Congratulations! The small Italian town Matera has been picked to be the European Capital of Culture in 2019. Matera, close to the country's southern heel, will hold the important Title in 2019 together with the Bulgarian City Plovdiv. The selection panel of independent experts responsible for assessing the Italian Cities competing to be European Capital of Culture in 2019 has recommended that Matera should be awarded the title. The other five cities short-listed after the initial pre-selection round in November 2013 were Cagliari, Lecce, Perugia, Ravenna and Siena.
