Matera – a hidden gem

The next day I said a sad farewell to Amalfi as I took the ferry yet again – south this time, to Salerno, where I picked up my hire car and then drove south west inland towards my next destination, the city of Matera. This is an ancient settlement, probably first inhabited in distant prehistory as a series of cave dwellings carved into the soft limestone of the cliffs of a steep ravine. In the Middle Ages the city grew to fill the ravine’s western side, and then spilt over the top of the cliff onto the surrounding plane or “Piano”. Over time, richer people moved up to the Piano, whilst the lower areas of the city, known as the “Sassi”, became crowded and desperately poor. In the 1950s the Sassi were declared unfit for human habitation and the government forced its inhabitants to relocate to new housing in the Piano. In 1986 a new law allowed reoccupation of the Sassi, and a wealthy new middle class started to move in. The area has now become a thriving tourist and cultural centre.

The first highlight of my visit to Matera was my accommodation – a large “palazzo” on the very edge of the Piano, whose aristocratic owner lets out three of her rooms to tourists. My rooms were enormous and had a faded elegance that I found charming.

The palazzo also had a garden with views over the Sassi, and after admiring the view, I set off down a set of steep steps to visit them.

The Sassi are an extensive maze of old buildings and narrow passageways, and my exploration lasted a full day and a half, with occasional trips back to my rooms to rest during the hot afternoon sun.

The area includes bars, restaurants and souvenir shops – but not so many as to spoil the atmosphere – as well as many ancient churches, some of which are carved out of the rock. You can also visit places showing the history of the Sassi – for example caves where an entire family and their animals fitted into one small living space, with no running water.

I bought a ticket to visit a group of three rock churches managed by the local tourist board, and had great fun trying to find each church on the list.

Indeed, simply wandering around the Sassi and discovering secret courtyards, narrow alleyways, and new perspectives for photos was a wonderful experience and made Matera one of the highlights of my Italy trip so far. My exploration also took in the upper city or Piano, that includes the fine cathedral and many more beautiful churches.

The transformation of the Sassi slums is now so complete that the area hosts three Michelin-starred restaurants, one of which I tried on my first night.

Dinner on my second night was simpler – I bought a pizza and bottle of wine from a nearby shop and enjoyed watching the evening’s shadows grow and slowly swallow the Sassi below. I noticed small groups of people on the top of the other side of the ravine, and on checking my guidebook found that this was a national park with yet more churches carved into the rocks and belvederes offering fine views back over to Matera.

On my last morning in Matera I had breakfast in one of the elegant rooms of the palazzo….

….. before quickly making one last trip into the Sassi, and then further down to the base of the ravine where a suspension bridge led across the small river.

I then clambered up the other side of the ravine to get one last view of Matera. I had never heard of the city before starting the planning for this trip, but yet it was certainly one of the highlights. Let’s hope that it remains relatively unknown so that I can come back one day and enjoy wandering around its Sassi once again, without the crowds of more popular Italian tourist destinations.

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