We left Crotone and our lovely seaside B&B – Almare – for the four plus hour drive to Matera.
We had the first clouds and rain on the drive, but nevertheless, the scenery was lovely with the Mediterranean to our right, Sila mountains to our left and miles and miles of vineyards, olive groves and citrus plantations.
Arriving in Matera was a jaw-dropping experience! We encountered this stunning view!
We ended up driving the winding streets of the old city looking for our hotel. We found it, but had to follow our host to a car park in new Matera, drop the car, and ride with him back to the hotel.
The hotel, Basiliani, is located in “Sasso caveoso” – more on that later. Our room is a cave!! It is amazing.
Matera is the city of the Sassi, the stones of Matera, a unique area that holds evidence of human settlements from the Palaeolithic to the present day. A history spanning thousands of years. the ancient settlement was built into the volcanic tuff rock lining the Gravina valley. Its winding alleyways, maze of caves, gardens, terraces and tunnels make it a unique architectural complex. The Sassi di Matera literally mean ‘stones of Matera‘ and are actually two districts in the city bearing that name: the ‘Sasso Caveoso’ and ‘Sasso Barisano’.
The city is ancient and is the third oldest city in the world, after Aleppo and Jericho, with over 10,000 years of history. The rock caves, the rocky Murgia of Matera and some primitive dwellings of the Sassi tell of ancient settlements.
Two cave churches we that we visited.
The Sasso Caveoso where our hotel was located
The Sasso Barisano
Duomo and Piazza Duomo
The Mergia National Park is characterized by a soft rock called “tuff” (the correct name is limestone), which has played an essential role in the shapes taken on by the landscape. The construction technique was that described as “architecture in negative” i.e. not actually building, but removing matter from the rock (by digging), in order to actually obtain architectural structures. That is why the Parco della Murgia presents Palaeolithic caves, and villages dating back to the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages (villages of Murgecchia, Murgia Timone and Trasanello): all pre-historic sites that tell us about human presence mostly made up by shepherds and herdsmen. There are also farms, sometimes fortified, the characteristic sheep enclosures called “jazzi”, cisterns, water troughs and wells.
Cisterns:
Water is a primary element, essential for life and for the survival of humankind. Ever since the most remote times people have taken advantage of prehistoric natural caves which had water, waterways and lakes and provided the necessary supply of water for survival. The clay-rich hilly landscape surrounding the Sassi are studded with numerous spring-fed wells providing drinking water. These wells are faced in ashlar and have openings to allow the water to flow in and out.
Matera was built such that it is hidden, but 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 Palombaro Lungo, the largest cistern in Matera, is underground, like other cisterns in town, it collected rain-water.
It is 15 meters deep and can contain 5 million cubic metres of water. It is called “a cathedral of water”.
Night shots
https://www.materawelcome.it/en/perche-matera/matera-e-lacqua/
From https://whc.unesco.org/:
Located in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera comprises a complex of houses, churches, monasteries and hermitages built into the natural caves of the Murgia. Covering an area of 1,016 ha this remarkable and intact troglodyte settlement contains more than a thousand dwellings and a large number of shops and workshops. The property was first occupied during the Palaeolithic period and shows evidence of continuous human occupation through several millennia until the present day, and is harmoniously integrated into the natural terrain and ecosystem.
The site is composed of the ancient districts of the city of Matera and of the Park of the Rupestrian Churches which stretch over the Murgia, a calcareous highland plateau characterized by deep fault fissures, ravines, rocks and caves.