SUNDAY, JUNE 16
We stayed inside until near 4:00pm waiting for the temperature to drop to a low 34C. Still yikes, but better!
Back in the Sassi, we walked the entire length and breadth by following the edge of the ravine and then climbing back up the cliffs and stairs. The cliffs fall into a deep canyon where the Gravina, a large river, flows 80 meters below. It was impossible to cross to the other side unless you drove many miles to a bridge. But we could see people exploring the Paleolithic and Neolithic caves carved in stone on the other side.
Matera is a tribute to human ingenuity, taken from a dark place to a living medieval village of fine restaurants, boutique shops, small hotels, and homes. It is a city that has been kept alive and recreated for centuries. Thousands of years of people crowd the memory of these caves and homes, a testament to human perseverance.
Our day ended with dinner inside a cave restaurant. We had visited a number of caves, peeked in others, wandered into converted homes during the day, but never stopped or sat inside. This cave had stairs leading down many levels and deep into the earth. Though painted white, it was dark and only slightly cooler inside than outside. A dank and musty odor permeated the air. It was a bit claustrophobic.
The food was excellent. I had a fresh pasta with pistachios in a creamy local cheese that tasted like a gorgonzola. Chloe had a local speciality, orecchiette with turnip greens.
On the way back through the Sassi, a crowd had gathered for an outdoor concert by a cliff’s edge. A church, lit by a full moon and stage-like lights on the stony ground, glowed atop the rugged hill. It felt like we were moving through a fairy tale stage set, mysterious, magical, surreal, pulsing with the movement of music goers and ghosts who danced beside them.
I told Chloe that after Athens we wouldn’t see anything as ancient, or as powerful as the Acropolis and the Temple of Poseidon. I was wrong. We came to Matera.
