Top Three

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Geo: 40.6687, 16.6061

The weight of all time, history, and all the pain and suffering of mankind - it's something you can feel here in Matera, if that makes any sense at all. Quite frankly, I'm not sure that it does, but places like this leave you at a loss for words, unable to articulate emotions or thoughts with any degree of clarity or meaning, reducing your descriptions to something abstract.

I've been to nearly 60 countries, and I can safely say that I have never seen anything like the Sassi, two districts of stone houses carved out of the caves and cliffs of Matera. Completely unique and otherworldly, it's not something you could conceive of, in even the most fantastic of dreams. A simple stroll through its streets and alleyways leaves you breathless, skin riddled with goosebumps, as it's a landscape defying all imagination and logic. How could people have carved themselves a life out of pure rock?

At first sight, I immediately delved into my memory banks, searching for anything anywhere near as spectacular as what lay before my eyes, thinking that Matera would be in the top three of any places that I had traveled to, though I struggled to even think of two other places that could match this spectacle.

There's a certain magic inhabiting places such as this, something you can feel in the air, perhaps because humans have inhabited the Sassi since Paleolithic times, some 7,000 years ago. Matera itself is stunning, but is not classically beautiful - it's intense and powerful, dark and haunting, and especially ominous on a day like today, with storm clouds rolling in, casting a dark tone over the Sassi.

Nowhere is man's insignificance so apparent, as standing at the bottom of the Sassi - glancing upwards, realizing that we are no more than a speck in space and time. But rather than leaving you feeling inadequate it leaves you in awe, realizing how much has changed and has been accomplished since the early days of the Sassi.

Santiago de Compostela in Spain's Galicia region may be the place closest to offering what Matera does, though for different reasons. Famed for El Camino de Santiago, it's the culmination of a long pilgrimage from France, a true journey of devotion and purpose - it's quite the sight standing outside the cathedral, watching pilgrim after pilgrim arrive at the square out front, stricken with emotion.

Some simply proudly ascend the steps of the cathedral, some drop to their knees and break down in tears, while some collapse in the arms of other pilgrims they have met somewhere along the trail, in the most emotional of reunions. Seeing so many complete El Camino, from all walks of life, from all races, from all faiths, and all coming together and finding common ground ... amazing ...

There's a palpable sense of the magical and the mystical in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, almost as if you can feel the combined history of all who have made the pilgrimage over hundreds of years ... it's something you can also feel in the Sassi, but on a much grander scale. It's in every street, every alley, and every church that's been carved out of the rock. The magic is everywhere, and it's something you can only understand after having experienced it for yourself, since mere words cannot convey such a powerful feeling.

For those who have had the fortune of traveling far and often, at some point it becomes a bit mundane, more of an exercise to check off a list of places visited. The joy of discovering something new is still there, but there are times when you question what you are doing, wondering what the point of it all is, this never-ending and often exhausting quest to see the World. The scuzzy accommodations, the missed trains and buses, the hot hikes to hostels and guesthouses, the scams ... those are the low points of travel that leave a bitter taste in your mouth.

But then you stumble upon a place like Matera, a place you know little about, and as such, a place for which you can have no expectations. During times like this, all the bad experiences no longer matter, because you remember that all the effort spent traveling the World is completely worthwhile, and that there is nothing else you'd rather be doing ...

Gelato Selections of the Day: A dark chocolate gelato that tasted almost like a chocolate pate, not so much melting on your tongue, as it dissolved - very unique, like Matera. That went with Bacio di Perugia - I'm guessing it's a type of bacio from Perugia, but didn't notice anything special about it, only that it was damn good! The second gelato of the day was a huge cone of refreshingly tart green apple and coconut. Good, but the first combo of dark chocolate and bacio was superior.

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Photos

Stunning Sasso Barisano ...
... considered the more affluent of Matera's two Sassi, as more efforts have been put into its restoration.

The Gravina On the Left ...
... I'm guessing Gravina means ravine in Italian. It adds to the visual impact, with the Sassi sitting atop a gorge, whose slope on the other side is pockmarked with formerly-inhabited caves.

Sasso Caveoso ...
... considered the more impoverished of the two Sassi, at least until the inevitable influx of dollars that comes with an increase in tourism.

Chiesa di San Pietro Caveoso ...
... on the left, and two of the Sassi's numerous rock churches, Madonna de Idris and San Giovanni. Amazing that these churches were carved out of rock.

Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario ...
... a recreation of a traditional Sassi residence. Check out the donkey - a little stable of sorts was included in most residences, to house livestock.

Mushroom Ravioli ...
... at Sax Cafe. Decent mushroom ravioli, topped with an interesting cheese, salty and crumbly.

Pizza at Oi Mari' ...
... the house wine was pretty pedestrian, though a nice change from all the white wine. It's been too hot for much of the trip to indulge in much red wine, so tonight was nice. The pizza was excellent - good sausage, great basil, a nice chewy crust, with chewy mozzarella, very meaty mushrooms, and a hint of tomatoes ... I was in Heaven!