Finally got to visit the city of Matera! This has been on my list ever since I saw it on an episode of Stanley Tucci. Technically not part of the Puglia region, Matera often gets added to Puglia trips as it is so close and a UNESCO world heritage site, at least partly. Matera is known for the Sassi, an older area of the city where there are many former dwellings carved directly into the rock. Matera is also considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the world with a history dating back over 10,000 years.

As the more interesting dwellings are carved into rock and therefore a hillside, one is required to walk a lot of steps to visit the city. The stones can be slippery and I cannot imagine walking the city in the rain!

There are several traditional homes you can go into with very nice recreations. Many of these places only became homes as the city became poorer due to a loss of grapes in the area.

The picture below illustrates how poor the area was. This wooden drill was used to put holes into broken ceramics so that wire could be used to put the pieces back together. Much more cost effective than buying a new ceramic piece.

After a day of wandering Matera, we eventually headed back in time for dinner.

Matera was definitely worth the visit but be aware there are a fair number of stairs and parking can be a pain.