Matera
Day 7
Assisted by a local guide, we walked early in the morning on the stone streets of Matera, learning the history and stories of this ancient area. Most notably to us was a rock-hewn church and cemetery. The graves hardly below ground were covered with massive stones. We then visited one of the small cave dwelling homes with original furnishings to learn about how they lived. We especially loved hearing that the people let their animals live with them in their homes.
The remainder of the day we were free to explore the new part of Matera. Lovely large piazza with shops, restaurants and an outdoor antique market which we loved.
We enjoyed a late afternoon dinner, not the Italian norm, at Paradiso del Boschetto, located next to the Matera Castle. We had the restaurant to ourselves, where we met the wonderful owner. We relaxed with a delicious meal and a much needed Spritz. Afterwards we toured the Castle grounds and took a quick pedi cab back to the hotel for our appointed time at the spa and pool housed underneath the hotel. One of our busiest days but well worth every moment!
