We started the day with a last cappuccino with
our traveling companions on the town square, before seeing them off for Paris.
It’s been great fun having them along and we will miss them.
We spent the rest of the morning having
another walk through the Sassi starting
at the Church of the Purgatory, which looked much nicer inside than one might
have imagined. We had a look in several more churches (they are many and they
are all quite small). We wound up our Matera touristic activities with a quick spin
through the well-worthwhile museum of medieval art.
After lunch at the Terrazza café overlooking
the square where another wedding was in progress, we had a short rest back at
base. This prepared us for a car outing to Pietrapertosa,
one of a group of hilltop towns. They are the highest in the province of Basilicata.
The drive was along very
good roads until the turn-off for the town. On approaching the turnoff we were
struck by the dramatic mountains ahead of us. They really lived up to their
name of the southern Dolomites. As we followed the very twisty road we were amazed to discover that the town was right
up there perched on a ridge. Or so it seemed. In actual fact most of the town
was on the slope on the other side of the ridge. We parked an walked around for
several hours. The views in all directions were delightful if not exactly
alpine. One of the attractions of the town was the Saracen fort built into the top of the mountain above the town. We
climbed all the steps up there and were rewarded with an even better view. Top
spot – should not be missed.
We returned to Matera for our last evening stroll
but Monday’s passegiata was not a
patch on the weekend parade – only a fraction of the people about. Matera has
been a surprise and a delight – a very unusual place and the most fascinating
town so far. It is a must-see before you die destination.
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