Image by chatst2 from Pixabay
As the remake of the sword-and-sandal epic ‘Ben Hur’ movie dating back to 1959 is happening in Matera, new crowds of visitors visited the the region in the last weekend. Indeed, the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Matera’s historic centre hundreds of tourists stopped in the city, despite low temperatures and overcast skies.
 
While some hoped to catch the movie’s stars like Morgan Freeman and Jack Huston, the area has been featured in other movies, including Mel Gibson’s 2004 ‘The Passion of the Christ’. Now, with the filming of  the new ‘Ben Hur’ more interest raised around the European Capital of Culture for 2019.
 
According to officials, the strong presence of visitors at Easter confirms a trend that began in October with the investiture as European Capital for 2019.

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