Ipogeo MateraSum (MateraSum Underground Chamber), Matera

"Ipogeo" is from the greek expression for "underground." Matera is a city both above ground and underground. Although the views upstairs are spectacular, the underground part is the more intriguing. The Materasum could be called "a city under a city." Close by the Vittorio Veneto Square, it is 12,917 square feet in area and 39 feet down.

The history of Materasum is inextricably involved with the noble Malvezzi family. The family mansion, well preserved, sits on Cathedral street (via Duomo), directly above the Ipogeo. The location was well chosen. It was close to trading routes to Altamura town and the Adriatic Sea. The underground complex was used, by the family, as a warehouse for agricultural goods.

The Materasum is akin to an underground neighborhood. Facilities include cisterns, granaries, furnaces, and a crypt. The underground path is long, with surprises at every corner. After an introductory video, the visitors are free to roam underground. There are information panels and plaques in Italian, English, French, and Japanese.