After 1.450km & 14 Hours Of Driving: You Have Reached Your Final Destination.

Matera is located in a remote corner of southern Italy in the small region Basilicata. It’s not the easiest place to reach and it took 14 hours of driving from Vienna, but because of its remoteness Matera has managed to remain relatively unknown, especially to foreign tourists. Getting there without a car is possible, but nerve wracking. You can fly into Bari, but then you’re pretty much on your own. Still, since it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, visitor numbers have slowly increased. And they will continue to increase even more if you ask me.

From A Lost City To A Culture Capital.

It’s difficult to imagine that not too long ago Matera was known for its poverty. Inside the sassi (Italian for stones), families lived alongside their livestock without electricity, running water or sewage. In such unhygienic conditions, diseases were on the daily menu. In 1952 the government forcibly relocated the approximately 20.000 inhabitants into modern housing in the new town on top of the cliff. Ironically, Sassi di Matera, once the shame of Italy, turned into the fame of Italy. What was an ancient network of subterranean slums has been transformed into a destination unlike any other in Italy and may be Europe’s most dramatic rebirth.

Things To Do In And Around Matera.

• Strolling through Sassi di Matera: Start of at the Church of San Agostino and continue walking along the Via Madonna delle Virtù from where you have an amazing view of Murgia National Park. Once you reach the beautiful Church of St. Pietro Caveoso, be sure to walk back through the old towns center past Matera Cathedral. Around every corner lies another building or view that will leave you breathless.
• Hiking in Murgia National Park: The park is located between the towns of Matera and Montescaglioso and is characterised by a soft limestone, which has played an essential role in the shape of the landscape.
• A visit to the ghost town Craco: Approximately 60km south of Matera lies the town of Craco. It was abandoned due to natural disasters and has since then become a famous tourist destination in the area.
• A day trip to the town Pietrapertosa: Pietrapertosa is a 1 1/2 hour drive (80km) west from Matera, but well worth the trip. This picturesque hilltop town is classed as one of the most beautiful towns in all of Basilicata, and also the highest. It overlooks the stunningly beautiful mountains of the Dolomiti lucane.

Best Place To Stay In Matera.

There are many cave hotels in Sassi di Matera, but Albergo Sextantio Le Grotte Della Civita is definitely the best choice! It was one of the coolest, most unique and luxurious hotels we’ve ever stayed at. A detailed review will follow soon!

This is the view of Sassi di Matera from Church of San Agostino. It’S the most iconic image of the city.

Welcome to the real Flinstones village. The ancient Sassi di Matera is believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited cave city in the world.

Matera Cathedral is located on the highest point of Sassi di Matera and it’s tower is the landmark of the city.

In 2019, Matera will be the host of the European Capital of Culture.

The Sassi district has gone through extensive re-development and hosts some incredible cave hotels, private homes and restaurants, lovingly restored to enhance their original features.

Sassi di Matera features some breathtaking buildings such as the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Today approximately 2.000 people live in Sassi di Matera. Most of the caves are either still abandoned or occupied by little chic restaurants and hotels.

Sassi di Matera is a maze with hidden gems around every corner.

Cappadocia: A World Heritage Dreamland.

Millions of years ago volcanic eruptions shaped these bizarre mushrooms, fairy chimneys and pointed caps out of stone. The landscape of Cappadocia, with houses carved into stone, looks like a different world, a dreamland many say. Even today several people still live in these caves made of lava stone.

Uchisar is the most famous town in Cappadocia. Not only is it the highest point of the region, but also the most striking thanks to it’s natural 60 metre high rock castle. It can be seen from a great distance and is visited by pretty much every tourist who comes to this area. It draws attention and lets you imagine how special and adventurous the area around Uchisar is.

It’s said that the long defense tunnels of towns with citadels (like Uchisar) reached far into the surrounding areas. However, since these tunnels have collapsed in places, the theory can’t be confirmed, but is still a popular myth.

The rock citadel in Ushisar, Cappadocia has many underground rooms and walkways. This, as well as the fantastic view from the hisar are well worth a trip.

The smaller, or rather less famous brother of the rock castle in Ushisar is located in the town Ortahisar, less than 15 driving minutes from there. Of course this town is also marked by the striking rock castle, but several small side alleys and a beautiful main square made this the place to set our base. Hezen Cave Hotel is not only a beautiful and well decorated boutique hotel, but also offers what a hotel in the area should offer: cave rooms. The view of the rock castle from the hotels terraces was truly breathtaking!

Ortahisar means “middle castle,” and as its name implies, it is central among the Cappadocian towns. Still, it stayed more or less on the sidelines despite its central location, which made it perfect for us.

Heven Cave Hotel in Ortahisar has several beautiful terrace to enjoy the stunning view.

Ortahisar is known for its friendly people, picturesque stone houses, narrow streets and lovely churches as well as the castle-like rock formation after which the town is named.

Wander downwards from the main square Ortahisar and you’ll discover cobbled streets framed by stone-house ruins leading out to a gorge of pigeon house–speckled rock.

The Other Kind Of Turkey: Welcome To Fantastica.

Some might have erotic fantasies when driving through Cappadocia, I rather see these stone formations as smoking fairy chimneys, mushrooms or pointed caps. It almost feels like as if garden gnomes dominate the area. Depending from which side you come from, you either start in the Devrent valley or Pasabag Monks valley. Michael Endes Fantastica from the Neverending Story greets you, because your imagination won’t have any boundaries here.

In Cappadocia magic seem real. How could geology explain such a surreal phenomenon of fairy like chimneys? The landscape truly looks like something out of a Salvador Dali dream.

The fairy chimneys in Devrent Valley (also known as Imaginary Valley) form a lunar landscape by their strange look and is known for its many animal shaped rocks.

Volcanic eruptions created this surreal landscape of Cappadocia. The lava flows formed tuff rock, which wind and rain sculpted into sinuous valleys with curvy cliff faces and pointy fairy chimneys.

Pasabag valley contains some of the most striking fairy chimneys in Cappadocia with twin and even triple rock caps.

Exploring Cappadocia was everything I expected it to be: exciting, adventurous, inspiring and beautiful. I hope to return again soon.

The sights of the area are so diverse that there is something new to explore around every corner. We could have spent many more days here, but we still had Pamukkale and the beautiful Turkish Riviera on our travel list.