Europe

[Visited: June 2023]

For years, I had heard about Matera, and I was yearning to see it with my own eyes. Needless to say, I was overly excited when we drove into the city on a sunny early summer afternoon. At first, I only saw apartment blocks and other regular buildings, but I knew that we still had to arrive in the real Matera. We were lucky to find parking, and walked down into town with our bags. The sun is already on its way down, so we quickly drop our bags, and walk down the main street. I look left and right, and see stone houses all around me. The old part of Matera is dubbed Sassi: stone, and it is easy to see why. It is thought that the first people established here around the 10th century BCE, and some think Matera is among the oldest continuously inhabited settlements on our planet. The first people to settle here did so in the caves, and later dug out caves in the limestone cliffs. The material that was excavated was then used to build houses, which is why they blend in so well with the environment.
We walk up several alleys, and come to an outcrop with a rock church, a cave dwelling, and a great panorama over the Sassi. The sun is still shining here, and we walk around the outcrop for splendid views over the valley below and the hill on the other side, which has many cave dwellings. We walk down to the church of Peter and Paul, which sits right on top of the cliffs. From here, we have a view of much of Sassi, the Gravina stream below, and the hill with cave dwellings on the other side. We meander through the streets again, and I look forward to the next day when we will really explore Matera after this first taste of the ancient city. We end up having drinks and tasty food, and I make sure to set my alarm early next morning. When I sneak out of our beautiful hotel, located in one of those ancient stone houses, I see that the sky is overcast. Not surprisingly, I am the only one in the streets, where the previous day there were many visitors around. I quickly walk up to the outcrop, but the views are dull. The higher part of the Sassi is even wrapped in clouds. Then, I see a small path of blue in the sky, and I decide to cross over to the hill on the other side.
Walking along the edge of the canyon, I reach some stairs that lead to the trail. To my surprise, the gate is closed. I cannot believe this, and see that it is actually quite easy to climb over it. I quickly make my way down to the Tibetan bridge, and follow the trail up the hill on the other side. When I reach the highest part, I find a good place to sit in front of one of the many cave dwellings. The reward comes soon: the clouds slowly lift, and the sun shines hesitantly on the stone houses of the Sassi. The bell tower of the cathedral is the proud crown on Matera. I don't know yet that this is the last sun I will see: the rest of the day is grey, and even sees rain. We explore the cave churches and their frescoes, visit several old houses and see how families and their cattle lived in the cramped, damp and (in winter) cold places, walk the stairs up and down the Sassi, see the underground cisterns where water was kept for the city, visit a museum, and enjoy walking the cobblestone streets. It is hard to believe that just a few decades ago, the Sassi were abandoned, if only for hygienic reasons. Nowadays, it is a photogenic and romantic town, attracting lots of visitors like a magnet.

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Matera (Italy)

Matera > Italy > Europe

[Visited: June 2023]

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