Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Hello everyone, we are in the airport in Bari
We are headed for Matera. We had to wake up really early this morning at around 4.30 a.m.
to be able to arrive in Bari in the first hours of the morning
and I wanted to take you with me in this short business turistic trip to discover Matera
As we have the hotel outside Matera, we took the pullman
to reach the Sassi, the historical center of Matera, to find a place to have lunch.
I'll take you with me obviously ;)
We are on one of the panoramic terraces of Matera
you can see behind me "Sassi", the historical center of Matera
Should you not know it, it is one of the most ancient cities: it has been settled since the Palaeolithic
& UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Matera was declared European Capital of Culture for 2019
What have we ordered?
Lots of goodies:
It's a vegetarian dish with organic pumpkin balls, focaccia bread
Local bell peppers that are supposed to be eaten using directly your hands because they are crispy
cardoon mouse...I'll let you know :)
uhmm..interesting...it tastes like bell pepper...fried bell pepper :))
"Rozalia, how was the lunch?"
"La gatta buia - The blind cat"- the osteria with the funny name
The starters were tasty although a bit fried, I loved I could choose from various vegetarian dishes
The risotto, pumpkin & a local mushroom that they say it grows on rocks around here..
Tasty..really good!
Unfortunately our trip is a hit-and-run
1 day dedicated to work, 1 day dedicated to visit Matera which is really not enough
because the city is wonderful
a mix of ancient cave dwellings, rupestrian churches & baroque buildings
We are now in the main Plazza, named Vittorio Veneto
which also has a breathtaking view on Sassi, the ancient cave dwellings of Matera.
Until the late 1980s this was considered an area of poverty,
Animals were part of the family as they helped the families to survive and all lived together under the same roof
which lead to extreme survival conditions for the inhabitants, without electricity, running water or sewage.
In the 1950s, the government of Italy forcefully relocated most of the population of the Sassi to areas of the developing modern city.
After the restoration process, the historical dwellings were inhabited again by engineers, geometers and other people that contributed to the restoration process.
What I most find affascinating about Matera is its structure:
Buildings climb up and down the hillside, houses piled on top of each other,
the roofs of some acting as streets for those above. Amazing!
This is Tufo rock and the waters cut for thousands of years to get to see today this beautiful complex of 36 hectars of cave dwellings.
Sasso Caveoso in the South & Sasso Barisano in the North
It feels as if we travelled back in time, it's breathtaking..wow!
Shall we go & see a cava dwelling? Follow me..
It's incredible to think that people & animals used to live in here, all together.
I hoped I could see a beautiful sunset: thank you!!!
As soon as I saw on the turistic guide this church, the Purgatorium Church
I decided I absolutely had to visit it
It has its whole facade dedicated to the death theme...
lots of details with skulls & scheletons
It's amazingly beautiful!
wow...look at that sky!
breathtaking!
Thank you!!! Thank you Matera for this wonderful gift!
Break time! Hot chocolate dairy free!
It's a magic city..ehh..
"Rozalia, what do you feel about Matera?"
Difficult question..we've been here for such a short time
we could only visit it superficially
but it was enough in order to understand why it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
why it will the European Capital of Culture for 2019
I leave the city with mixed feelings of wonder & astonishment
It is incredible to think that there are still people living in these ancient cave dwellings..it leaves you at a loss for words.
Especially nowadays when the globalization has reached every single part of the world
it is really amazing!