Matera is a settlement that has been inhabited since the Neolithic period and is known for its caves that were inhabited until the 1960s. Since 1993, Matera has been a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site and was voted "European Capital of Culture" for 2019. From Piazza Vittorio Veneto, a path descends into the historic Sasso Barisano district. The passageway carved out of the tuff is clearly visible. In the Stone Age, people had already built their dwellings into this soft rock and had extended, changed and inhabited them for thousands of years.