Whoops, I found this post with photos that I took almost a year ago but never posted. Meglio tardi che mai! (Better late than never…) Last weekend I went hiking with a small group of friends at the Parco Naturale … Continue reading
The Murgia is the plain on the opposite side of the Gravina valley from where the Sassi of Matera stand. One morning during my stay in Matera in August, I went there at first light to see the Sassi from … Continue reading
Following up on the first installment, here are some more photos of the fascinating Sassi of Matera.
The Sassi illuminated at dusk Eustachio Verricelli, a chronicler writing in 1595, saw something special in the Sassi and described their evocative layout in poetic terms. Dwellings in the Sassi are constructed vertically up the slope of the canyon, appearing … Continue reading
There are a lot of stereotypes floating around about Southern Italy, many of them negative, and not all of them deserved. My month in Matera, which is in the Southern region of Basilicata, helped shatter a few of my own … Continue reading
Here are some photos taken from different parts of the Sassi, a really visually interesting place. If you haven’t been there before, I hope the photos give you some idea of what it’s like to walk around them.
The Sassi of Matera resist a single definition. They are at once a prehistoric site, ancient urban center, poor and unhygienic ghetto, ghost town, tourist trap, and rich cultural heritage. From its origins as a Neolithic village, the Sassi turned … Continue reading
Me and my camera on the plain overlooking the Sassi of Matera from the other side of the canyon Tourist shot! I’m on vacation in Matera, a small city in the region of Basilicata in Southern Italy. Most Italians are … Continue reading
“Magical Torino, underground Torino, esoteric Torino. Everthing woven into a combination of white magic and black magic, of tunnels and underground passageways, of places sacred to the Christian cult and of profane symbols, of ominous monuments and geographic and astral … Continue reading
Living in Italy has led me to reflect on the meaning of home. The more time I spend in Italy, the more my Italian surroundings get more and more familiar, and it’s here in Torino where my apartment, new friends, … Continue reading
