Matera (cont'd)

OK, I've now been here for 30 hours.  I can say that it is worth a visit.  But, by far and away, the thing about this town is the "sassi."  Those are the cave dwellings and they are remarkable.  From what I can tell, the rest of the town is nice.  The churches, the museums, the restaurants, the plazas, etc., are all solid.  But they are not the draw.  The sassi are another story.

Here's a little more of what they look like as the sun goes down.  Amazing, right?  The irony is that, up until the 1950s, these sassi were places of abject poverty.  At that point, the Italian government forcibly removed the residents, and moved them to more modern housing.  In the sassi, families even in the 1950s had an average of 6 children in their very small cave dwellings, lived with their mules or other animals, and suffered through 50% child mortality rates.  These places that were in the recent past a shame of the nation are now a UNESCO site and a tourist destination.

And just one more shot of how they look when there is sunlight.

As for the rest, I had a great time in this little art museum.  (They don't let you take pictures inside.)

The most famous artist from Basilicata is named Carlo Levi.  The travel books all talk about him, and this museum showcases his work -- including a massive and pretty cool mural.  Well, anyway, I got a one-on-one tour by one of the two older gentleman who work there.  His English wasn't very good, and neither is my Italian.  But we were able to speak a little in Spanish and to communicate through gestures.  They are very proud of this Levi.  My tour guide told me all about where Levi was born (here in the Basilicata region), where he lived when the government exiled him in the mid-20th century for being a political dissident, where he was buried in the '70s (back here in the Basilicata region), etc.

When the Levi tour was over, I went through the rest of the museum.  Some nice stuff.  And when I exited, I went for it.  I asked my tour guide and the other gentleman if Levi was "Hebreo."  I mean, heck, the last name screams out that he was.  I was just curious.  (I had done a couple of quick searches on-line with my phone.  But they had a guard warning you not to take pics, and I didn't want to explain too much that I was only searching -- not taking pics.  My phone research was inconclusive.)  Well, the men said that he wasn't.  They said that the Italian author Primo Levi was Jewish -- which I knew -- but that Carlo was not.  I think they might be wrong.  But it really doesn't matter.  I thoroughly enjoyed my tour of this little museum.    

Here is also a nice little church that looked good at night.

I've also had fun trying the local food here.  This cuisine is unique to the Basilicata region.  It's supposed to be rustic -- a form of peasant cuisine.  The pastas and appetizers that I've had for dinner were all quite good.

An appetizer of dried up and hollowed red peppers.  Doesn't sound that good, but they were tasty.

A pasta with pumpkin and peppers.  The dish was brought to my table still sizzling in the pan.  

An antipasto of eggplant, tomatoes, and almonds. 

This hotel is also pretty awesome.  It's called L'Hotel in Pietra.  Look for it if you come by.  Reasonable prices and a very calming and polished boutiquey feel.  The lobby is set in a former 13th century church, and the rooms are made of golden stone with natural cave interiors.  Really nice.