Residence Del Casalnuovo 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.

... in a humid cave which so recently housed entire families, and gazing across the ravine to opposite cliffs where shepherds sheltered for millennia, we got a sense of how hard life was here for so many. Stepping through the courtyards, ancient wine cellars and narrow streets, however, you do also get a strong sense of the communities which survived and flourished against the odds.

Tiny ...

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.

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
have forgotten some bits!)

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 ...

... perched on a rock hill. He explained to me in more detail how the church was set out, and how it was used - and I actually understood most of what he said! Fantastic my Italian is improving! I also managed to have a (basic) conversation in Italian with the guy at the tourism centre who gave me some more information about the area and where to go. On the second last day one of Gianluca and Manuela's friends Uccio was kind enough to be my ...

... 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.

... areas that had that old Testament charm. What's really shocking, is that people were living in the least luxurious of the Sassi well into the 1950's at which time they were finally relocated to modern homes. A Church: St. Maria de Idris Shilo's thoughts- Also cold and wet, the rock church had fragments of Byzintine paintings remaining, small windows and lots of wooden crosses on the floor. Most impressive to me was the cliff outside with stone crypts remaining ...