Day 19, April 20th: We left Matera this morning and enjoyed viewing more of the sassy dwellings. Then we toured a local cave treasure, and stopped to check out Alberobello which is known for its trulli, whitewashed stone huts with conical roofs. We ended the day by touring the old city of Lecce.
On the way out see again saw some of the many churches carved out of rock in the sassi area and looked back at Matera from across the valley.
We toured the Grande Cave of the Grotto of Castellana. The caves extend for almost two miles total and reach a maximum depth of about 400 feet below street level. Inside the cave system the temperature stays constantly around 60 degrees. The stalactites and stalagmites have been growing a centimeter at a time for thousands of years.
The cave was very interesting and had lots of different features, but our all-time favorite was the Frassassi caves in Fabriano, Italy.
The Grande portion of the cave is used for performances. Above our head in this shot is a balloon used for the current performance of Dante’s Inferno.
We saw many, many trulli, whitewashed stone huts with conical roofs. The trulli of Alberobello represent a dry-stone building tradition, (no mortar) several thousand years old, found across the Mediterranean region. Scattered rural settlements were present in the area of present day Alberobello around one thousand years ago (1,000 AD).
A few of the Trulli are open so we could see the construction. They are bigger and deeper than they look. Check out the blocks with no mortar.
OneTrulli had several rooms, you can get an idea of the size with Peter in this photo.
We took a photo looking down on the village. For the history of these buildings, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trullo
Some of the Trulli’s specialized in something different as indicated by the paintings on the roof.
On the way out we saw this one trulli in the countryside, not as well maintained as those in Alberobella.
On the way to Lecce we drove though hundreds of Olive groves. It had just rained. Check out the size of this trunks on some of the trees! An olive tree reaches full maturity after 10 years and starts to decline in fertility after about 150 years. In favorable conditions, they can live up to one thousand years.
The Roman amphitheater of Lecce is situated in the main piazza of the old town. Even more interesting, it was completely hidden from view and its existence unknown until as recently as 1901. It is thought to be dated between the I and the II century AD.
In Lecce, we stopped by this paper mâché studio and saw a master at work. This is the La Cartapesta di Claudio Riso studio that is renown for its religious figures. It was fascinating to watch!
Some figures were completely done except for the painting. Check out the example of the finished product. Amazing details! I have no idea how he made her delicate hands.
If you look closely at this statue in process, you will see how it is held together before the glue and paper are added.
The Basilica di Santa Croce is in the center of town. Construction of the Basilica began in 1549 and took more than 100 years to complete, in 1699. We arrived during evening mass and were not permitted in either church.