We drove to Matera, over the border of Puglia into Bascilicata, famous for its sassi, or cave dwellings. Matera has the most extensive and complete troglodyte complex in the Mediterranean and one of the oldest inhabited human settlements in the world. Until the 20th century, the sassi were pretty successful dwellings with simple grottoes extended into homes and canals regulating the flow of water and sewage. Overpopulation in time lead to the habitation of unsuitable grottoes and finally in the 1950s 15,000 inhabitants were forcibly relocated to new government husing schemes. Today the sassi are undergoing stylish renovation.
Next morning we had booked on a guided tour to Cripta del Peccato Originale, the Crypt of the Original Sin, where in a rocky hollow, looking down the cliff of limestone the skilful hand of the "Painter of Matera's Flowers" narrated scenes from the Old and New Testament in a cycle of frescoes dating from the C9th. We weren't allowed to take pictures, but here are a couple from the internet.
Matera
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Matera, Basilicata, Italy
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2025-02-16