We were on our way to Basilicata, the region in the "instep" of the boot. We were sad to leave Puglia and Ostuni behind but we were excited to see Matera as well.
Basilicata is often described as Italy's last true wilderness. As described in Lonely Planet, Basilicata "is a chaotic landscape of tremendous mountains, dark forested valleys, and villages melded into the rockface...." It is a remote and poor region. We didn't not have too much time in Basilicata so our only stop was Matera, a unique city that is the backdrop for Mel Gibson's movie The Passion of the Christ. Matera is famous for the sassi, or stones of Matera. The sassi are cave dwellings that people lived in for thousands of years, until the 1950s. During the 1600s Matera served as the capital of Basilicata but by the 1950s, half the population lived in the sassi and there was an infant mortality rate of 50 percent. Carlo Levi wrote about the situation in Matera and in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the inhabitants of the sassi were forcibly relocated to government housing. In 1993, Matera's sassi became a UNESCO World Heritage site. Today, many of the sassi are being refurbished and it is possible to stay in one: We did! There are two sassi districts: Sasso Barisano, which is the more modern section that we stayed in; and Sasso Caveoso, the more impoverished section that gives you an idea of what the city was like at one point.
Our guidebooks recommended stopping at a panoramic overlook to get a good overview of the city. The overlook is on the Taranto-Laterza road and you follow signs for the chiese rupestri. The road takes you to the Murgia Plateau, which is separated from Matera by a giant ravine.
The ravine......
Across the ravine are great views of Sassi Caveoso. Despite the gale force winds and freezing cold, we got some great skyline views of Matera.
The many caves in the area....
After seeing Matera from a distance we were even more excited to see the city up close. We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived at our hotel: B&B Del Casale, a great find (see contact info and the end of the post). We highly recommend this place if you want to stay in a sassi. What a deal for 65 Euros!
After finding a map it was time to explore!
There are a decent number of stray dogs, however, all strays are rounded up one a year and neutered which apparently helps with preventing fights.
Most stores were closed but we enjoyed just wandering around and getting the feel for the area. Reed quickly decided that Matera was his favorite place!
Near the main piazza, we found a great bakery and bought a bread that was loaded with olives! We decided that we would stop there the next day to get some snacks for the long trip to Sicily. We also found a restaurant that looked like it would be good. It turns out it was one of the worst, most expensive meals. Not even worth writing about. What a disappointment!
Even though dinner was horrible, we still had a great time. Heading back to our own sassi, we tried to absorb the atmosphere of this very special place!
For your own sassi experience:
Bed & Breakfast del Casale
Via Casale 43 Sasso Barisano 75100 Matera
Tel: 0835 337304
Cell: 3397362067
Next we head out of mainland Italy and get our first taste of Sicily, not to mention some amazing foccacia!
1 comment:
Having spent much time in Puglia and even in Basilicata where my family is from I was thrilled to read this account by these intrepid travelers. I like to laugh that my family are the hillbillies of Italy living in such a remote region.
Carlo Levi's novel, Christ Stopped at Eboli, relfects the story of his exile and also comments on the haunting almost forbidden quality of the region.
Yet culture has arrived, as with much of Southern Italy the food is mostly simple but exquisite and luxury spots are often surpassed by small little bakeries and tavola caldas that serve simple fare composed of the frshest ingredients and techniques honed by centruies of a love of food.
Happy travels to you and your dog!
You can email me at peterlaterza@yahoo.com
Post a Comment