EU rules to curb tourist rentals loom over Matera's boom

The European Union is set to lay out rules helping European cities curb short-term rentals such as Airbnb in a bid to tackle rising house prices, according to plans seen by AFP on Friday. The proposal, reported by The Local Italy, comes as tourism pressure mounts across the continent's most visited destinations.

For Basilicata, the timing is pointed. Matera, the region's UNESCO-listed cave city, has ridden a decade-long tourism boom since its 2019 stint as European Capital of Culture. Foreign coverage has long framed the Sassi — once called 'the shame of Italy' — as a case study in heritage-led reinvention.

But the same boom has strained the city's fragile interior. Short-term lets have multiplied in the ancient stone quarters, and housing costs have followed the tourist footfall upward. The EU's planned rules, still taking shape, would give municipalities new tools to limit platforms like Airbnb.