This magical place best expresses the synergy between the spirit of the Sassi and the strength and lyricism of the great Spanish painter José Ortega (1921-90), who went into exile in Matera from 1972 to 1976. In an old fortified house, part of which Ortega acquired, are exhibited the 20 bas-reliefs of the series Passarono and Morte e Nascita degli Innocenti, which he made with the master craftsmen of Matera, who specialised in papier-mâché work.