Tom`s travels: Matera & Metaponto (14-15/08/2017)

My family and I decided to take the car and head east for a couple of days. We left Salerno and drove in the direction of Matera, a town located in the Basilicata region. After reaching the destination we headed to our Airbnb which we had rented for the night and left our luggage before heading into town to explore. As it was lunchtime we decided to eat something first at a place called Kapunto which had some really tasty dishes for fair prices. After a great lunch, we started the visit to the town by heading to the Piazza Vittorio Veneto. The city is a Unesco world heritage site, due to its old town consisting of two neighborhoods called Sassi, or rocks. This is due to the fact that the dwellings there were built inside the bare rock and served as home for many families for centuries. It was in the 1950s that the Italian government decided to relocate the inhabitant to more suitable and modern facilities in the surroundings as the dwellings were considered backward and a national shame. However, by now many of them have been requalified and attract thousands of tourists a year. We were able to admire such intricate constructions from the aforementioned square which gave a panoramic view of the center. Walking further on we passed by and entered the Church of San Giovanni Battista, built during the 13th century in the Romanesque style. Then off to another panoramic viewpoint which provided yet another impressive perspective of the "Sassi". Right below that is the Church of San Pietro Barisano, and the largest of those built inside the rocks. After this church, we walked a little further along the pretty winding streets and reached the top of the main rock that divides the two Sassi neighborhoods in the eastern part of town. Here is located the impressive Romanesque church built during the 13th century. The interior features a Baroque addition with a few medieval frescoes still remaining. Then back down walking among the rocky streets reaching the church of San Pietro and Paolo. Nearby we then visited the church of Santa Lucia alle Malve, probably the best among the rock churches as it still contains some interesting medieval frescoes in a really good condition. After exiting the church we walked uphill reaching another great viewpoint. We were now back between the Sassi and the modern town, where we proceeded to visit the two Baroque churches of San Francesco d'Assisi and Purgatorio. It was getting late and we were beginning to feel quite hungry so we decided to opt for a restaurant in the Sassi. We ended up in a place called Morgan which had a nice patio out on the street and good food too. After a tasty dinner and a nice night stroll, we headed back to our accommodation tired from the full visiting day. The next morning we woke up and after a breakfast in a nearby bar, left the accommodation and drove to the so-called Murge countryside, an area of karst rock typical of the region. We crossed the deep canyon running on the side of the city and came across a viewpoint which provided an incredible sight of the city of Matera. Here we enjoyed walking along the rocks dotted with caves once inhabited by farmers and their flocks and the random medieval church hidden from the view such as the one of Madonna delle Tre Porte with interesting religious frescoes. Once back in the car we decided to drive south and reach the Ionian Sea at the town of Metaponto. We decided to make a quick stop where the so-called Tavole Palatine, the remains of a Greek temple from the 6th century B.C., are located. Not far we then also visited the archeological site of Metapontum, the once flourish greek town of Magna Grecia, which now holds the remains of some temples and a theatre. After the visit, we finally reached the beached and chose a restaurant on the seaside to have lunch. While waiting for our food and after eating we enjoyed the rest of the day taking some nice swims in the crystal clear water and relaxing on the sand. Finally, it was time for us to go home and drive back to Salerno in time for dinner.