geeteetravels

We started the day by taking a short 10 km ride to the other side of the ravine across the gorge from Matera to get a view from there of the Sassi homes. Also on that side are caves that were also used as dwellings at one time, probably thousands of years ago. There was also a chiesa rupestre (rock church) built into one cave. As we are in Italy there are a number of these cave churches that also date back 1000 years or more, many containing ancient frescoes.
After returning from the other side of the gorge we did some more exploring in Matera. We started with a tour of a subterranean cistern that was discovered in 1980 approximately and explored more thoroughly 10 years later then developed to allow visitors in. We walked through it on elevated metal walkways. All around Matera there are these water collection systems underground as this is a dry and hot region, without lakes due to the porous nature of the limestone and volcanic tufo rock everywhere. Another word for these is ipogei. Apparently we can only see 30%, the other 70% is inaccessible. Then we walked through another more developed area of Sassi homes where there are many homes and businesses in the caves but completely and beautifully redone.
In the evening there was a continuation of last night’s festival going on, it appeared to be religious, but the entire center of the city was all lit up with lights, it almost looked like Christmas. The main pedestrian street was full of people put wandering with the friends and family. Very fun to be there.

Another blue sky morning over ancient Matera

Caves across the gorge from the city

All the open windows and doors are vacated sassi, slowly being renovated and reoccupied

A beautiful bride and her father(?) as seen from our balcony

This remarkable cistern system was full to the roof when in use, and the walls were plastered by hand with impermeable material.

Today’s ride was another hot one but much shorter (45km) and only a bit of climbing up into Matera.
Before leaving Gravina we rode over to the ancient Roman bridge. There were also remnants of an ancient village on one side. Unfortunately there is some graffiti on it. We have noticed that things aren’t always well maintained in this part of Italy. It’s a poorer region.
Next we rode to Altamura. Not too much to see see there, typical puglian city, but famous for its bread, which is rustic looking and made in large oddly shaped loafs but surprisingly is a white bread. It’s good but not exactly notable. There is a lot of wheat grown around here so they are making good use of it. The countryside looks somewhat like Saskatchewan with all the wheat and rolling hills.
We had a bit of time to explore Matera which has recently become famous for its “sassi” or stone houses, actually cave homes, that have been in use for 8000-9000 years. They are the oldest known dwellings that are still in use. The sassi are partly natural cave and partly excavated by people. The Matera Sassi became a UNESCO world heritage sight recently so tourism has grown tremendously in a short period of time. In the 1950’s the sassi were evacuated of it’s inhabitants due to disease and unhygienic conditions but now they are starting to be redeveloped into new homes and businesses. We were able to see what a typical cave home would have been like and how they had cisterns to collect water and snow. This is a fascinating place.

Tara on the Roman bridge before heading out of Gravina in Puglia

Puglia supplies most of the wheat for pasta in Italy (that's a lot)

Rob, at lunch in Altamura, chatting with a couple of guys who were fascinated by our mode of travel

Matera and some of the "sassi", houses excavated and then built upon

There is a festa every night it seems. The streets are packed and it's 10:30 in the evening.

Today started out feeling quite warm so it was worrisome as we had a fair distance to travel (76 km) and some climbing as well. The first city we came to was Andria. We stopped in a park to rest and were met with curiosity by several people (we find this happens often as the bikes are unusual to see). One elderly gentleman on a bicycle who spoke no English offered to guide us through the city to the road that would lead us to our next stop. We happily followed him as our own route on the GPS looked difficult through the old part of town. It was very interesting to follow and observe how he navigated through the traffic. We learned that we should be less polite and more assertive (still in a safe way) use our space on the road, be clear of our intentions, and the traffic will usually yield to us. In Italy the drivers don’t often follow the rules but they also don’t expect others to either, so in a way they are more aware. They also are less uptight, you see very little road rage.
We rode from sea level up to the Castel del Monte (castle on the mountain) so the name is a good clue that it will involve elevation gain. 540 meters to be exact and in a fairly direct route, no switch backs. Also we were riding away from the refreshing coastal breeze so it was a hot one.
The castle is stunning however, well worth the climb. It’s another castle built by Frederic II back around1200, he built a few in Puglia. This one is the most distinctive though, constructed in an octagonal shape and geometrically perfect. He apparently had an interest in mathematics.
From there we were expecting rolling hills but instead had another hard climb, up another 300 meters or so onto the Murgia plateau, now midday so even warmer, about 30C. But eventually we got to have a free ride down off the plateau and into Gravina.
Our hotel here is most interesting, sort of like a cave but finished inside, see pictures below. The owner Francesco recommended a restaurant and a bar that is 4 floors down in the subterranean zone. We were given a tour of the place by a lovely and enthusiastic young woman who spoke about as much English as we speak Italian, so not much. But with the help of Google translate we got a good tour.
Next we went for our dinner at Osteria del Murgia. It was a memorable meal as the waiter and the owner brought us many things to try and we never saw a menu. The owner spoke English well and checked in on us regularly through the evening giving explanations about the foods. A delightful evening.

Our fellow cyclist and guide through Andria

Sorry, can't resist a beautiful green Fiat 500 (say ching-kway-chain-toe)

The octo towered octogonal Castel del Monte

More Castel on just another hot sunny day

Italians have been making plumbing and stonework for more than 2000 years and it shows

A nice B&B for 70 euro a night. Space for the bikes is a bonus.

Another day off the bikes in the beautiful city of Trani. Trani is a smallish coastal city, again a touristy spot, but not over the top. The main industries here appear to be tourism and fishing. There is an attractive port filled with fishing boats, sailboats and yachts as well as many restaurants, shops, bars and people on shore. Breakwaters have been built which calms the water and people use them as beaches except it’s not as comfortable or easy as sand. The old city is full of narrow cobblestone streets with layers of homes, terraces and shops. There are many old churches, no surprise, but the biggest one is on the waterfront and notable for it’s Romanesque style. We visited this as well as another castello also on the waterfront built in the 13th century. George and I decided to go for another swim in the Adriatic as it was a hot day and the people watching is irresistible.

Church roof reminiscent of a trullo house roof

Fresh off the boat shops were all along the sea wall. This is a working port.

The "beach" along the breakwater.

Orange shorts on Italian boys.

Refreshing!