Find culture underground in Italy

This year sees a pair of cities take the European Capital of Culture crown – Plovdiv in Bulgaria (see p73) and Matera in southern Italy – shining a light on some of the continent’s better-kept secrets. The limestone caves of Matera were formed naturally and some 9,000 years ago its sassi (cave dwellings) formed the bones of a vast underground city. The newfound spotlight may well see the ancient hilltop town’s rock-hewn churches, cosy grottoes and excellent hiking trails in the nearby Alta Murgia National Park swiftly overrun, so our advice is to get there soon. There are few places quite like it.