Birken Italy Trip October, 2015: Day 17, Sunday, Matera

We are staying in the loveliest of hotels in Matera. It was once the home of a rich person of Matera that has since been converted to a 5 star hotel. It is like a castle, with vaulted ceilings in every room, winding corridors that twist and turn, and every amenity that you could ever want. I don't know why I've never heard of Matera, since it is one of the most unique places I've ever been. It is built into the side of a cliff and spans two sides of a canyon. One side of the canyon is wild and has a few caves remaining where people once lived; the other side holds the old city of Matera. The people lived here in cave-like homes carved into the limestone rock since Paleolithic time. It is the oldest, continuing city in the world. Once a wonder to behold, by the 1950's it had become "Italy's shame." Maleria, disease, poor sanitation, and overcrowding had turned these dwellings into something terrible, with animals and people sharing the same living space without any sewerage.

In 1952, the Gaspere Law forced the relocation of approximately 15,000 people living in the two Sassi (or cliff dwelling districts) of Matera to relocate to new government housing, leaving the cave-dwellings as empty shells. These were mostly poor people and farmers who could not take their animals or way of life with them. Slowly the dwellings are being fixed up and turned into charming hotels, cafes and homes - this time for the wealthy.

We begin the morning by taking a long walk up and down the hills of the old city side of the canyon. The views are spectacular and the photo opportunites are endless. We walked (I should really say climbed) in the morning for about 2 hours going slowly and stopping often to shoot pictures. Amazingly, I had no trouble doing it, but I will have sore knees later today. Here are some of my shots.

Marcia, Eric, Victor, Joyce, Sheila, & Peter

Sea shells in the limestone

This afternoon we walk on the other side of the canyon (the wild side). We climb slowly up the hill until we reach the top of the cliff and capture the view as the sun is setting. Here are pictures from the wild side of the canyon looking back at the old city.