Around the World : Matera

    As promised, here are my pictures of Matera! I hope you enjoy. I also can't go a post without talking about the food I ate that day. We had a free lunch sponsored by the program at a cafe. They served Matera bread and we had a choice of three pastas followed by fresh fruit and coffee. Of course I loved the fresh fruit plate with watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, and green grapes (not a fan of the seeds). The bread was very tasty and warm and it was even better because I got an end piece. The pasta I chose was mushroom cavatelli, and the pasta was freshly made with tomato sauce and arugula on top. After lunch I was stuffed and we enjoyed the tour with our handsome tour guide (of course the tour was in italian).
    During the tour I learned the old city of Matera (also called The Sassi) was carved into the mountains. The city was found by the romans around 3 B.C. and was controlled by the Germans, Normans, Lombards, and Byzantines. The new city of Matera is where the workers and laborers stayed for food and shelter. In 1943, during world war two, Matera rose against the German occupation and was the first Italian city to fight against the Wehmacht. In the 1950s, the government of Italy forcefully relocated most of the population of the Sassi to areas of the developing city. The area has been known as a place of poverty but recently has become more tourism oriented and has promoted the re-gerenation of the Sassi with the aid of the European Union and the government. It is mostly uninhabited but there are a few thriving hotels and pubs scattered throughout the city.
    We stopped at many places along the way to take pictures and listen to our guide about the city. At one point, we stopped and he said look a mini Grand Canyon. The city grew on one height of the ravine created by a rivers that is now a small stream. The ravine is known as la Gravina and the view actually looks like a smaller version of the Grand Canyon. The view was amazing.
    Once the amazing tour was over we had thirty minutes to buy snacks for the road and we went back onto the bus. I was still so stuffed from my meal and brought a granola bar and a peach. After three more hours in the car we finally arrived back to the apartment and I caught up on my blog and fell asleep. Tomorrow morning I leave bright and early for trekking in the morning. What a busy weekend!
Con tanto amore,
Samantha

These pictures are taken from a viewpoint outside the city of Matera