France to Italy. The magnificent ancient city of Matera 12.05

It was an exceptionally early start with the flight leaving at 7. I was really pleased I changed my booking to an hotel in CDG airport. Actually, I had a great day enjoying the garden there and then walking round the airport people watching. It was a good choice to have a restful day after a week of sightseeing
Matera was just as breathtaking as I remembered it, if not more so! That first glimpse down into the area known as Sasso Barisanoo simply takes your breath away.
After a lot of walking, I found a fantastic restaurant on a terrace on the 3 Rd floor of an ancient palace. I wasn't sure if the menu outside was correct, because it seemed too cheap! Luckily, it was right.
i had a delicious pizza and side salad. What a view I had, plus really friendly staff to practise my Italian with.
It had been an exhausting day, adapting to temperatures in late 20s and all those stairs and hills. My hotel is unfortunately also at the top of a hill, but it's a very reasonably priced and comfortable place to stay.
My first morning of three hours private Italian lessons was fantastic. Elizabetta is the perfect teacher for me and even after just one session, I felt I had become more fluent. However I was completely shattered! Add a hill to that to get home and I was struggling! 
After a restful few hours, plus doing homework, it was time to set off again to see what they call the Sasso caveoso, ,the caves. Every corner you turn, there's something incredible to wonder at. I was particularly careful walking on the very uneven çobbles, especially as I was often alone and a long way from help. The view from the top, as above, was spectacular 
and then I meandered down the winding slopes to get this view back of the caves.
Ahead was the main part of Sasso Barisano and a beautiful view down the river which flows through the park of Matera.
How do these plants live in such places.
Actually, they are currently doing a lot of work restoring these cave dwellings 
They lack character but are probably fabulous inside and of course with exceptional views, ( a lot of steps to negotiate with luggage or shopping).
By evening, the thought of more steps down to this restaurant terrace almost put me off food!  I found a small cafe on the way home - no steps! 



Comments

  1. PriscillaMay 15, 2024 at 12:24 AM

    I'm so happy for you Barbara that you are back in your special town of Matera. And I'm very pleased that your Italian lessons seem to be working out well. Have a wonderful time.

    ReplyDelete

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