Our second day in Matera shifted from the ancient to the surprisingly modern. While these sun-bleached stones feel like they’ve stood still for millennia, we discovered that the city’s survival is deeply intertwined with 20th-century history and a massive boost from the United States.
The “Marshall Plan” Connection: A Geopolitical Rescue
It’s easy to look at Matera today and see only beauty, but just 70 years ago, it was known as the ‘shame of Italy.’ We learned that its rescue was a global effort: the U.S. Marshall Plan provided the funds to build ‘New Matera,’ moving 15,000 people from these caves into modern homes. It’s a powerful reminder of how American aid helped preserve what is now a UNESCO treasure.
This American aid allowed the Italian government to relocate families from the crowded, unsanitary conditions of the Sassi into modern housing. For those of us from the US, it transforms the caves from a “cool ancient site” into a tangible story of post-WWII partnership. At Casa Noha, we learned how this “eviction” saved thousands of lives, turning a humanitarian crisis into a cultural treasure.
1. The Financial Backbone: Marshall Plan & UNRRA
While the 1952 Special Law for Matera (enacted by Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi) was the legal trigger for the evictions, it was the U.S. Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program) and the UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, largely funded by the US) that provided the actual capital.
• Historian’s View: Expert historians often describe Matera as a “laboratory” for post-war reconstruction. Without American dollars, the Italian government wouldn’t have had the liquidity to build entirely new towns like La Martella from scratch.
2. The “Tennessee Valley Authority” Influence
There is a fascinating intellectual link you might find interesting for your post: many of the planners and sociologists who designed the “New Matera” (including Americans like Friedrich Friedmann) were directly inspired by the U.S. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
• The Connection: They used the TVA model of “integrated rural development” to try and modernize the Materan peasants’ lives without destroying their community bonds (hence the vicinato influence in the new housing).
The “Ghost Town” Era (1950s–1970s)
After the forced evictions, the Sassi became an eerie, walled-off ghost town. The government actually boarded up the caves and filled them with rubble to prevent families from moving back in.
- Why it “failed”: For the residents, the move was traumatic. They traded their close-knit vicinato communities for modern apartments that felt cold and isolating.
- The “Shame” Lingered: For twenty years, the Sassi were seen as a scar on the landscape—a place of “backwardness” that most locals wanted to forget.
The Turning Point: Cinema and the “Reel” Rescue
In the 1960s and 70s, the very thing that made Matera “shameful”—its biblical, ancient appearance—became its greatest asset for Hollywood and Italian cinema. - The Biblical Substitute: Because the Sassi looked more like ancient Jerusalem than Jerusalem itself did (which had become too modern), it became a go-to filming location.
- The Catalysts: * Pier Paolo Pasolini’s The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964): This was the first major film to put Matera on the global cinematic map.
- The 1970s Spotlight: As more films used the backdrop, a group of young Materans (the Circolo La Scaletta) began to push back against the “shame” narrative. They argued that the caves weren’t a slum, but a masterpiece of human adaptation.
The 1986 “Rebirth”
It wasn’t until 1986 that the government finally passed a law allowing people to move back into the Sassi and begin private restorations. This was the true beginning of the Matera we see today—a shift from a “geopolitical rescue” to a “cultural reclamation.”
Engineering Marvels: The Palombaro Lungo
Next, we headed underground to the Palombaro Lungo, a massive cistern carved directly into the limestone beneath the city’s main square.
This cathedral-like reservoir is an engineering masterpiece, capable of holding millions of gallons of water. It’s a stark reminder that even in the most arid climates, human ingenuity finds a way to thrive. The sheer scale of the arches reflecting in the still water is something you have to see to believe.
https://youtu.be/QprXbbfnBNE?feature=shared
video of scuba divers discovering the cistern in 1991