Hello everyone!
Today I am going to share with you my super experience in Matera, a spectacular city in the south of Italy. After spending a few days cruising around Rome, Alberobello, Polignano a Mare, Rimini, Cisternino, and Locorotondo, i finished off the trip in Matera. The city is more special than ever! It is considered Patrimony of Humanity by UNESCO since 1993. I arrived at dusk when the sky was gaining beautiful colors, thats when my enchantment began. I stopped at a curb and stayed a while looking at the valley and couldn’t believe the uniqueness of what I was seeing.
Matera is divided into Upper Town and Lower Town. The upper part is where it has the greatest concentration of buildings and people. A city full of young people and is super busy in the winter. However, the lower part is the most interesting and picturesque. There, in the past, people lived in caves carved in the rocks. It is incredible! For too long, these caves were abandoned due to lack of structure and now are being revitalized and restored. It was exactly one of those caves where I slept in a hotel very different from anything that I’ve ever experienced. I loved it!!!! The name of the hotel is Sextantio Le Grotte de Civita. It has only 18 rooms, all different, fully furnished keeping the mood and time of the place in which it was inhabited. They maintained the preserved structure as before but with a bit of luxury. Candle lighting, heated environment, incredible bathrooms, and a spectacular breakfast. I felt as if I was going back in time!
There are lots to do during the day around the city. At least two days are needed to explore the many cave churches stuck in the rocks (they are more than 100), visit the ancient mansions, the museums, and hiking the trails in the gorge. There are many scenes from the movie The Passion of the Christ, with Mel Gibson, which was filmed in Matera.
What did you think of the marvelous city?!
XoXo and see you next week!
