matera

What can I say about Matera that will begin to describe the wonder of this place? It is one of the most interesting places I have visited in my life. I will do my best to convey some of the magic this place holds for me.

When you first arrive, it seems like any other Italian city, a mix of new and old, lots of gelato, trinket vendors and street musicians. But it is so much more. I was really unprepared for what I would discover.

It has the distinction of being one of the longest continuously inhabited human settlements in the world. Its history dates back to the paleolithic period. There are still caves that were inhabited millennia ago and subterranean Roman ruins. Then there are the Sassi, ravines leading down to the river where the original settlement was established.

The Sassi are filled every imaginal type of structure. Some dug right into the rock, some built around the rock and some freestanding. When you are in them, it is so easy to imagine that you have traveled back through time. So much so that many films use the location to depict ancient cities. The latest of which was Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of Christ”.

These areas have not been without their difficulties. They had been allowed to deteriorate into squalid slums, where some people had squatted without any access to utilities or sanitation. Finally it was realized that something had to be done and in the 50’s the government stepped in to clean things up. Now it is a place with restaurants, hotels and B&Bs: all nestled into these ancient structures.

We took our first trip with our same group of friends (sans the two teenagers) with whom we went to Alberobello. Holly and I liked it so well that we took train there to see more. We have barely scratched the surface of what is to be seen among the layers of human history to be found there and will probably go back so we can stay for a day or two.

When we arrived, we strolled around the city, saw the entrance to the subterranean roman ruins and then one of the many overlooks to the first of the Sassi. It was breathtaking. As we descended into this ancient tangle of streets and buildings, it finally dawned on me how special of a place this is. We came back up for a wonderful lunch and like many meals in Italy, it was not fast food. When we came out of the restaurant it was getting late and in December that means that it will get dark soon. Our Italian friends started hurrying us along so we could see the rest of the city. The first Sassi had been remarkable in its antiquity and charm and so I was surprised when Maurizio said we needed to hurry as we wanted to see the “old” part of the city before nightfall. Are you kidding me? Well, he wasn’t. We descended from the plaza outside of the 11th century cathedral (was that a humble brag?) into the next warren of streets, buildings and caves. We finally arrived at another plaza that overlooked the river along whose banks the original inhabitants settled, but we had no time to descend to it or ascend to the caves we could see on the other side. Some of the caves are natural and were inhabited in the Paleolithic era and some were dug of the rock by early Christians and others as the centuries have passed.

On our return rip, Holly and I did have time to descend to the river, but did not have the time to explore the other side. That will need to wait for another time.

The cast of characters.