A quick look at Matera

Matera has been continuously settled since the 10th century BC – making it pretty much the oldest continuously occupied settlement in the world. The Sassi di Matera are what draw the crowds. They are cave dwellings from a prehistoric troglodyte community. They look like this as you approach:

And like this:

Here’s a courtyard area of numerous Sassi that has not been fully renovated yet:

It’s much less charming when you’re down wandering the buildings:

And here’s some totally abandoned and unrehabbed ones across the ravine:

Here is an interior photo. Keep in mind that there would be a mule living in there as well:

You’re seeing these places when they’re in much better shape than in previous years. The Sassi were actually an area of extreme poverty in Southern Italy. We took a little walking tour with an Amy – an American who lives in Matera – she’s actually from Ann Arbor but has lived here for 23 years – and she said that by 1950, the Sassi were uninhabitable. Sewage issues and overcrowding led to cholera and malaria. There was no running water and people lived with their livestock inside the tiny caves. It was common for 10 people and their livestock to share a 400 square foot cave. The infant mortality rate was 50%.

Amy told us that the only good thing Mussolini ever did was enable the way to clearance of the Sassi. He considered the poverty and crowding there a symbol of the failings and shortcomings of Italy – and so first he connected the city to the Puglian aqueduct. He never was able to address what do to next – although he contemplated resettling all the residents.

This resettlement actually occurred because one of the leftists who opposed Mussolini – Carlo Levi – embraced the resettlement, and then the ruling government of Christian Democrats provided funding, and by 1961 the Sassi was empty – with the residents moved 4km down the road. The early 1990s brought the return of residents, remodeling, and new businesses via government subsidies and a UNESCO designation. Which leads us to now – where Matera has appeared in countless movies – including the most recent James Bond (pics not mine):

There are people who say Matera is too sad to come visit – but things always resonate more with me when I’ve seen it for myself so I’m glad to be here. There’s a festive side to the city that I really like – with public art, shady cafes, and endless gelato shops. There’s even a Dali exhibit, which looked just fantastic in front of the cathedral:

I’ll leave you with this, from near our hotel. It translates to Eat Bent and Better but the marketing goal is not clear, at least to me. If anyone gets it, let me know.