Our drive from Vieste to Alberobello and Matera led us through beautiful olive groves, some of which seemed to grow on impossibly-steep-to-harvest hillsides. This is the region of Italy known as Puglia, and is famous for the olives grown there and the excellent olive oil made from them.
Down the coast we went to the port city of Bari before turning inland, toward Alberobello and the Trulli Houses, our next stop.
Down the coast we went to the port city of Bari before turning inland, toward Alberobello and the Trulli Houses, our next stop.
Our Day 5 agenda, had another long drive, but broken up with comfort stops along the way, and the opportunity to nod off if desired. Most of us were content to watch the scenery flow by and listen to Caterina and her explanation of what we were seeing. She did give us plenty of quiet time to reflect on the trip so far, and to look forward to the upcoming visits to Alberobello and Matera.
Trulli houses date from the 18th century and were built of hard limestone walls topped with a conical roof. Seeing them reminded me of Tolkien's hobbit houses, very small, with but a door and roof vent.
We said "Arriverderci Alberobello" and were off to our next stop, Matera, in the Basilicata region, where we would spend two days exploring the ruins of ancient cave dwellings. "Andiamo", "Let's go."
"Buona sera, Matera." Good evening, Matera.
We arrived in the early evening and stopped at an overlook across the Gravina River from Matera, where we had our first view of the ancient cave complex where thousands of people lived in very primitive conditions until the mid-twentieth century. This was the home of the Sassi , or cave dwelling people who settled above the river many thousands of years ago. Many of the caves are still inhabited. In fact, we stayed in a room which may have been occupied four thousand years ago.
The area around Matera is largely undeveloped and as result has proven to be a great movie setting for a variety of major motion pictures.
Matera was named the European Cultural Capital of 2019, a distinguished honor, which allowed the infusion of funds for the improvement of the local infrastructure.
We arrived in the early evening and stopped at an overlook across the Gravina River from Matera, where we had our first view of the ancient cave complex where thousands of people lived in very primitive conditions until the mid-twentieth century. This was the home of the Sassi , or cave dwelling people who settled above the river many thousands of years ago. Many of the caves are still inhabited. In fact, we stayed in a room which may have been occupied four thousand years ago.
The area around Matera is largely undeveloped and as result has proven to be a great movie setting for a variety of major motion pictures.
Matera was named the European Cultural Capital of 2019, a distinguished honor, which allowed the infusion of funds for the improvement of the local infrastructure.
After another fine breakfast at our hotel, Locanda di San Martino, we met our local guide who provided us the historical background and local color of Matera. We walked the town listening to our guide's dialogue, all the while imagining the hard scrabble lives of those who lived there. An ancient church was one of our stops, on top of which was the cemetery, with the graves hewn out of stone. A visit to a cave home enabled us to see how more recent residents lived. Family animals and people all lived in the same small enclosure, with every available space on wall and floor used in some efficient way. So we wouldn't get lost in the labyrinthine maze of cobbled streets, Caterina provided us with a handy map of the ancient part of town. |
After a very educational time in Matera it was time to say "Arrivederci Matera" and "Andiamo" for the continuation of our loop of the "Best of South Italy." We were on our way to Paestum and Positano.