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| Matera & I Sassi |
| Next ~ Jonia Sea |
| While I was researching grandpa Antonio's hometown of Scigliano and the province of Cosenza I came across other areas of southern Italy. One website brought me to another and I found "Matera." Matera is located in the regione of Basilicata. It is a regione of Italy that has just a very small shoreline situated on the Mediterranean sea... and the bulk of the regione is expansive in central Italy going to the east. Basilicata is generally considered a poor area of Italy, however, I became all to aware how rich with history it really is. I was bound and determined to visit Matera, and routed our trip so that when we left Scigliano, we would travel north through the Silo mountains, out of Calabria and into Basilicata along the eastern side of the regione to experience Matera. Matera is in the southern region of the Regione Basilicata. Simply stated ~ I am in awe of this area. It appears that there is Ancient Matera, Old Matera/Sassi di Matera, and New Matera. The drive was arduous and my anticipation was great. Quite frankly, I have never seen anything like Matera and wonder if I will ever again see such a sight. The emotions that I experienced were intense as I stood on a road in Sassi di Matera and watched a woman break down to the ground crying ~ she stood at a lookout point on the edge of a cliff, viewing Ancient Matera. She traveled there by taxi and the man with her had a very difficult time getting her off the ground and into the vehicle. She clearly was experiencing emotional anguish... I thought perhaps her emotions were similar to my own - my heart ached and tears rolled as I stood in awe on the edge of a cliff, looking at the view of the ancient area of Matera... I wondered if perhaps she was seeing it for the first time and that just maybe her ancestors called these caves - home. This first inhabited zone (caves) dates back to the Palaeolithic era, while later settlements illustrate a number of significant stages in human history... |
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| The Caves of Matera - These were living quarters in Ancient Matera. It has only been in recent times that the many people have come out of the caves and moved into regular type housing. There are literally thousands of caves where people lived on dirt floors with their livestock. Viewing this first inhabited zone literally made me cry. I thought about both my maternal and paternal grandparents - and their ancestors... |
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| Pamela and I spent a good day in the Matera area looking over the cave zone and walking and driving through Old Matera... the "second" inhabited zone in the area. I read that Old Matera is the most outstanding intact example of a troglodyte settlement in the Mediterraean region, perfectly adapted to it's terrain and ecosystem. That the first inhabited zone (caves) dates from the Palaeolithic era, while later settlements illustrate a number of significant stages in human history. Information: Palaeolithic is the "Early Stone Age" era... c. 70,000 - 20,000 BC. Troglodyte means "cave dwellers" - therefore, a troglodyte settlement is simply a village inhabited by "cave dwellers." Old Matera is where the early inhabitants of zone one built zone two and occupied it. From the looks of "New" Matera, known as zone three - it appears to have been built during contemporary times. Below are some stunning photos of Old Matera ~ the Troglodyte settlement... While researching the area for our trip I learned that only within the last few years, the Itallian government awarded the Sassi area money to spruce it up to boost the "tourism" economy in the area. This area of Italy is not normally visited by the general tourist. I feel really blessed that I found it and we went. I think my grandparents wanted me to "see" Italy and it is through them that I was brought here... |
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| The Sassi - a "troglodyte" settlement is indeed an incredible site to behold... as the viewer can see, the roads are windy and more on the narrow side. They go up into the structure, and many are one way due to the width. Make no mistake, this is a huge dingy structure, but beautiful none the less. Left - I tried to capture Ancient Matera in the background to show the contrast. I would recommend to anyone traveling to Italy to take the time to find Matera on the map and make a day/night trip out of it. It is something you will never ever forget. I feel "richer" for having had this experience. |
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| Walking through the "shopping" areas of the Sassi. Many of the doors along this area are shops where one can purchase everything from fine art to trinkets. As you can see it was not a busy area and we didn't see many tourists anywhere. The New Matera (last photo on bottom of page) was hustling and bustling with business and locals, but down here it was not the case. Far RIght - A "protected" statue we passed on the road. I didn't understand it at the time but now I realize it is a statue of either a Troglodyte or a man from the Palaeolithic era. One of the remarkable things about this statue is that the groin area is anotomically correct and perfectly detailed. |
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| Left - New Matera built on top of the Palaeolithic Matera. This photo for me says it all... I'm standing in Old "troglodyte" Matera to capture this scene. It is SUCH a contrast to one another... I sharpened this photo some so the view could see the caves below New Matera... and everytime I see this and the rest of the photos we took of this historical and overwhelmingly beautiful area, I am amazed and awed...by it's commitment, beauty and rich culturalhistory... |
| More Information about ~ Matera and I Sassi |
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| Mel Gibson's new movie, "The Passion of The Christ" was partly shot in and around the regione of Basilicata in the town of Matera, Italy. |
| UNofficial Sites: |
| OFFICIAL WEBSITE ~~~~~~> |
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| ****************************** ATTENTION: |
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