Day 4: Cross Wind Day: Putigano – Gioia del Colle - Matera 36 miles (138 miles to date)

 

We heard rain at night had a dry day with strong wind—mostly 20 mph cross wind with a mix of head and that rare tail wind. Between Gioia del Colle and Matera, we encountered 4 or 5 groups of cycle tourists. Again, we generally stuck to the main roads vs. the country lanes.

I had a series of messages from the B & B in Matera, advising us that we were required to put our bikes in a public off-site bike garage. In the end, they agreed to let us place them in a storage room at the B & B.

Terrain

The small fields in the Brindisi, Lecce, and Ostuni area viewed on prior days opened into much large fields and flatter terrain as we approached Matera. Field crops have been harvested, most of the land is tilled pending Spring planting, leaving mostly grapes and olives. Nothing to obstruct the wind except the windmills and occasional wind break.

Olive growers seem to keep the ground under trees cultivated, free of vegetation. The tilled soil is soft. Why?  

• capture more rain
• reduce evaporation 
• keep weeds from taking moisture from the trees
• easier to harvest

Southern Italy fields are littered with limestone rock, nothing like the Midwestern fields where I was raised. My Father hated rocks in the fields as they damaged his plow, cultivator, mower, and combine equipment.

Roadside Trash

In Alices's Restaurant, Arlo related how they spotted garbage and decided to add their garbage to the pile. Common practice in Italy. Also, they set fire to the roadside vegetation in the Fall. Blackened roadsides exposing the litter, hundreds of discarded glass bottles, and the charred the lower limbs of nearby trees. Wood fence posts and old tree stumps are blackened or burned through.

Wind

Local police had been called to direct traffic around a downed tree that was blocking half the road. At another spot, roadside bamboo obstructed one lane. Unfortunately, tomorrow's route is 45 miles into that same headwind. We plan to get an early start.

Horns

Many drivers sound a courtesy horn toot when passing. Italian drives love their horns. In cities laid out before cars, minor stoppages prompt the horn symphony. While standing outside our Matera B & B, the garbage truck had to park in the narrow street. Without understanding the cause, the chorus started. Same result with road works.

We had lunch, dinner, and breakfast at the restaurant linked to our lodging.

Gioia del Colle was a good mid-ride cappuccino stop.

Wide Open Spaces

Mid-Ride. While the temperature is nearly 60F, I still have on tights and jacket due to the wind.

Matera

After a sharp 3-4 mph climb into Matera, we navigated heavy traffic through narrow streets and around minor road works and arrived at our lodging by 1:30, pm. The owner met us, let us stash our bikes in a storage room, and asked us to return at 2 pm when the guest rooms were available. We scored a take-out kabob at a nearby shop. 

We have double and queen beds in separate rooms. So far, pretty good luck on our lodging.

After showering and changing, we explored Matera's Sassi District, a World Heritage Site. Sassi reminds me of our visit to Ronda (Spain) and Carcassonne (France). Pretty incredible!

(From the web.)

Matera is a city and the capital of the Province of Matera. With a history of continuous occupation dating back to the Palaeolithic, it is renowned for its rock-cut urban core, whose twin cliffside zones are known collectively as the Sassi. Matera lies on the right bank of the Gravina river, whose canyon forms a geological boundary between the hill country of Basilicata to the southwest and the Murgia plateau of Apulia to the northeast. The city began as a complex of cave habitations excavated in the softer limestone on the gorge's western, Lucanian face. 

Tucked inside the arch of Italy’s boot, Matera could have easily disappeared into the annals of history — the community was inhabited some 10,000 yearsbefore falling into disrepair, and was completely deserted in the 1970s. But, through the sheer force and determination of locals, plus several strategic investments, the long-standing town managed to not just survive, but thrive — in 2019, it was named a European Capital of Culture, and is considered one of the most beautiful places in all of Italy. The troglodytes used to live in cave networks called sassi during the Paleolithic period when these were used as dwellings. The region was transformed into a maze of interconnected caves, complete with arches, balconies, steps, and even attics.

Farmers and peasants colonized the Sassi di Matera in the 19th century, and they were dubbed the “Shame of Italy.” Back then, the caves of Matera had become a slum. This population of cave dwellers was then forcibly removed from their homes in the 1950s, and the caves remained vacant for many years after their removal. In the 1980s, the government allowed businesses to rent out the caves for tourist purposes only.

Businessmen began to take advantage of this unique opportunity and seized control of some of the caves. They rehabilitated them and made them liveable. Many of these have become popular Matera cave hotels.

The streets of Matera Sassi are not only picturesque and fascinating, but the area also holds a wealth of historical value. You may skip a visit to some of the city’s attractions, but a walk along the Sassi is a must.

Cow Pills. So named by a former touring friend, Nancy Polvi, who grew up in Illinois.

Dog of the Day. Happy Matera poodle.

Matera Pedestrian-Only Street. Leading to the Sassi.

B&B La Dimora di Rosa. Need to remember to take the photo before we mess it up.

Address: Via Spine Bianche 8, 75100 Matera, Italy

Central Matera Plaza above the Sassi

The following series of photos are the Sassi. Incredible that this was saved and repurposed, filled with shops, restaurants, offices, and residences.

Cat of the Day. When approached, it rolled over on its back, clearly comfortable with tourists.

Historic photos of original residents. The Sassi was once home to the poor—the lower down one lived, the greater their poverty. Troglodytes lived on the lowest levels. 

Scale model of the Sassi

Seem to come in pairs.

Dinner. One cannot go wrong with pizza in Italy, tonight's dinner and tomorrow's breakfast or take-along ride food.