A bit of background to Matera - it is billed as the 3rd oldest continuously occupied city in the world (after Aleppo and Jericho), and the oldest in Europe. There is evidence of human occupation dating back 10,000 years. Here is a link to find out more of the history of Matera : https://www.materawelcome.it/en/perche-matera/un-po-di-storia/
Our apartment was a 10 minute walk to the Sassi, and the very first view of it was a jaw dropping moment. (photo at top of post). We wandered around the old town, completing a full circuit, visiting underground dwellings, cisterns, silos and a museum highlighting the various trades and lives of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that were in operation in Matera. There are so many viewing points around the Sassi that give different aspects and views over the city and the adjoining valleys.
So far, we were very impressed with this deligthful town. Even the walk to the old town was through streets that were neat and tidy and clear of rubbish, unlike the other cities and towns we have been visiting.
Second day in Matera and we woke to a grey, gloomy sky and looked as though it had rained during the night. It was one of the cooler nights we have had since being away, and had to pull up a duna onto our bed overnight. This morning we both had a fleece layer on as we ventured out for our further explorations of Matera.
First stop this morning was of course coffee, but even before that we called into Panificio Paoluccio behind the yellow gates, famous for their traditional focaccia, topped with a simple tomato sauce ... yum ! In fact they were so good, we went back and purchased two more slices to take with us for lunch ! You could get different flavoured toppings, but we were glad we tried the traditional !
Next stop was Chiesa del Purgatorio - the Church of Purgatory where you can go to pray for the souls trapped in purgatory. Thankful we got in and out without issue - being as we are not really church going folk ! The church is decorated with skulls and crossbones and skeletons.
We had almost completed our tour of the Sassi town, and last stop was to find the Casa Noha, where a 30 minute video of the history of Madera was screened. This had been recommended by a number of web sites and tour guides as being a must see documentary. It lived up to its hype, and gives a great overview of the history of Madera through the ages, including a darker side of the story where Madera became an embarassment to Italy due to the poverty and living conditions of its inhabitants. This was focussed on soon after WWII and residents were moved out of the quarters deemed unfit for occupation.
A lunch stop with the focaccia, and then we set off on the hike down the ravine, over the swing bridge and up a 400 metre ascent to view some of the original rock caves and churches on the other side of the ravine. The day was warming up, but there was a quite strong breeze that kept us reasonably cool for the climb. A 3 hour return hike into the Murgia Materna Park adjoining Matera.
We got back to the apartment and showered, had some dinner, and then returned to the town to view the Sassi at night. A worthwhile trip, because it was beautiful, but also there was a chocolate festival show on in the main square, so we took the opportunity to sample some cranberry laden dark chocolate and white chocolate, and also a traditional cannoli ... yum.
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