As Città Meridiane is the third time that we visit Matera. But we have been there many times and always have seen and “discovered new things” in this city from the manifold soul: Civita the oldest, the Sassi wards carved into the limestone rock, the Piano downtown post-medieval Old Town, over the which extends the Matera contemporary and below which lies the underground Matera.
Matera, a city from the manifold soul
This time, at the invitation of the Hotel Sassi (Via San Giovanni Vecchio, 89 – tel. +39 0835 331009 – +39 331 1940056 – www.hotelsassi.it – info@hotelsassi.it) the oldest building hotel of the city was born in 1996 by a farsighted idea of engineer Pier Gregorio Padula, we lived Matera so intense and deep in the heart of Sasso Barisano and at the presence of the Cathedral.
Priceless view from the window of our Junior Suite on a constantly framework changing depending on the light, weather and time. But we will tell you more in the post dedicated in Sognidoro.
The urban structure of the neighborhoods between the Sasso Barisano and Sasso Caveoso is unique: cut into the tufa of the ravine, consists of an intricate succession of alleys and stairs, with caves and stately mansions, arches and balconies, gardens and large terraces from which they emerge, suddenly, the characteristic chimneys or bell towers of underground churches.
Incredible is the stratification of housing that you discover as you go down among the stones with the look that gets lost between the roofs covered with tiles, among small vegetable gardens, including residences formed in the soft tufa stone, including roads and churches.
The traveler who arrived in Matera after dark the city is offered as a “mirror of the starry sky”, as the evening was respected the use of lighting a lantern in front of every house. And still today is so, thanks to the small lights, bright eyes peeking out among the houses that look like those of a giant nativity scene.
And within this nativity scene we’re almost lost in the Sunday evening, in a Matera wrapped in a light mist, with paved roads and small stairs gleaming made ladders from a drizzle that had the effect of cushioning even more noise and give to our walk a touch of fairy tale.
Arriving at Sassi Foundation (Via San Giovanni Vecchio, 7 – tel. +39 0835 333348 – info@fondazionesassi.org) we suddenly found ourselves in the twentieth century thanks to the exhibition “Made in the USA by Andy Warhol” by Graziano Menolascina and realized in collaboration with the art galleries Formaquattro in Bari and Restelliartco in Rome and Iemme editions during the thirty years since the death of the greatest exponent of American Pop Art (Pittsurgh, August 6, 1928 – New York, February 22, 1987).
Exhibited in six halls around 30 works representing the full path of all the work done in the artist’s career that goes from the series of Polaroids that the icons and portraits, objects and posters, musical instruments and vinyl consumed and realized by and large as a Pop Star Michael Jackson, Rolling Stones and Liza Minnelli, the colorful Flowers and Fruit Space, the mysterious series of comic book characters the Myths until the timeless Self Portrait.
The exhibition is open to the public until March 26, Monday to Thursday from 12 to 18; from Friday to Sunday from 10 am to 18 pm.
After visiting welcomed us the warmth of the fireplace lit in the cozy restaurant San Biagio (Via San Biagio, 12 – +39 0835 333014 – +39 339 7939926 – info@sanbiagioristorante.it) with spectacular overlooking the Sassi.
Here we are delighted with fava beans and chicory, an exceptional cheese mousse mixed goat and sheep with chopped pistachios and raisins, local meats, vegetables with crispy bacon and burratine and typical cavatelli with olives, cod and peppers bran. We have not given up on a cup Aglianico to further heat the atmosphere, while there has been kindly offered the dessert: small tasty meringue accompanied by a robust walnut.
