Matera, the city of caves.
Not located in Puglia but just outside it in the province of Basilicata. The Puglia administration would very much like it to be part of their region. But that is a political matter.
Matera is famous for its so-called Sassi or cave houses. Since 1993 it is named an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and rightly so.
The story goes that the rocks on the site where Matera now stands have served as shelters for monks who fled the Byzantine Empire since the eighth century. They started carving cave dwellings into the lime stone cliffs.
Some parts of the old town are reminiscent of an Escher drawing, where the streets continue onto the rooftops, a maze of alleys and stairways in which you can easily get lost.
We arrived in Matera from the south-west and immediately found ourselves in the new part of town. This means you don’t see the hillside of the old town, which is quite confusing. For a moment, I thought we were in the wrong place.
After parking the car, we walked towards Piazza Vitorio Veneto. When you walk under the three arches of Belvedere Luigi Guerricchio, the magic begins. A magnificent view of the old town unfolds before your eyes.
We continued on to Via San Biagio and descended into the labyrinth. The narrow and sometimes steep stairs are not always easy to walk on. Fortunately, we are still fit enough.
The whole Sassi neighbourhood feels somewhat like an open-air museum and film set. And that has not escaped the attention of film producers. On the square in front of the cathedral, they were setting everything up for a film shoot. We were lucky to be allowed in, because an hour later the doors would be locked and filming would start. It turns out that the city has been used as a film set many times before. Later that day, we were walking along Via Muro when we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by Roman soldiers. Another film set. It felt as if we had travelled back in time. This time, it wasn’t Mel Gibson filming, but Dallas Jenkins for the television series ‘The Chosen’.
Ten years ago, we experienced exactly the same thing when we were on a film set in Salamanca.
Later in the afternoon, we crossed the canyon to Parco della Murgia Materana, where, after a brisk walk, we enjoyed the evening sun and a panoramic view of Matera from Belvedere Murgia Timone. It was wonderfully peaceful, with only the sound of birds singing and a gentle breeze. A day well spent!
