Aliano is a town and comune in the province of Matera, which is located about 90 kilometres (56 mi) southwest of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Aliano was the setting of Carlo Levi's book Christ Stopped at Eboli (Italian: Cristo si è fermato a Eboli), where the town is called Gagliano according to the local pronunciation. Published in 1945, it gives an account of his exile in 1935–1936 in Aliano. Like many towns in rural Italy it has suffered from migration to the cities and overseas where employment opportunities are better.