Il Vicinato Matera

... to come walking out of one of the dwellings.<br><br>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. <br><br>We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Matera because of its &#8220;other worldly&#8221; setting and feeling. It was a long drive to get there but very much worth the effort.

... are built into the rock face, often with just discernible faded frescoes painted onto the walls. There really is a biblical aspect to the landscape, and it comes as no surprise that the town was used as the setting for Mel Gibson&#8217;s &#8216;The Passion of the Christ&#8217;. &#8216;Simply Perfect&#8217;, he is reported to have said when first seeing Matera, and it isn&#8217;t hard to see why.

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.<br><br>Pete was also called Pietro while in Italy. :-)<br><br>Trullo comes from the Greek word, "tholos" &#8211; meaning &#8220;dome&#8221;. See the pictures of the wee houses.<br><br>We found the Belvedere pub here too - also the name of our local in Aus &#8211; meaning &#8220;beautiful view&#8221;. It was beautiful.

This place is crazy. Totally a fitting welcome to this fun country. We show up in the morning from our overnight ferry. There's total confusion as to whether the pedestrians are to get out with the cars or somewhere else. Bikes, we assume go with the cars. Of course that is until someone decided to tell us differently. Everyone waits in the boat for 15 minutes having no idea what's going on. When the doors finally open, the cars don't know ...

... may<br>have forgotten some bits!)<br><br>Matera has got to be one of the most fascinating places in the whole of Italy (we know, a big call). Over hundreds of years, dwellings have been cut into the rock - houses, churches, public buildings etc cut straight into steep valleys, and the result is just stunning. A well protected UNESCO World Heritage Site, the place looks just like it would have done centuries ago ...

... nearly 50 people most of whom I don't remember because it was only a fleeting hello. Gianluca and Manuela know pretty much everyone in Matera!! But fortunately I did get to meet some of their very close friends and every single night we went out for dinner and drinks with them. There was not a single night (of the four I was there) that we got home before 2pm! However besides meeting the locals and practising my Italian I also took some time ...

... 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.

... were very paciante and understanding. The hotel I stayed in was a one star hotel. For 15 E I got a small, fifties style room with a little closet and a table. The hotel and Bar, below it, were run by a family - brother, sister and two parents (and one bossy mother!). The next day I continued towards Matera. I arrived in Matera at about 13:30, after having my tuna sandwich in the outskirts, surrounded by meadows, sheep and cows.

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.

Ciao, The ferry service from Sicily to the mainland runs frequently. After a quick ride (about 15 minutes) we were on terra firma again and on our way to our next stop, Matera. We broke the long drive with a lunch stop at a beachside town lined with palm trees. We made good time and arrived at our lovely apartment in the old (by Australian and not Matera standards!) part of town. It was ...