We left Masseria San Paulo Grande after breakfast, after a wonderful visit! Cosimo gave us good directions to Matera and off we drove. Papa and I stopped at Tavole Palatine, with its 15 surviving columns (of 30+) and home to mathematician and philosopher, Pythagoras in the 6th century BC. It was later transformed into the Temple of Hera. We were the only visitors this morning.
We drove on to Matera, where we checked into our hotel, Fra i Sassi. We parked the car several blocks away, had lunch, and walked down the hill into the sassi (district). What a sight to see! Matera’s sassi are rock-hewn dwellings piled chaotically atop one another, strewn across the sides of a steep ravine. They date from Paleolithic times, when they were cave homes. There is evidence that people were living in Matera as early as 7000 BC. Matera is the only place in the world where people can boast to be still living in the same houses as their ancestors of 9000 years ago. Matera was awarded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO in 1993. This year, 2019, Matera was named the Cultural Capital of Europe.
We visited the Duomo, built in the 13th century, along with several other churches, including some carved from natural stone walls and with brightly colored frescoes. We walked about the city for several hours, up and down lots of steps, and enjoyed a dress rehearsal concert in front of Chiesa de San Francesco d’Assisi. What a day!
We visited the Duomo, built in the 13th century, along with several other churches, including some carved from natural stone walls and with brightly colored frescoes. We walked about the city for several hours, up and down lots of steps, and enjoyed a dress rehearsal concert in front of Chiesa de San Francesco d’Assisi. What a day!
