Italy Fermata 08: Matera
is it real?
Matera is a labyrinth: a rock, a ravine, a chasm in the land, carved in and dotted with stone dwellings of mixed sizes, criss crossed by steps and narrow alleys. All limestone, white and grey and aged with time. Olive green window shutters and chimneys everywhere, a few church steeples. You can’t tell where one dwelling begins and the other ends. It looks like a sketch, one of those made by never lifting the pencil off the paper. It is a captivating, dazzling, jagged roller coaster for the eyes. And for the feet. The steps are never the same height, the rocks underneath are uneven, their paths curve and steep and lead to dead ends, beautiful views and often, both.
The full scope of the labyrinth takes time to manifest. First you have to visit Casa Noha, and spend a bit of time with the history of the Sassi di Matera. The history is long, for it is one of the oldest inhabited towns. As you get lost in space, you will also get lost in time. Are you there with the first Palaeolithic people who began to carve the landscape? The artisans of the early Middle Ages whose craftsmanship brought fame and money to the town? Or with the Sassi of the early to mid 20th century, with their poor living conditions, which are now on show in various cave museums? They were then forcibly removed before the town was upgraded to its tourist glory. Or maybe you are with the several Hollywood Jesuses and one Bond who come here to shoot movies that needed a historical grounding?
But it is the opposite of a traditional labyrinth, for it asks “how did I get here” as opposed to how do I get out? The labyrinth, where once people lived and worked, is now full of hotels and B&Bs, restaurants and bars, shops, ice cream parlours and art galleries. And the history of the Sassi (if you are even aware of it) provides only the visual backdrop for their (my) summer cocktail (old fashioned). When you visit such a place do you acknowledge everything that came before? What do you get out being here? Maybe you are not supposed to think about all this. Have a view, a bite, a lick, a sip or two. Enjoy being at the end of history.