Day 5: Matera
Alberobello was a great stop, but after lunch there it was back on the bus to our final stop of the day: Matera! The first views of Matera across the valley were breathtaking and one of the most awe-inspiring moments of the trip. (Thank you to Patricia and Salvatore for taking us to the overlook first-thing.) Matera was also the 2019 European City of Culture, so they had more visitors and events than usual thanks to the added advertising - which is all well-deserved and brings more attention to Southern Italy and the tragic history of Matera.
Matera is an ancient city (possibly one of the oldest in the world) and it has been continually inhabited for thousands of years. For this reason, Matera is a featured setting for many movies set in ancient times. You may recognize it from movies like The Passion of the Christ, Wonder Woman, and the new James Bond film (which finished shooting the month before we arrived!). But Matera is also famous for being called "the shame of Italy," thanks to the attention Carlo Levi brought to it in his book Christ Stopped at Eboli. The city is home to ancient cave dwellings known as sassi, which up until the 1950s still served as homes for many of Matera's families (and their livestock). Levi's book highlighted the daily squalor of their daily lives in Matera and the deplorable living conditions they endured, particularly as a result of the divide between the rich and poor in Italy (or between North and South, as some argue). The state eventually relocated these families into modern dwellings, which came with their own problems, including the loss of community and daily living these families once knew.
Nowadays, the government owns many of the sassi, but some of the privately owned ones retained by a few families are being turned into hotels and restaurants. It is amazing to be able to see these sassi, but it is almost unimaginable to think of modern families - in living memory - inhabiting these caves without conveniences we take for granted, like running water, electricity, or even a doorway in some cases. (As we found out on our tour the next day, the poorest families often lived in sassi with only an opening in the ceiling.)
We were lucky to stay in renovated sassi at the Locanda di San Martino for two nights in Matera. The hotel was very unique! Because sassi are cave dwellings created thousands of years ago, it's impossible to create a hotel with traditional floors, which made for a fun experience trying to find our rooms! The hotel owners also left the rooms sparse to remind us of their beauty and the experience of staying in an ancient cave dwelling. Their note was particularly poignant for me to read, thinking about people who only 60 years ago were living in these caves without the same amenities as a comfy bed, running water, and modern plumbing.
Much like Vieste, Matera is composed of a new and old town. The new town is a construction above the ancient sassi, but our hotel was in the old town, which was quite a long journey from the bus drop-off (with a lot of stone steps). The views were incredible everywhere you looked in Matera. It is probably one of the most unique cities I've ever visited! Dinner that night was also in a sasso at Osteria Pico. I particularly loved the dried red pepper chips (cruschi) - a Basilicata speciality!
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Day 6: The Wonders of Matera
Pro Tip #7 (courtesy of Karla): Pro Tip #8: |
Our second day in Matera began with a delicious breakfast in the hotel overlooking its subterranean spa pools. On our morning walking tour with local guide, Terri, we explored the sassi in more depth, first visiting a tufo model of the town to get an idea of the enormity of the old town. Tufo is the stone that is native to the Basilicata and Puglia regions that is soft enough for these cave dwellings to be carved from. As Terri led us around the hillside cliff, we saw some of the original ancient sassi in the hills surrounding Matera that were created and inhabited by monks. These contrasted perfectly with the more modern new town section and the Dali outdoor exhibit - one of the European City of Culture events. Along with sharing information and stories about daily life in Matera's sassi, we also toured a recreation of a sasso home and inside the sasso church, Chiesa di Santa Maria de Idris.
Terri's walking tour ended in the new town section just in time for lunch at Quattroquarti, a sandwich shop recommended by Patricia. We enjoyed our sandwiches al fresco in a park around the corner, then decided to explore the old fortress at the top of the park (Castello Tramontano). Aside from a few teenagers, we were the only ones enjoying the views and sunshine. More exploring that afternoon included a mandatory afternoon gelato and a trip to the Duomo of Matera (Cattedrale di Santa Maria della Bruna e di Sant'Eustachio). The cathedral's 13th-century, Romanesque exterior is incredible, but the interior is much more... Baroque-chic (if that's your thing).
Looking for a cooler place to sit for a little while, Linda and I ducked inside the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista on the outskirts of the new town. Other than the Italian school groups touring the church every so often, we had the whole place to ourselves! When it was quiet, we enjoyed the faint noises of the monks singing in a back room - what a treat! After some more apperitivi that evening at the hotel (a fantastic Italian tradition!), Karla, Karrie, and I took an evening stroll around the new town and ended up back at the same church, beautifully lit for the evening!
Pictured in header: Matera