Basic HTML Version
48
—GW
and communities. The plan was
to erase the Sassi, but the 30
years that followed saw the area
become a ghost town, with caves
without doors attracting
dubious characters and crime.
This process and the politicians’
rhetoric left the Materani
traumatised.
It wasn’t until UNESCO
turned the Sassi into a world
heritage site in 1993 that funding
for restorationwas found and the
ancient cave dwellings were
reincarnated. Yet what makes I
Sassi di Matera such a success
today is that the philosophy
found at the Sextantio hotel was
also applied by the authorities
throughout the town. They
managed to rebuild the area into
an attractive tourist sight without
the kitschy cliches so often found
in other Italian tourist spots. No
concrete was used in the
restoration process, only original
materials and traditional
techniques. The outcome is a
town that may look like a
museumbut feels alive and real.
Matera has been inhabited
for over 350,000 years. But while
other towns – Petra in Jordan,
for instance – may have been
carved into rock, only inMatera
have the people continued to live
here. The Sassi are possibly the
oldest houses in the world still
inhabited today. ‘You can find
fossils on nearly every corner,
dating back to the times when
this hill was still under water,’
says Claudia De Perna, a tour
guide inMatera whose mother
was born in a cave house in the
early 50s. ‘This sense of history
is part of our pride.’
Claudia explains that the
geology of hills in Basilicata is
characterised by a firm
limestone foundation and an
upper layer of soft, almost sandy
out to buy decaying Italian
houses and even villages to
restore them. InMatera, he has
transformed 18 original caves
into remarkable hotel rooms as
part of a larger restoration
programme. When we finally
arrived at Le Grotte della Civita
we could immediately see why
the locals know the project less
as a hotel and more as a
monument to the Sassi ’s past.
Candles light the way into the
caves, which have been invisibly
wired. There are no signs of
modernity, with all architectural
fixtures using original materials
like wood or iron: no TV or
mini-bar fridge and certainly no
phone reception, just a bed, a
bath and a washing basin. But
wow, what a bed, what a bath and
what a memorable wash basin,
all in an ancient cave! Only on
closer inspection do you realise
the high level of luxury, heated
floors and high-end bathroom
fixtures. The lighting is dim and
romantic with candles
everywhere. A pitch-black,
sound-proof cave proved the
best night’s sleep I’ve had in ages.
Hard to believe that in 1950,
during the Italian electoral
campaign, then PrimeMinister
Alcide De Gasperi came to
Matera and denounced the Sassi
as ‘a national shame’. At the time,
20,000 people lived in the caves
without a sewage system or
electricity, health conditions
were poor and infant mortality
lay at 50%. Malaria was
common. By 1952 the
government had passed a law
evicting the inhabitants of the
Sassi, due to the poor living
conditions. They were offered
new housing 5km away from the
site, a plan that split up families
The Sassi are possibly the
oldest houses in the world still
inhabited today
M A T E R A
calcarenitic rock, which is easy
to dig into. Her guided tour
visits both parts of the Sassi: the
Sasso Caveoso, the old part, and
the Sasso Barisano, together
housing over 60 old churches
with ancient frescos on the
walls. None is as striking as the
Crypt of Original Sin, however.
This chapel is a short drive out of
Matera and you need to book an
appointment to view the crypt.
But the wall paintings of biblical
scenes that date back to the
ninth century are so well
preserved, it is quite an
emotional experience to see
them today. The crypt had been
lost for centuries until young
enthusiasts fromMatera found
ancient documents describing
the church and went on a
mission to find it. You can
book a guided tour online at
www.artezeta.it or via your tour
guide. History is alive inMatera,
indeed, it’s all around.
Local eats in Matera
TheMaterani versionof
Apuglian standardorecchiette
(hand-made ear-shapedpasta)
ismadewithcimedi rapa, and
comeswith friedbreadcrumbs
anddried chilli flakes. Red
chillies dried and fried in local
olive oil are also eaten like
crisps. Black chickpeas are very
common and the antipasti della
casa inmost restaurantswill
make it hard to squeeze in the
main afterwards. Plates and
plates of local cheeses, sausages,
artichokes andmelanzane, to
name a few, keepon coming
like tapas. The bread is also
very famous. The best place to
try local dishes is
LEBOTTEGHE
► piazza San Pietro Barisano 22,
Matera ◄
. For a
secondi
try the
house arrosto, which is amixed
meat platterwith liverwrapped
inbacon, pork chops and a
minute steak.Wash it downwith
a glass of house red and you’re
ready for a night in the cave.
Urig übernachten: in der Höhlen-Suite im
Le Grotte della Civita, Sextantio Hotel
A suite in the Sextantio Group’s
Le Grotte della Civita cave hotel