Matera

Matera is an amazing town in the Basilicata province, down near the 'arch' of the boot. Even though it's the second biggest town in the province, Matera's a royal bitch to reach by train, and the whole province is pretty darn poor and off the tourist track. Parts of Mel Gibson's Passion were filmed here though, and in about 3-5 years the tourist industry in this town is going to explode.

The historic portions of the town are along the edges and down the sides of a very steep and deep ravine (there's actually two, making sort of a Y-shaped thing). The hillsides are so full of shallow caves and larger cave networks, a map would probably look like the close-up of a sea spongue. People have been living in these cave neighborhoods (sassi) since the paleolithic, carving and expanding and adding house-like facades and chimneys. The area also attracted monks starting in the 9th and 10th centuries who built monasteries and churches into the caves--think India's Ajanta crossed with Turkey's Cappadocia. Now when you look out across the sassi from the upper edges of the landform (where the more modern town is), it's like looking down into stacks and stacks of light white and yellow houses and TV atennas and lights and stray cats. You can't see paths or streets anywhere from up above, just a few stairs that lead from one roof/patio to another. It's like some Escher sketch brought to life and I swear physics don't work in the sassi. We didn't have a map when we first arrived and everyone who gave us directions sent us the very long way around--following the top of the ridge--because they knew if we went into the sassi we'd never find our way out again. Even with a map it felt so much like the maps of Venice. Two colors, one for streets and one for caves and tunnels (like Venice's streets and canals). This town defies everything the American (or Roman) brain considers 'town' but clearly people have decided this is a Good Place and haven't left for over 10,000 years.

It is also home to the world's most amazing bread. Harder than the Grinch's heart on the outside, but soft and spongey like potato bread on the inside. They had it at every restaurant and every store. It was our complimentary breakfast every morning. Manna! True manna! That crust could withstand a nuclear attack but was oh so very tasty. I shall have to learn to bake it if I can.

Three little kittens sleeping on a roof. Or is it a patio?


Decor over the door of the Chiesa de Purgatorio. The archaeologist's church. Actually, it was perfectly normal and barroque on the inside, whereas the 12th c. church that looked all normal on the outside was extra dark (damn caves) inside and filled with capitals carved like demons and shifty shadows.


Mom, outside one of the rupestral churches.




The other side of the ravine had been just as heavily occupied as this one, in it's day, but now is an archaeological park. I was sorely tempted to hike over there! This is part of the view from the patio/balcony of the hostel room.




Room in the converted monastery where we stayed.


All the tuff--the whole town is built from this stuff--is riddled with fossils eroding out.


The doors of the Chiesa de Purgatorio