• Matera - The Sassi of Matera are two districts, Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano, featuring buildings and rock-cut architecture carved into the Murgia of Matera, inhabited since prehistoric times. In 1993, they were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Along with the Civita district, which sits on the ridge separating the two Sassi, they form the historic center of Matera. The term “Sassi” refers to these two districts, along with the “Civita” and the “Piano,” making up Matera’s historic center. The plural form comes from this duality, not from the misconception that a dwelling or room in these districts is called “stone.” The Sassi are situated around and at the bottom of two valleys, shaped by water flow, channeled into the so-called “grabiglioni” at the bottom.

The Sasso Barisano, located along the road leading out of the city towards Bari, faces northwest and features sculpted portals and friezes. The Sasso Caveoso, facing south towards Montescaglioso, resembles a theater’s cavea, with houses arranged in steps. Inside, there are various neighborhoods named: u lammòrde, u paravèse, u pendàfeche, u mòlve, u chianèdde, u casalnàve. The rock of La Civita, housing the Romanesque Cathedral, divides the two valleys. At the foot of Civita and the upper edge of the Sassi lies the Piano, the post-medieval historic center, beyond which is the post-displacement Matera. On the opposite side of the Gravina di Matera is the Murgia plateau, with rock churches scattered along the ravine slopes, part of the Murgia Materana Park and protected by it. “Natural caves, underground architecture, cisterns, large enclosures, farmhouses, churches, and palaces coexist, excavated and built in the tuff of the ravines,” writes Pietro Laureano in his book Giardini di pietra.

• Alberobello - Known for its distinctive trulli houses, which have been protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 1996, it is part of the Valle d’Itria and the Murgia dei Trulli. Historian Pietro Gioia speculated that the name Alberobello derived from Silva alboris belli, meaning “forest of the war tree,” a theory long supported by later historians despite lacking documentary evidence. However, later studies indicate the original name was Silva Alborelli, as shown in the oldest known document, the investiture diploma of May 15, 1481, where King Ferrante of Aragon assigned the assets of the deceased Count of Conversano Giulio Antonio I Acquaviva d’Aragona to his son Andrea Matteo. The document mentions Silva Alborelli in the province of Terra Bari. The name Alberobello became official on June 22, 1797, during the first City Council meeting. Names like Ferrandina and Ferdinandina were also proposed in honor of King Ferrante of Aragon and King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon, respectively. Until the 19th century, alternative names like Arborebello or Albero Bello were used.
• Parrocchia Santuario Basilica S.S. Cosma E Damiano - The mother church of Alberobello is dedicated to Saints Cosma and Damiano, the town’s patrons. Their cult was introduced in 1636 by Count Giangirolamo II, who was devoted to it after his wife Elisabetta da Rocca Padula gave birth to their first son, Cosimo, following a pardon. Before becoming a parish, the church was under the parish of Noci. Bishop Gregorio Falconieri of Conversano recognized it as a sanctuary in 1938, and in 2000, Pope John Paul II elevated it to a minor basilica.

The current neoclassical building, with a Latin cross layout, dates back to the late 19th century, replacing a small chapel from 1609 dedicated to the Madonna delle Grazie, which was expanded in 1725, 1784, and 1852. The project, designed by Alberobello architect Antonio Curri, was approved in 1881 by parish priest Domenico Morea and the town council. The budget was 16,000 lire, but the actual cost was about double. Construction began in 1882 and lasted nearly three years. The church opened for worship in 1885 during the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, though it was largely incomplete, with only the nave and façade built. The left arm was completed in 1948, the right arm in 1956, but the planned octagonal dome was never built. The façade has two bell towers, one with a sundial and the other with a clock with Roman numerals. The sacristy, present since 1784, was demolished and rebuilt in the early 20th century based on Curri’s new design, and restored and completed in 1968. The church houses numerous relics, the most famous being those of the Santi Medici.

• Parrocchia Sant’Antonio di Padova - Built between 1926 and 1927 on land at the top of the Monti district, initiated by Bishop Domenico Lancelotti. It became Alberobello’s second parish in 1945 and has been led by Guanellian priests since 1952. The building’s uniqueness lies in its trulli-like features. The conical roof typical of trulli is also seen in the 21-meter-high dome and the 18.30-meter bell tower. The church contains a relic of Saint Anthony of Padua, a papier-mâché statue of “Saint Anthony gives bread to the poor” by Raffaele Carrella (1877-1950) from 1927, brought to Alberobello by priest Lippolis, a papier-mâché statue of Saint Rita of Cascia donated by Pietro Basile, a small papier-mâché statue of Saint Joseph, and a ceramic statue of the Immaculate Conception. The archives also hold a statue of the Pietà. There is a bas-relief of San Luigi Guanella by Adolfo Ugo Rollo and a painting of San Padre Pio from 1999 by painter S. Mazzin. Other trullo-shaped churches are found in Locorotondo in the hamlet of San Marco in the Selva di Fasano parish of the Addolorata.

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