Matera (Days 5 & 6)
Leaving Matera fairly early, we headed to the adorable town of Alberobello, with the stone Trulli homes that look like something out of a fairytale…really. This was also our wine, cheese and snack presentation at one of the local shops. A good time was had by all enjoying nibbles of this and that all washed down with samples of red, or white local wine.
Back on the road from our strolling time, the coach drove to Matera….which has to be seen in person to be believed. It was a WOW stop for sure. The cave homes here were still occupied until the early 1950s and now many of them are remodeled and being used again. Matera is one of the oldest inhabited settlements in the world, likely since 251 BC. We shared another wonderful dinner together as a group today.
We had a fabulous stair tour, I mean walking tour of Matera today. A few highlights were the Sasso homes that have been recreated so you could get an idea of what life was like, and going into some rock churches and still being able to see the frescos on the walls. We also had time for wandering as we were finished with the tour guide about 1 pm so had a quick bit “up top” before taking the stairs back down in the ravine. We ate dinner at an Osteria very near our hotel and of course ran into some tour mates.
Matera was captivating, breathtaking and awesome in the original sense of the word. The cave hotel was amazing which was perfect in a city of such wonder.
Matera was captivating, breathtaking and awesome in the original sense of the word. The cave hotel was amazing which was perfect in a city of such wonder.
Savvy Traveler Tip: pack only what you need. At this point we had added olive oil and some other goodies and our bags were getting bigger and heavier.