Matera, Italy

Matera is one of the most unique and unusual cities we have ever seen! One of the oldest cities in the world, Matera is famous for its sassi, which are stone houses carved out of caves and cliffs. The sassi are located on either side of a deep ravine and have been inhabited for centuries. Until the 1950s, hundreds of families were living crowded in the cave houses in unbearable conditions until they were forced out by law and moved to more modern buildings. The sassi remain a reminder of the past, with more cave houses being converted into restaurants, hotels, and comfortable houses. During our time there we were lucky to stay in one of the renovated cave hotels.

We spent our time wandering around the sassi districts, where narrow maze-like alleys lead every which way and the streets are sometimes rooftops of people's homes. It was amazing to see the historical, architectural, and natural heritage packed into the Sassi of Matera. While walking around we developed a feeling for this ancient city and discovered its structures, significance, and cultures.

Like many Italian cities, Matera boasts many churches and piazzas:

Matera Cathedral

A church near the main piazza.

Madonna di Idris

The Church of San Pietro Caveoso

Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario is a cave house that is filled with items to show how a typical cave house was set up and the conditions that the people lived in up until the 1950s. It was unbelievable how the people lived here: chickens were kept under the bed, a horse was kept in the corner, children slept wherever they could find a spot, and there was a manure area. During the audio description it was interesting to learn how they made do with these restricted living environments.

We also headed over to the Belvedere di Murgia Timone, which is on the opposite side of the 200 meter ravine. The best views of Matera can be seen from here as well as many churches cut into the rock.

A set of caves.

Matera from afar

Inside the cave church

The church

By the caves

Before visiting Matera we made sure to read about the history of this amazing city and we think it really helped to have a bit of historical background in order to make sense of the sights here. It is one of the most interesting and unique places we have ever seen!

Venerdi' scorso, siamo andati a Matera. Siamo stati in un albergo in una grotta sasso. La nostra stanza era molte grande e bella! Matera e' famosa per i sassi. E' anche dove il film "Passion of the Christ" e' stato girato. Matera e' una citta' antica e diversa. Alcune persone abitano nelle case di 9,000 anni fa! Abbiamo camminato molto intorno alla citta' e abbiamo visto molte chiese e grotte. Questa e' la citta' affascinante.

Sicily: Piazza Armerina, Modica, & Ragusa

Since we had some time on our hands in Sicily, we decided to drive to a few cities suggested by friends. First up was Piazza Armerina. This city is famous mainly for its Roman mosaics in the Villa Romana del Casale. This Roman villa was built in the first part of the 4th century and contains the richest, most complex collections of Roman mosaics in the world. The villa appeared to have several purposes, containing residential rooms, rooms for business, a basilica, a gym, and bathhouses, along with many rooms where the purpose is unknown.

The bathhouses

We were amazed at how intact these mosaics are, with many of them barely being disrupted from years of history. From afar they look like huge frescoes, or even gigantic rugs, but up close you can see every single small tile meticulously put into place in what I'm sure would have been a long and painstaking process. These images depict everyday life as well as stories, legends, and mythology.

Unfortunately, they had closed off quite a bit of the area for renovations so we were unable to see one of the most famous mosaics, also known as the "bikini girls", which shows girls in bikinis playing sports, weightlifting, and horsing around. Jon was disappointed.

We didn't go into the actual town, but we took some pictures of the Baroque Cathedral and the rest of the city.

A couple of days later we went to the towns of Modica and Ragusa. Both of these are very old cities (1,000 - 2,000 BC when they were founded). Modica has ancient medieval buildings climbing up either side of a deep gorge and is divided into Modica Alta (High Modica) and Modica Basso (Low Modica). Modica is known for their chocolate, which can be flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, mint, coffee, peppers, and orange. We stepped into a chocolate shop to sample some sweet crunchiness. Aside from having lunch at a panini shop (they actually have a sister shop in NY) we wandered the streets and absorbed the atmosphere of this city... which quickly shut down at 1pm.

When we arrived in Ragusa everything was closed since it was 2pm on a Sunday (when will we learn?) We drove through and around the city, which is split into Ragusa Ilba and Ragusa Superiore and enjoyed the architecture. The churches and palazzi seemed to line every route with the Duomo being the centerpiece of Ragusa Superiore. We were disappointed that we couldn't enjoy more of this city, but we're happy that we had the opportunity to see it!

Duomo di San Giovanni Battista

We're fortunate that we were able to come back to Sicily and visit these old cities. Each one is unique in their own way while still being able to preserve their old charm.

Questa e' la prima volta che scrivo sul blog senza l'aiuto del mio maestro. Quindi questo sara' non lungo. I mosaici a Piazza Armerina erano molte interesante! Erano belli e molto vecchi. Tutto di citta' che abbiamo visto erano vecchi con molti edifici. Abbiamo mangiato il pranzo nel Piazza Armerina e Modica. Il cibo era molto buono! Le melanzane e una specialita' in Sicilia e abbiamo mangiato tante melanzane. Qualche volte abbiamo ordinato pasta alla norma e pizza Siciliana. E naturalmente, abbiamo bevuto vino. Giusy, se leggi questo, ho scritto va bene? :)