This is the most out­stand­ing, intact exam­ple of a troglodyte set­tle­ment in the Mediter­ranean region, per­fect­ly adapt­ed to its ter­rain and ecosys­tem. The first inhab­it­ed zone dates from the Palae­olith­ic, while lat­er set­tle­ments illus­trate a num­ber of sig­nif­i­cant stages in human his­to­ry. Mat­era is in the south­ern region of Basil­i­ca­ta.