Regional Park Of The Rock Churches Of The Murgia Materana - Basilicata, Italy

The Murgia Materana is a parkin which, more than anywhere else, natural and human elements constantly overlap, intertwine and intermingle Nature, at times  benevolent , at times impervious, has moulded landscapes and the human environment, it has determined human actions, work and life.  Humans, in turn, have worked with what nature has made available, adapting it to their needs.   This is
how the rock villages originated, carved out of the soft tufa rock, providing a cool haven in the summer and warm shelter in the winter.    With their ingenious methods for collecting rainwater in large tanks, here where there is no groundwater and water is scarce.  Here also, spitirual cases are created, with wonderful frescoes in celestial, transcendent colours, almost evoking a heavenly domensio, where one lived alongside a harsh and strong world