Matera

We spent three nights in Matera over the weekend and used it as our locus of activity. I have posted about our hotel in the caves; here are some observations about the rest of the town. The Sassi is an incredible maze of twisted, narrow alleys and winding stairways. There is only one driveable road which loops through the cave dwellings and even that is an adventure. With the exception of a couple of lots which are always packed, parking is done by pulling as far onto the sidewalk as you can and then ignoring your vehicle. Getting lost, even with a reasonably detailed map, is a given. Once you exit the Sassi, you are in a modern city. In the Piazza Pascoli and along the Via Ridola we encountered a sprawling Chirstmas market. There were only a few stalls, but they were more to my liking than the ones in Viterbo. We munched on some fantastic local cheese and had a nice discussion with a local winemaker. He brought out the good stuff for us and we enjoyed it enough to bring home a bottle of the local "Primitivo", a variety related to zinfandel, and a rosato (rose). The main gathering point for the city is the Piazza Vittorio Veneto. They have excavated some of the old ruins under the square as a museum and have a nice fountain which was all lit up in green and red for Christmas.

Near the Piazza di San Francesco is the Chiesa Purgatorio whose doors are decorated in an interesting skull and bones motif.

This is a skull and hourglass post standing beside the main door which we found interesting.

We were somewhat dismayed to discover that dinner time in Matera begins at 8 PM and even then they look at you sort of funny but tolerate you anyway when you show up to eat. Dinner really isn't at 8, that is just when the restaurants open. They take their time getting around to you. However, our hunger was marginally diffused by the magnificent passeggiata which took place on the Corso and along the edge of the Sassi. The passeggiata is the evening walk. There were hundreds of people out in the street. Families, children, couples all just taking in the evening, meeting their neighbors and enjoying life. This passaggiata takes place everywhere in Italy including, to a lesser extent, Viterbo. However, our main walk is down in the center of town and Amy and I seldom go.

Matera is situated at the edge of a gorge. The cave dwellings take advantage of this natural setting. Across from the town there are additional dwellings and a series of cave churches which can be visited. These rocky cliffs were the location for filming portions of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. The locals would love it if you would pay them for a guided tour but, having a car and a map, we set out on our own to explore. The belvedere (viewpoint) at the edge of the cliffs gave a remarkable perspective on Matera. Directly in the middle of this picture is our hotel. Our room was around to the left and up a short flight of stairs, all of which can be easily seen, but not when the picture has been compressed to put on the webpage.

To the left of our hotel is the beginning of a large stretch of abandoned caves. It is my understanding that the Italian government took it all over when they moved out the cave dwellers decades ago and now owns all of it. Our hotel has a 30 year lease from them with an option for 30 more years after that. At the top of the picture you can see the beginning of the modern town which directly abuts the Sassi.

Of course, every once in awhile I need to put on a picture to show that we really were there!