Hilton Garden Inn Matera

... to come walking out of one of the dwellings.

We found a couple of very good restaurants (Nadi and il Cantuccio) and also explored the new town area which was surprisingly lively with numerous local families and residents walking on the streets at night in an almost carnival style atmosphere.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Matera because of its “other worldly” setting and feeling. It was a long drive to get there but very much worth the effort.

... well preserved, and the Sassi ('stones') districts are now undergoing stylish renovations and are now host to bars, restaurants, and chic boutique hotels.

Our hotel, the 5* Palazzo Gattini, was stunning, and combined old world luxury with every modern comfort. The view from the terrace and the balconies to the ancient caves was magical and entrancing. Wandering through the Sassi ...

This is where Pietro, an old Italian guy, jumped into Bruce and navigated us to the trulli. He saved us from a traffic jam in the narrow streets of Puglia.

Pete was also called Pietro while in Italy. :-)

Trullo comes from the Greek word, "tholos" – meaning “dome”. See the pictures of the wee houses.

We found the Belvedere pub here too - also the name of our local in Aus – meaning “beautiful view”. It was beautiful.

... train station in the country and they could give you any information about any train in the country. We showed up to a small town train station and they had to call 2 different numbers to find out what the price was for the train and also to find out that in fact bikes are not allowed on the smaller regional trains. We would have to bike the desert and mountains in order to arrive in Potenza a train from which we could take a State train.

(Note : All entries from now until Perth in November are way
shorter than they should be, as all out text got stolen, together with
our laptop, all our valuables, and almost our whole campervan, when it
was broken into and trashed in Rome at the end of October. Have a look
at that entry if you want to have a look at the damage the *******s
did. The next month or so´s text is written 6 months later, so we ...

... relaxing afternoon in the country away from the hustle and bustle of the cities. One of the days I went for a walk through the streets of the old Sassi region - The Sassi district consists of all the old cave dwellings where the people lived and the streets are narrow and wind their way up and down a hill. There were cats everywhere lazing about, as usual! I also have relatives living in Matera Gianluca's parents and his grandmother ...

... hostel was situated right in the middle of this old section of the town, so that I was able to dine, work and nap surrounded by this tranquil, yet lively village. I am continuing towards Bari tomorrow and then to Greece. I am excited to head back out on the road in an unfamiliar territory but in the same time I am already feeling a little sad to leave. All in all, I have had a wonderful time here in Italy; I am sure I will be back sooner than later.

... hauled the bike up to the closest auto-washer and gave my bike a good rinse. We then returned to the shop were his son gave the bike a careful oiling (after I cleared the left-over smudges with some paper towel the shop-keeper provided me with). At the end of the process the owner wished me good luck and refused to take any money, "you can buy me a coffee tomorrow morning!" he said. The next encounter I had was in the local ...

Short ride yet breathtaking. Via Appia is magnificent! An ancient roman road which is situated comfortably on the mountains above the highway is also amerced in natural forest and meadows, dotted here and there by small town houses, grazing sheep, pigs or hens. There is barely any traffic on the road - definite a bikers heaven. The mountain peaks reach a hight of more than 1000 m.

... the would-be councillor invites us all to a bar for a gelato and a drink, and we share a lemon gelato and drink a beautifully smooth local grappa made from Greco di Tufo grapes (to aid our digestion).
I consider the difference between cultures - can you imagine a candidate for local council elections in Australia inviting friends and potential voters to a rustic restaurant and plying them with food and wine until they can hardly move? I guess you can consider it as ...