It’s been great having 10 days with Colin Danielle and Max in Crotone but now it is time to head off for a bit of sight seeing in southern Italy for a week. First stop is about a 3 and a half hour drive to the town of Matera.
Matera is a city on a rocky outcrop in the region of Basilicata, in southern Italy. It includes the Sassi area, a complex of cave dwellings carved into the mountainside. Evacuated in 1952 due to poor living conditions, the Sassi now houses museums like the Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario, with period furniture and artisan tools. Nearby rock churches include St. Lucia alle Malve, with 13th-century frescoes. It truly is a unique place.
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Matera was built above a deep ravine called Gravina of Matera that divides the territory into two areas. Matera was built in such a way that it is hidden, but this made it difficult to provide a water supply to its inhabitants. Early dwellers invested tremendous energy in building cisterns and systems of water channels.
The largest cistern has been found under Piazza Vittorio Veneto. With its solid pillars carved from the rock and a vault height of more than fifteen meters, it is a veritable water cathedral, which is navigable by boat. Like other cisterns in the town, it collected rainwater that was filtered and flowed in a controlled way to the Sassi.
There was also a large number of little superficial canals (rasole) that fed pools and hanging gardens. Moreover, many bell-shaped cisterns in dug houses were filled up by seepage. Later, when population increased, many of these cisterns were turned into houses and other kind of water-harvesting systems were realized.
The town is built right next to a gorge, the Gravina of Matera which is pockmarked with caves that probably have sheltered people for eons.
We spent the day wondering around the old town the photo’s really don’t do it justice, this place is quite amazing. Any way as usual I will upload some more photos to the gallery shortly.
Next stop Alberobello to have a look at the bee hives (Trulli houses).