Italy is a breathtaking country where each province boasts its own distinct identity and culture. While tourists typically gravitate towards the Amalfi Coast, cities such as Florence, Rome, Lake Garda or Lake Como, there is one lesser-known destination that has left visitors utterly speechless.

Once notorious as the 'shame of Italy', Matera, a city perched high atop a rocky outcrop in the southern region of Basilicata, has since transformed into a luxurious tourist destination. A remarkable collection of ancient cave dwellings carved into the mountainside in the area known as Sassi now offers a tranquil inland retreat steeped in history. The cave dwellings were cleared out by the Italian government during the 1950s, as they were deemed slums due to their poor living conditions.

Thousands of residents were rehoused in modern accommodation, and Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi of the time described Matera as a "national disgrace".

It is likely that not all locals wished to abandon their Matera homes, yet the area was considered a serious health hazard, lacking adequate sewage systems or electricity, and was deeply impoverished.

One former Matera resident once described living conditions as "brutal," with "families of maybe nine or 10 children, sleeping next to mules and pigs".

"We were dying of hunger", said Luigi Plasmati recalling his family's life in Matera several years ago, when he was 89-years-old. These days the situation has dramatically improved - with numerous Airbnb cave-style accommodation options now rated as "exceptional" by visitors.

Sassi di Matera encompasses two districts, with the city of Matera perched atop a mountain.

One TripAdvisor review from a guest staying in Pietragialla, which overlooks the city of Matera, described their cave accommodation as an "incredible experience".

The cave stay reviewer wrote: "I am speechless for how good we felt. It was an incredible experience and everything was unbelievable. The room is fantastic. The bathroom is the best bathroom I've ever been and the bath tub is from another planet. But the most incredible thing is the silence."

The visitor continued to describe the "pure sleep" they enjoyed in the cave thanks to the tranquillity and darkness, as the cave has "no windows".

Breakfast, they explained, was already prepared the previous evening so you "can have it at any time" and featured fresh fruit, juices, marmalades, fresh local bread, almonds and even almond milk.

The TripAdvisor reviewer added: "Once you leave the room you have in front of you the whole city centre, it looks like a fairy tale. Pietragialla is an experience that needs to be done once in life at least."

The Sassi district features museums including the Cave House in the Sassi of Matera, which demonstrate to visitors what peasant life resembled in the region merely a few decades ago. There are also rock-hewn churches dating back to the 13th century, with St. Lucia alle Malve, a Catholic church in Matera, widely regarded as the "most beautiful", boasting ancient mosaics that stretch back hundreds of years.