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Over the years living conditions degraded until by the 1950's Matera became a source of shame for Italy. It was a place of poverty, malaria, and high rates of infant mortality, where people lived in caves without electricity, running water, or sewer systems. The Sassi homes were evacuated in the early 1950's and stood idle until the 1980's when they began to be refurbished, and later became a tourist destination. They have filmed scores of movies here, such as the last James Bond movie "A Time to Die".