Firstly the internet lasted all of a few hours and has now gone again. So, I write this and if it gets to you you know it has popped back for a second or two. So frustrating but what can you do?
Yesterday afternoon when finally I’d had enough of sorting out internet problems I set out on a walk through the Sassi. This turned out to be quite a big walk through the lovely winding, step-filled streets of the town. The cave houses are all around, some derelict and closed up, others renovated shops and homes. I walked along the ravine to see all the ancient cave dwellings perched above the river along this massive gorge. I went into some cave churches, filled with frescoes in varying states of repair. As I walked I was struck by how much it reminded me of Cappadocia in Turkey with its cave churches and dwellings and the frescoes that are so similar. This is, I think, even more enchanting. It does look like a giant film location and indeed it has been. Mel Gibson is a bit of a legend here after filming The Passion…I don’t think they’ve caught onto what an arsehole he is.
Finally, in a pool of sweat I climbed out of the Sassi into the lovely Piazza on the high ground. I staggered to a very trendy bar, plopped into a seat right on the Piazza and ordered a Spritz…what else is a girl to do I ask myself!!!! It was getting late given the change of routine to exiting the apartment early am and late afternoon…it was already heading for 8pm. So I found a very modest restaurant, had a modest pasta, copious wine and a limoncello, then headed home to bed. Cold shower and going to bed wet is the only way to go.
This morning I had a coffee (haven’t found the perfect bar yet). Yesterday when I went to one of the cave churches I bought a ticket for three churches thereby saving myself money. So this morning I returned to the Sassi to go to the second one which perches high on a rock and entails a bit of a hike up. But again these ancient frescoes inside a church carved into the rock…very lovely and evocative. I also went to see the elaborate system of underground water collection that kept Matera going. It is quite extraordinary. You climb down into these massive caverns that once stored the towns water. One well that the town used to pull their water from. There were open sewers down the main street then and when the cisterns flooded it cleaned out the sewer. The conditions the people of Matera used to live in are mind blowing really.
By then it was pool of sweat time again so up I climbed, found another bar for an orange juice and a coffee, tried to phone you guys with varying success as you know. Then came home for the afternoon hibernation. Soon I will go out again. I will get a gelato somewhere and will visit the third church on my ticket before it runs out.
This is an amazing, fascinating city and I’m back into full tourist mode. Not too many tourists around, it’s too hot!! I am taking it easy given I have 10 days to explore the smallish town and because that’s all you can do in this heat.