Matera Unesco World Heritage Site

Matera Unesco Heritage Site

Waking up and walking out onto the balcony we looked out the Sassi of Matera. We were over two months into our grand tour of Italy and the spectacle of this ancient city had reinvigorated our hearts and imagination with its Escher style architecture filled with surprises.

Some quiet spots

We would search out some quiet spots and try and slow down from our fast-paced romps through the previous dozen cities we visited. The food and drink had verged on gluttony and my belt was a couple of notches out from the beginning of the trip. So much so that the prospect of another degustation of the local fare was surprisingly unappealing, at the moment.

Lazy start to our day

After a very lazy start to our day catching up on emails, obligatory social media BS and a nice soak in the hotel basement’s thermal pool, we headed out for coffee in the late afternoon.

Nightfall is imminent

There is a reason Matera is chosen as the backdrop for numerous period movies besides its authenticity. The light, shadows, architecture and, patina of the town itself is a photographer’s dream and we were determined to try and capture it at its best just around the witching hour. That time in the evening when the light is fading, the shadows darken and nightfall is imminent.

Lights flicker in windows

Lights flicker in windows with inhabitants coming home from their day’s toils and the smells of dinner cooking waft through the streets. The construction sites are quiet, the day’s hustle and bustle is over and you can almost feel a collective exhale of another day done.

Where unrestored ruins sat

Quietly we made our way out to the farthest reaches of the Sassi where unrestored ruins sat clinging to the hillside. Caves dug into the hillside with fencing keeping out curious explorers along ancient pathways worn by centuries of use. Peeking into openings in the walls, cold breezes gently leaked from the depths of caves that disappeared into pitch black accompanied by the unique smell that only such caves can produce, a damp moldy rock smell.

Look back at the Sassi

As the sun fell we reached the farthest point we could walk to and turned to look back at the Sassi. The light hit the city almost horizontally, lighting up the tufa buildings and highlighting the complex jumble of stairways and stacked homes in dramatic fashion.

Witching hour

This was it, witching hour was upon us and it was time to rattle off as many pictures as possible to somehow try and capture the moment. Every instant that passed the mood changed and the abandoned buildings around seemed to moan as the darkness cooled them off from a day in the sun. The chilled air from the valley started to rise to bring with it the smell of wild herbs and the rushing river far below.

The sky still glowed

The sun had set but the sky still glowed in an intense deep blue and the streetlights flickered to life. A few more long exposures and long pauses of silence to try and absorb the magic of what we were seeing. Slowly we retreated back into the Sassi.

Uninhabited buildings

Darkness fallen, we stood amongst the uninhabited ancient buildings, a chill running down our spines. If there was ever going to be a time to see a ghost float from a doorway or down a flight of stairs this was it and our imaginations reeled with apparitions from centuries of inhabitants living and dying here.

A stiff cocktail

Neither of us was particularly hungry but we both decided a stiff cocktail was in order to celebrate our last few hours in Matera.

Area 8

Passing by a curious facade with a slightly derelict but super cool vintage ape outside we discovered Area 8, neatly tucked into a corner of via Casalnuovo.

A gaggle of hipsters

Slipping inside we were greeted by a gaggle of hipster bartenders who eagerly showed us to a cozy room through a set of velvet curtains. The furniture was a mix of vintage chairs and tables as well as funky stacks of leather cushions bound with belts to be used as seats. Funky young locals gathered in groups, drained cocktails and aperitivo while embroiled in conversation.

Mikaela and Matera

I overheard the bartender who sat us tell a woman that we spoke English and she immediately turned and made a b-line straight for us. Mikaela introduced herself as the owner and very politely and proudly introduced us to her wonderful space. She asked what brought us to Matera and we told her of our travels up until then and the wonder that is A Cook Not Mad and what it has afforded us.

Unbridled enthusiasm

Clearly excited about our unbridled enthusiasm for this great country and Matera she made a few nibbles and cocktail suggestions. We happily put ourselves in her hands and settled on a Milano-Matera (Amaro Anniversario, bitters, vermouth orange twist and orange bitters) and a Ginger Americano (bitters, vermouth, muddled ginger, ginger beer, lemon twist), she slipped away with a smile.

Life in Matera Unesco World Heritage Site

We found ourselves sipping delicious cocktails under the moody lighting while we recounted the highlights of the ancient Sassi. Mikaela returned and we had a chance to hear more of life in Matera. She told us stories of movie stars holing up there for drinking sessions during their shoot.

Serious creative talent

It was obvious there was some serious creative talent at work based on the decor and the drinks as well as the clientele. She was eager to give us a culinary glimpse of their imagination. Never wanting to be rude (we are Canadian after all) we kindly accepted her offer and agreed to a little more food to pad the next round.

A plate of goodies

We had polished off a plate of goodies including those wonderful cruschi peppers, olives and, torelli. Moments later she returned with a plate of very thin crisped crostini made from local and exceptional bread accompanied by three dips including a black olive tapenade, all served in vintage stemmed glasses.

A little deeper

Our second round of drinks was again perfect and had us sink a little deeper into our funky seats as more people streamed in for a show in the small theatre in the back. We also decided to sample the crostini plate which was now in front of us presented on a ceramic painters palette. Delicious and just what we wanted in a light drink based dinner.

Cheese flan

Excited to see we were happy (and seriously how could we not be?), our gracious host decided to send out another amazing dish. A cheese flan accompanied by more of those cruschi peppers was brought to our table. We split it and spoon jousted for the last wonderful bite.

A different tiramisu

Plates clean we wondered how the night was going to get any better. As if on cue Mikaela returned, quietly slipping another plate onto our table with a giggle. She explained she just could not resist showing us their unique take on tiramisu. Delightfully presented in a vintage teacup was a heavenly mascarpone cream topped with burnt wheat crumble along with a tiny Bialetti filled with warm chocolate sauce spiked with coffee liqueur.

One last plate

We felt spoiled and the playful take on the classic tiramisu was a perfect ending to our evening photo shoot in Matera or at least we thought. Wanting to know how we enjoyed our evening at Area 8 she returned for the last time and as we told her how kind she was to treat us so well she put one final plate in front of us.

Biscotto della fortuna

On the plate were a pair of scissors and a sealed bag of “biscotto della fortuna”, Area 8’s version of fortune cookies. Inside the bag, toothsome chocolate coated almond cookies accompanied by a fortune written in Italian. Like a second encore, it was completely unexpected and delightful.

Korbinian Brodmann

The name Area 8 was borrowed from the German anatomist Korbinian Brodmann who gave this name to a narrow section of the brain in the frontal cortex. The Area 8 section of the brain is thought to be responsible for complex thought and dealing with the uncertain. According to Mikaela, it is the unpredictable, undefinable and unexpected that lead us to the best experiences. We definitely could not agree more.