined with a particular focus on the difficulties in facing gentrification, and examples of possible remedies provided by “ethical conservation for architecture” that preserves the communication of historical functions are discussed.