If your holiday to Italy takes you anywhere near to the southern region of Basilicata, it’s highly recommended that you spend at least a day exploring the mysterious ancient city of Matera.
Underneath the mountainous modern city, tourists will discover a labyrinth of ancient caves carved into the volcanic rock of the narrow valley below, dating from Neolithic and Palaeolithic times.
Why not enjoy a stay at a stunning holiday rental in the Apulia region, bordering Basilicata and embark on a thrilling day trip here?
Underneath the mountainous modern city, tourists will discover a labyrinth of ancient caves carved into the volcanic rock of the narrow valley below, dating from Neolithic and Palaeolithic times.
Why not enjoy a stay at a stunning holiday rental in the Apulia region, bordering Basilicata and embark on a thrilling day trip here?
A stunning example of Rupestrian architecture can be admired throughout the area, which followed the same spontaneous architectural methods as the caves around them. Tourists should make it a point to visit the Church of Madonna di Idris which has been beautifully carved into the stone and looks to be in perfect unison with nature.
Inside, visitors can marvel at the vibrant coloured frescoes that cover most of the interiors walls and appreciate the amount of time and effort it would have taken the ancient people of Matera to carve this building out of the volcanic rock.
Inside, visitors can marvel at the vibrant coloured frescoes that cover most of the interiors walls and appreciate the amount of time and effort it would have taken the ancient people of Matera to carve this building out of the volcanic rock.
After climbing many steps around the ancient caves, perhaps you would like to enjoy the very best of local food and wine for lunch and reflect on the majestic achievements of human development that surround you. Why not order a platter of a round loaf of crusty Matera bread with local dried peppers, “Lucane” sausages and a bowl of “Pignata” which is a slow cooked lamb stew.
Try the local Matera cheese which is a specialty of this region. Made from cow’s milk, every wheel of this cheese has a slightly different flavour depending on whether it was made from a morning or evening milking, what time of year it was harvested, and the type of pastures the cows were grazing on when they were milked.
To bring a perfect day to a perfect end, why not browse around a few local artisan shops where you can buy some intricate volcanic sculptures and figurines, colourful ceramic whistles and pretty jewellery. A day or two spent in Matera will become treasured memories for you to bring back from your Italian holiday! Click here to read another fascinating article about Sassi di Matera!
Try the local Matera cheese which is a specialty of this region. Made from cow’s milk, every wheel of this cheese has a slightly different flavour depending on whether it was made from a morning or evening milking, what time of year it was harvested, and the type of pastures the cows were grazing on when they were milked.
To bring a perfect day to a perfect end, why not browse around a few local artisan shops where you can buy some intricate volcanic sculptures and figurines, colourful ceramic whistles and pretty jewellery. A day or two spent in Matera will become treasured memories for you to bring back from your Italian holiday! Click here to read another fascinating article about Sassi di Matera!
Photo credits
picture 1: Tango7174 / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 2: Tango7174 / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 3: Josef Türk Jun / CC BY-SA 2.0
picture 1: Tango7174 / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 2: Tango7174 / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 3: Josef Türk Jun / CC BY-SA 2.0
