After a week in Valle d’Itria we checked out of our apartment and headed north to the very edge of Puglia and Basilicata, with Matera as our destination for two final nights in southern Italy.
Saturday, Oct 5
Driving north the olive groves thinned out and we started to see more fruit and nut trees. We made a quick stop in Gioia del Colle, stretching our legs by walking across the small town to the church of Saint Mary. The town was very Italian with cars everywhere, and a bit grubby too.
We continued our trek toward Gravina in Puglia, driving over low hills to a dry, mostly brown valley. Olive trees were showing up again, but the tracts of land looked larger with fewer rock walls.
Gravina in Puglia was bigger than expected, with a long line of traffic to get into the newer part of town on a Saturday afternoon. We spotted an open parking spot and nabbed it, choosing a longer walk over the slow crawl in the car.
We wound our way through the old town to our lunch reservations at Osteria 1881. The place looked deserted when we walked in, so Leandra went down the hallway and found a second dining room with a few active tables, grabbing the attention of a waiter. For wine we went with the house white and house red, both of which came in half liter carafes! The white was a little floral, very light, while the red was quite dry. With our wine we were served fresh focaccia, probably the best of the trip. For lunch I ordered the cianghlane (wild boar) stew, which was delicious, while Leandra had the steak and rocket with mushrooms, also good. For dessert we split an amazing tiramisu – creamy with hints of espresso.
Happily stuffed we walked to the edge of Gravina, where we saw the famous aqueduct over the ravine that provides gorgeous views!
After walking around the rest of the old town we returned to our car and completed our drive to Matera in less than an hour.
We checked in to our apartment (see the end of the post for details), then started exploring town. Just 2 minutes from our apartment was an overlook next to Chiesa rupestre di San Giuliano o Madonna delle Grazie and it offered a great view of the city. From there we walked along Via Madonna delle Virtù admiring the views as the street lights came on. Ended up at 2 churches, Chiesa di San Pietro Caveoso and Chiesa Rupestre di Santa Maria di Idris.
For dinner we had a reservation at Giù a Sud. Here we had the local Basilicata rose (strawberry, pleasant) and red (again very dry) from Cuore Del Sud. I had the scialatielli (rectangle tubular pasta, toothy) with pecorino cheese, pepper powder and crispy pepper (not spicy, just earthy) – very nice. Leandra had the beef cheek cooked with an aglianico red wine – very tender, but just one note, needed a small side. Service wasn’t great (had to ask for bread again, and it took too long to actually pay) but the food was pretty good.
Sunday, Oct 6
Matera is perched on the rim of a canyon, and you can hike to the other side. Leandra didn’t have the right footwear, so I started a little after 7am on a cool, cloudless morning, excellent for hiking. The trail is steep and rocky with lots of broken glass near the beginning. At the bottom of the valley the path brings you to a narrow cable bridge across the creek. Once you cross the trail heads back up, up, up, to beautiful panoramas, plus some caves and cave churches.
Definitely a workout, I was glad I did it before the route was in full sunshine.
When I returned Leandra had obtained pastries! Chocolate croissant, a pistachio croissant, plus a chocolate pastry, all very nice.
After resting up we walked to Tramontano Castle (left unfinished when the Count was assassinated in 1514) then through town to Cattedrale di Maria Santissima della Bruna e Sant’Eustachio.
We looked around for a wine / aperitivo option, but many places were either closed or had a large cover charge (3€ per person!) so we just went back to the room for our own wine (rosé) and taralli!
This evening, we decided to keep things simple and get a takeaway pizza from Il Rusticone. The pizza was great, and the price was great as well, only 6 euros!
A well-ranked gelato spot was just a few blocks away, so we walked over to Caruso Gelateria. I tried the ambrogio (pistachio and almond cream with hazelnut and almond crumble) and chocolate (great!), while Leandra quite liked her pistachio.
Matera apartment
Our hosts were wonderful, blocking off a street parking spot for us on arrival. They didn’t speak English, but used Google translate to explain everything in the apartment and offered plenty of suggestions for places of interest, walking routes and restaurants. Everything was very clean, and apartment was quiet, somewhat surprising given the location right in the middle of town. Internet was quite good, 300-400 down, 80 up.
However, there were a few minor issues. Basic kitchen supplies were missing, including oil, salt, pepper, and wine glasses(!?). The bathroom featured a curved roof, small shower, and two sinks, so it felt a little cramped. And lighting throughout proved somewhat harsh and noticeably blue-shifted.
Overall, this was a good spot for a two day stretch, but it would be a little cramped and under-prepared for a longer stay.
