Matera
is a wonderful town and has been called the most fascinating
city in southern Italy. It is both beautiful and intriguing.
It is a town that UNESCO has proclaimed as a world heritage
site. The town is famous for its Sassi or caves from
the Paleolithic age (dating back to 1500 B.C.). The caves are
divided into the Sasso Caveoso and the Sasso Barisano.
At one time the people of Matera lived in the cave dwellings.
The town actually sits on the edge of a deep gorge and there
are caves on either side of the gorge. In the 1950s the people
living in the caves were forced to move out and find new homes.
The area was then and continues to be taken care of and preserved.
I enjoyed walking and climbing the hills and steps to see the
many different homes and churches (in the caves). Make sure
you walk the Strada dei Sassi. Around one corner
there’s a church, then an artist’s studio, a small
tourist shop, a little snack shop — the town truly is preserving
these caves (work goes on at all times). It is a sight like
none other - very unique. The churches were carved in to the
rocks and you can see frescoes on the walls of some of the cave
churches (Santa Maria Di Idris and Santa Lucia alle
Malve). Other churches to see are: Santa Maria della Palomba,
La Vaglia, The Madonna della Tre Porte and Santa Barbara. If
you go in the duomo at the top of town you can pass through
that church to get to the church within a church (Santa Maria
di Constantinopoli). Matera's other attractions include
the Church of St. Francesco d'Assisi and the nearby Grotta
dei Pipistrelli -- or "Cave of the Bats." Market day
in Matera is on Saturday.