Hidden Italy

Calabria Coastline

Calabria- The Tyrrhenian Coast

After leaving Sicily we travelled north through a region called Calabria to the town of Amantea. The German folks we met in Palermo were headed for 2 weeks to Tropea which is more south on this coast, but we had set our sights on getting some R&R in, if the place we had scoped out worked. And it did! Big time so we stayed here 4 nights,

View from our room

rested up since Sicily was riding every day, got likely too much sun, and had some fine meals at both the hotel restaurant and from local places in Amantea. Weather has been in the 30’s each day, and we even got the chance to snorkel. Bonus! The coastline from southern Calabria to Diamante is very sand beaches with a high forested mountain range behind them. It makes for very scenic views and daytime heating can generate late afternoon clouds which form thunderheads.

Our Pool view

We weren’t bothered by these except for one afternoon.

Christ the Redeemer Maratea

Basilicata

From there we headed up the coast to Diamante and then Maratea. Diamante had a reputation for having murals on its walls similar to Chemanius, but it doesn’t hold a candle to our bedroom community on the island. From there up to Maratea the drive is beautiful and has the 5^th largest in the world, Christ the Redeemer statue perched high atop a mountain just outside town.

Maratea - from the Statue

The drive up was an experience to remember and one we will with it captured all on video, and the views from up top spectacular.  Here is a youtube video to illustrate just how spectacular it is http://youtu.be/kCtroUN55X8. But the best thing about the place was our B&B, the Maratea Garden House located just outside Maratea in Acquafredda.  The kindest people we have ever met in the world. And our restaurant out there La Pepe, was great food and a superb waitress! Then to top it off  Maiteus , the owner of the garden house told us about another World Heritage Site, the monastery at Padula, and gave us great direction to it and improved ones to 

Castel Mezzano and Pietropetrosa, these are all in the region known as Basilicata.

Yesterday as we rode the drive was magnificent!

Castel Mezzano Yes this is real!

Videos to prove it and the scenery breathtaking, for the most part mountains and we ended our day in Matera a prehistoric city and you guessed it a World Heritage Site and to this point no Rick Steves!

Mezzano to Pietropetrosa - Check the road tunnel lower right corner -yeah kind of unbelievable

Matera

Known as "la Città Sotterranea" (the Subterranean City), Matera is well known for its historical center called "Sassi", considered World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1993. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matera

Matera by Night

It has much in common with areas we covered in 2011 in Turkey, see Nevsehri to Derinkuyu to Goreme, July 2011.While here we have stayed in the Sassi in a 17^th century Noble home at the top of the canyon. The city is the connection of two ravines that intersect with what they consider their grand canyon and it is very scenic. This dates from  Palaeolithic period times.

Caveosa - Matera -subterannean homes

Mans Best Friend

While known to Italians specifically, as it was referred to us by our friends Mauro, Betty, Massimo and Elisa it is not well known outside Europe. Matter of fact we did not see any other North American or Asian tourists here in our time. It’s part of why I call this “Hidden Italy”. I saw recently that Rick Steve’s may be coming here soon to cover this area but to date we struggled finding current relevant information in planning this part.  And like elsewhere, we spend time each day explaining our travels to others who question the presence of a Canadian couple/motorcycle here.

 

Matera Fountain

Castellana Grotto

Puglia (Pull –ee-a)

Puglia is the third region or province that we enter in the south of Italy.  Castellana de Grotte and Alberobello are our two destinations here plus another we didn’t realize. Natuzzi farms are present everywhere in this region, yes THAT Natuzzi that makes the leather as in our couch and loveseat in our living room. These people obviously are in the business from wellhead to pump ( if you were in the energy industry). Huge farms, plants etc. and it seems beef prices are depressed in this area. A restaurant we were at had fabulous looking steaks for very inexpensive prices.

Tour of Grotto

Castellano de Grotte is a world class grotto located only about 60 kms from Matera and 17 kms from Alberobello. The grotto was discovered in the 30’s and is the largest in Italy. Photos are permitted in the first chamber only, but the 3 kms of underground caverns are very beautiful. Since we visit caverns seldomly you tend to compare them, and yet they are all each unique. This one likely has the most impressive chambers of pure white calcium carbonate stalactites we’ve seen, while having a very large opening chamber and other unique features. The first of these kind that I went to was in Kentucky (Boones Caverns) and it was special, the Lewis and Clark caverns in Montana are neat and much more intimate but not as flashy, Sokjen caves in Slovenia were definitely the largest with an active river running through it, and the largest highest volume dome, but this first chamber must be pretty close. I’d rate these highest for color variations.

Trullis

Alberobello is unfortunately a place you have to see, but also a “Banff” from a tourism perspective, complete with all the trinket shops. Alberobello is home to the “Trulli” a hut that resembles the Neolithic era ‘beehive huts’ we found in France back in 2004. Same dry stack build of the roof, only these have rock block walls and are circular in nature, while the French versions were dry stack slate rock walls and roof, and could take more rectangular shapes as well.

Typical real ones

The Trulli is considered World Heritage worthy as well and is also known for its very hot peppers as can be judge by the picture.

Hot Peppers Anyone?