CasaCava, the “Center for Creativity” of the Urban Visions project of the Basilicata Region, is in the heart of the Sassi di Matera, those stones included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1993.
Cultural center of the city of Matera, Casa Cava.
It is a 900 square meter space consisting of ten rooms including an auditorium that can accommodate 140 people.
It is the only underground exhibition space in the world and the Auditorium, which international architecture magazines write about, is the symbol of Matera's historical parable and cultural rebirth.
A place born as a tuff quarry, then abandoned and used as a landfill, finally transformed into a center for youth creativity.
There is no certain information on the date of use of this quarry; according to scholars, the period could fluctuate around 1663, the year in which Matera was elected capital of Basilicata which would have given impetus to building development in the Sassi with a relative increase in the population.
Today the quarry over 15 meters deep is accessed through some caves that over time have been deepened and connected to the large chamber which was originally accessed only from above.
Once the exploitation of the quarry was over, this enormous underground environment was used in various ways. The rooms in front were a small courtyard house, while the actual quarry, divided from the house by a wall, was first used as a landfill and then abandoned.
Recently this space has been recovered and enhanced after a careful study phase with attention to the smallest details that has allowed us to guarantee perfect acoustics in a suggestive setting, unique in the world.
Today Casa cava is not only a concert hall, a theater, an exhibition space and a conference center, but also an important tourist attraction within the Sassi of Matera.
Casa Cava, multipurpose cultural center
Address: Via S. Pietro Barisano
Phone: 0835 336733
Site:
www.casacava.itLocation inserted by
Gina Affinito