While in Puglia and just one day before flying back to the UK, we decided to stretch over to Basilicata to visit Matera. Just off the border with Puglia, Matera, which is thought to be the third oldest city in the world, is located 400 mt. above the sea level in a superb setting. For me it was one of those places where reality far exceeded expectations.

The road to get there is not a particularly nice one; mostly one lane only, driving through construction works and shacks with prostitutes (yes), you can’t say it’s a lovely drive but it’s totally worth it. When we were there (mid April), traffic was steady with definitely far more trucks than tourist cars and you will appreciate it even more once arrived in Matera: the old city was extremely quiet and we could wander through the Sassi almost on our own. We started our tour…