NEW DAWN FOR MATERA
Matera, a city of ancient caves in southern Italy, emerges from hardship to happening
The city, which is almost in the heel of Italy’s boot, has shaken off its history of poverty to become a European 2019 Capital of Culture and a draw for visitors, who come to explore its ancient stone cave dwellings, or Sassi, which now house chic hotel rooms, boutiques and restaurants.
MATERA, Italy — The cave dwellings are piled atop one another like giant rocks spilled from the sky. The sandstone landscape stretches across a hill, one road and narrow alleys slicing here and there through the landscape.
We think of Rome, at 3,000 years old, as ancient, but it looks newly incorporated compared with Matera, which is 5,000 years older.
This town of 60,000, almost in the heel of Italy’s boot, wears its age well in movies. It has appeared in such films as “The Passion of the Christ,” “Ben-Hur” (2016) and “Mary Magdalene” (2018).
But in real life, it has only recently come into its own.
Matera, in southern Italy’s Basilicata region, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993; UNESCO described it as the “most outstanding, intact example of a troglodyte settlement in the Mediterranean region.” It also has been designated a European Cultural Capital for 2019 and will host cultural events expected to draw thousands of visitors.
These are lofty accomplishments considering that, not long ago, Italy wanted to use its boot to kick Matera off the map.
When Marina Pacucci, my girlfriend, and I heard that Matera had been selected as a cultural capital, we wanted to return to see more of this city of the Sassi — literally, “the stones,” describing the cave dwellings — that today house shops, cafes, restaurants and hotels.
Marina and I had first visited just before Christmas 2017. Both times, we took a seven-hour bus ride from my home in Rome (it’s less expensive but takes longer than the train). From our windows, we could see the mosaic of wheat fields, olive groves and grapevines that populate this largely agricultural area.
Humble beginnings
Being in the Sassi, which dates to the Paleolithic period more than 2.5 million years ago, is a bit like strolling through a prehistoric theme park.
Once early humans began using tools, they began living in the caves, fashioning rudimentary dwellings from stone. The area has been continuously inhabited for the last 8,000 years.
On our first trip we stopped in the middle of the Sassi at the Vico Solitario museum, which depicts a sample cave dwelling. At about 540 square feet (about a quarter of the size of today’s average new home in the U.S.), it housed 12 people. A bed sat by a wall under a small loft, and an iron pot used as a toilet was under the bed. There was no running water, no drainage and, of course, no electricity.
The squalor built upon itself over time until it became a national embarrassment.
By the end of World War II, malaria was rampant, and infant mortality surged to 40%. In 1948, Justice Minister Palmiro Togliatti called the Sassi a “national shame.”
More recently, Mayor Raffaello de Ruggieri, 83, a native of the city, described it to me as “the model of the misery” of southern Italy, a historically poor region. “Poverty,” he said. “Terrible poverty.”
By 1952 the Italian government had built a neighborhood on the western outskirts of town, forcing the Sassi inhabitants to move from their dwellings. They pleaded to return, and by 1986, those who agreed to restore the Sassi with their own money were allowed to do so.
Today, about 400,000 tourists visit Matera each year, drawn by the history, the views and the novelty.
“The greatness of this city is that [it] survived all the way from the Paleolithic times,” said Vincenzo Altieri, who owns La Dolce Vita Bed and Breakfast, where we stayed on our first visit.
For me, this ancient dwelling was, if not the sweet life, a comfortable and unusual way to inhabit the city. Our room was like a wellappointed cave, with modern conveniences that included air conditioning and Wi-Fi. (Marina felt a bit claustrophobic and asked to stay elsewhere on our next trip.)
To get the lay of the land, it’s helpful to know the geography. The Sassi are divided into two areas, Sasso Caveoso to the south and Sasso Barisano to the northwest. To the west is the town where the Sassi’s masses were evacuated. To the east is the Parco della Murgia Materana, where a huge gorge, bisected by a river, is laced with hiking paths. Every time we climbed the steps behind La Dolce Vita, we gazed at this panorama, transfixed.
As you plan your visit, know that Matera is hilly but hikeable, and it’s built for people, not cars.
We spent our time exploring on foot. Via del Corso, the town’s main road, is lined with shops, restaurants and hip cafes. Walking north on Madonna Delle Virtù gave us great views of the Sassi to our left and the ravine to our right.
We found a tiny staircase that led us to the Piazza Duomo, the
12th century cathedral that’s the centerpiece of the town’s 170 churches. The Duomo’s 170-foot tower offers an excellent view of the gorge.
Some of the churches charge admission, a worthwhile investment. For 6 euros — a little less than $7 — we were allowed into three churches. The 8th century Santa Lucia alle Malve has beautiful well-preserved frescoes. Some of its walls are blackened with age, and two white stone pillars, illuminated from below, make it feel more haunting than religious.
The 12th century San Pietro Barisano is one of the more unusual sites. Plundering in the 1960s and ’70s stripped the altar of its treasures, leaving it empty and the surrounding statues headless. Underground, narrow passageways have 4-foot niches carved in the walls where corpses were placed in wet weather. The beauty of San Giovanni Battista is its simplicity. Its frescoes were scrubbed in the 1920s, and it has but one stainedglass window over its altar.
Delicious dining
In southern Italy, the cuisine is known as cucina povera, or poor man’s cooking, but we found it rich and hearty. The sweet and crunchy Senise peppers, from the town of the same name south of Matera, often are pounded into powder and used in cheeses, meats and soups.
Ristorante del Caveoso quickly became our favorite. A spectacular local cheese plate was followed by tortellini filled with pork and caciocavallo cheese, which is salty and curdlike. The dish was topped with more caciocavallo and sauce, which I mopped up with Matera’s heavy-crusted bread.
On our last trip, we dined at ’900 Restaurant, which describes itself as typical of Matera (it’s in a reconstructed Sasso) but “offering a taste of the 20th century.” I devoured one of the specialties: brasato di capocollo all’aglianico, beef in local Aglianico wine.
After dinner, we walked back to our room at Le Dimore Dell’Acqua B&B (acceding to Marina’s wishes for a more modern lodging on this trip). The March moon shone brightly, illuminating a city that is emerging from the shadows of its past.