We began in Puglio Province, the heel of Italy
September 10, 2023
Planning for this trip began over a year and a half ago, during the waning days of COVID confinement, when Mark and I began discussing how to spend our coming “aught” dates: his 70th, my 80th, and our 30th anniversary. We agreed it would be wonderful to invite some friends to join us on a travel adventure.
We chose Sicily as a place we wanted to visit and thought others might want to visit too. We made lists of companionable people to invite. At first, we thought it would be hard to find enough couples, but in the end, I was wishing we had more rooms to share. There are several more people we would like to have included. I went online and researched places that could provide what we had in mind. Eventually I found Il Borgo, a villa on the east coast of Sicily between Catania and Syracuse. It had 12 equally nice suites, each with a private bath, set in a lovely courtyard and floral gardens. There was a pool and sauna, an olive orchard, a nearby beach and catered meals per request. On top of all that, the place came with a concierge to help us plan our daily activities.
Once we secured the place, we started asking people to join us. We agreed to pay for the accommodations but they would need to provide their own air, ground transportation and most meals. We were not sure what reception we would get, but almost everyone gave an enthusiastic yes. I guess Sicily, photos of the villa, birthdays to celebrate and plenty of lead time to make their own plans drew people to us.
A year and a half later we are finally on our way. Our personal plans have evolved to include the province of Puglia (the heel of Italy), Sicily, Malta and finally Florence. Our week at the villa in Sicily is from September 23-30. Each couple has created their own adventure. Some left home days ago, others leave during this next week. Some will arrive just in time and travel to other places after Sicily. We are having much fun following all their plans and getting excited along with them.
I had not planned to keep the blog going during this very social adventure, but several people have asked me to do it so I will try to accommodate but am making no promises.
We left home at 8am on the 10th and arrived at SFO after only 2 hours and 19 minutes with Mark at the wheel. Our friend Josh Scott accompanied us and drove away when we said good bye. I sure hope he drives slower than Mark did.
It was my first time through security with my pacemaker. I was pulled aside, had to take my shoes off, even though I am over 75, and received the most thorough pat down I have ever experienced. Sure hope that will not be my plight with every flight.
We flew on United from SFO to Munich, had a short lay over and continued on to Bari, the capital of Puglia Province in Italy. From there we were driven 65 kilometers southwest to Sassi di Matera, which is in the Italian province of Basilicata. Have a look at the map of Apulia, Latin for Puglia, above.
Our guide for the afternoon was Anna. She met us at our lodging in Matera, Corte Sin Pietro, and we began our walk-about. Sassi, she said, means rock or stone and Matera is built on hills made totally of rock and stones. There are 2 different Sassi neighborhoods that contain over 3,000 structures carved completely out of rock. They were occupied for millennia by troglodytes and are one of the oldest occupied towns in existence. Human remains have been found in the area from 9,000 years ago.
More recently, house fronts have been made with constructed limestone blocks with caves in back of or under the house. Today, houses are built completely of stone blocks with no attachment to caves.
The whole town is bizarre, but most interesting and appealing to wander through. Tourism has become big in the area and the town is full of restaurants and houses converted into accommodations, such as the cave-like room we are staying in, which has no windows and is below ground.
Anna lead us to interesting churches that were made at least partially in caves.
St Lucia Cave Church from 1000’s, was lived in by Benedictine nuns and had a cemetery on the roof. There was a museum attached to the church that was also interesting and unusual. The Church of St Peter Caveoso had a painted wooden ceiling from the 1700’s and a niche for St Anthony. The whole tour was very unusual and kept us both engaged.
Due to poverty, humidity, mold and sickness, the government moved the residents out of the Sassi neighborhoods into apartments in 1952. The people were healthier but missed the attachments they had to each other living in close proximity in the Sassi. Today many descendants of the Sassi residents maintain homes in the area.
At 8pm, we had dinner at a Michelin Star restaurant called Vitantonio Lombardo. It was named for the chef and was in a nearby cave. We had a delicious 5-course meal skipping the 7 and 10 course option, and that was just the right amount of food. By the time we finished, we barely made it to our room before falling asleep. It had been over 30 hours since leaving home. Very long, but satisfying day.
Scenes from around Matera
Adventures with Julia 