Basilicata in October - Matera Day 4

On Sunday it rains, the first time since March apparently. We stay in, relax, I do some work, some washing, we plan the next two stops in Agropoli and Naples and try to find somewhere to stay for the final week near Piombino. We are both a little tired and the day passes quickly at the computer. The apartment, perhaps because built of local stone, stays warm and snug despite the cold outside.

On Monday I wake up with a migraine so we don't get off to an early start and decide just to spend the morning and afternoon wandering around Matera with a break for lunch and a nap in between. I would have thought we'd seen a lot of Matera but we make some new and interesting discoveries of different churches, we soon realise there's always something new to discover in the Sassi every time we go.

First of all we go down to San Pietro and Paolo for another look, also discovering that it's possible to pay €1 for illumination to better admire the carved ceiling, tryptych and frescoed side chapel.

In the  Sasso Barisano we discover the tiny rock church of Sant'Antonio Abate with its simple rosone, not much is left of the frescoes but the building is still interesting. There's a volunteer keeping it open, I think from a folk group because there are pictures of the group over the decades. Our second stop of the morning is to see Santa Maria de Armenis where once again there's a volunteer. This church is quite large, totally hewn into the rock and is connected to what must have been a private house. Aldo tells us the story behind the wooden devices used to make a print on the bread before putting it into the oven, the fact that the bread was turned over onto itself to make more room in the oven and reduce costs and all about the cooking spoons and their role in courtship and marriage. It brings the places to life, Aldo's father was a skilled carver of these tools.

After lunch and a nap we also see two other churches which are free to visit, San Vito dei Lombardi and the Chiesa Santo spirito with its enormous columns etched out of the rock, in the area below the main square. We have a stroll along the wide pedestrian area above the Sassi and go into the Refettorio di Santa Chiara and then up to the Cathedral for a last look at the view before going back to the apartment.

Well, that was the plan. But instead from the Belvedere we espy that the door is open to the church of Sant'Agostino on the other side of Sasso Barisano. So, back down we go, this time we have learnt how to get around the Sassi without getting lost. The church itself has been rebuilt but with an obligatory "generous offer" of 2€ it's possible to visit the crypt of San Giuliano. We decide to pay and it's well worth it. There's a fine fresco  of the Trinità and the face of the Madonna in the fresco of Madonna con bambino che gioca and with San Leonardo is well-conserved. There's also an acquasantiera with carved snakes and fish.

The view over the Sassi from the Belvedere and another just above on the way up, with dusk falling and the lights just coming on, is breathtaking. 

We stand and stare until we are cold, and then scurry quickly though the darkening streets to the car to warm up. Matera has found a place in our hearts.