The Sassi di Matera are the historic city of Matera. Il Sasso Caveoso "and" il Sasso "Barisano", together with the rione "Civita", form a complex urban core. I Sassi di Matera were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1993. They were the first listed site of southern Italy. The inscription was motivated by the fact that they represent a remarkable urban ecosystem, capable of perpetuating the further past prehistoric Caveman living modes up to modernity. The Sassi di Matera are an outstanding example of careful use of the resources of nature: water, soil, energy. The stone town, the historic center of Matera dug near the ravine, is actually inhabited at least from the Paleolithic. The name of the Sassi has come down in Japan (they come from a fair number of tourists in Matera). The stones were also used in 1962 as a backdrop for some scenes in the movie the roaring twenties and for numerous other films.