Judith Schrut’s sojourn through Italy’s sunny south starts in magical must-see Matera.
It’s one of the oldest cities on earth, inhabited for over 9,000 years. It’s a place of infinite beauty and picture postcard views, ancient cave houses carved into limestone rock, meandering streets and narrow alleyways in a largely undiscovered, unspoilt part of Italy. This is where Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ and Richard Gere’s King David were filmed because of its astonishing likeness to Jerusalem. And it’s probably the most stunning European city you’ve never heard of.
But not for much longer. Expect to hear lots about Matera this year, as it begins a prestigious reign as 2019 European Capital of Culture, the first place in southern Italy given that honour.
If you’ve seen classic movies like Bicycle Thieves or La Strada, you’ll know that post World War II Italy was a desperately poor place. And the city of Matera was one of the country’s poorest, so squalid that Italy’s prime minister declared it “a national disgrace”. In 1952, Matera’s entire population, typically living in one room underground cave houses without running water or electricity, was evacuated and moved to new housing nearby. The city then remained empty and silent for over 40 years until its 1993 declaration as a UNESCO World Heritage Site started a long period of rebirth, culminating in this year’s award.
Matera’s recent transformation has been incredible. The Sassi of Matera, the city’s ancient heart, has been lovingly cleaned and polished whilst losing none of its charm. After decades of deterioration Matera’s Park of Rupestrian Churches, a cluster of 150 rock-cut churches, many filled with splendid frescoes, has been restored. Dozens of prehistoric cave houses have been reborn as 21st century bars, restaurants, hip hotels and Airbnbs.
This is Italy, so obviously food and drink is top of my Matera priority list. And nothing builds the appetite like an invigorating pre-dinner walk around Matera’s Sassi at sunset. It’s also a great way of getting to know the vivacious bunch of Italian journalists and social media influencers here with me for an adventurous week of cycling, exploring, vlogging and Instagramming. Ciao Toto, Francesco, Veronica and Valentina; Giovanni, Emanuela and Mimmo; Nicoletta, Antonello and Antonio!
As night falls Matera becomes an illuminated fairy tale. A canopy of lights covers the panoramic old town with its narrow streets and timeworn buildings clinging to the hillsides.
Eventually we arrive at our dinner destination, ravenous. Ristorante Soul Kitchen is a tastefully restored cave eaterie run by charismatic brothers Pietro and Mimmo. The restaurant prides itself on a daily changing menu of fresh, local ingredients sourced each morning from the nearby farmer’s market. Dishes range from steaks, stews and stuffed piglet to a variety of inventive pasta, veg and desserts.
So what do you do when it’s your first meal in Italy and you want to try everything? Easy– just go for Soul Kitchen’s multi-plate fantasioso dello chef and I promise you won’t leave hungry, nor without loosening a couple of notches in your belt.
This evening’s fantasioso includes fat pillows of creamy burrata, crispy ricotta parcels, fava bean puree with chicory, orecchiete (ear-shaped) pasta with cima di rapa, anchovies and chili, potato ravioli in a gorgeous tomato sauce, lampascione fritti– mysterious wild mini-onions crisply fried and drizzled with balsamic vinegar– and several types of tasty sausage. Frankly I lost count around plate 7 or 8.
The meal seems to go on pleasurably forever, with much boisterous approval from my new Italian best friends (no matter that I could not understand a word) and accompanied by a fair amount of rich, dark Aglianico, a local red wine not well known outside Italy. Soul Kitchen’s desserts are equally irresistible– pistachio semifreddo, licorice and basil semifreddo, tiramisu and the house specialty, panna cotta with caramelised peppers. Yes, we tried them all.
Our first night’s stay was at elegant Casa Isabella, a masseria (fortified farmhouse), although no doubt I’d have slept equally well in one of those budget-savvy cave Airbnbs.
Judith ate and drank at Ristorante Soul Kitchen, Via Casalnuovo 27, Matera, and slept at Casa Isabella Hotel, 74010 Località San Basilio, Mottola. She travelled to Southern Italy as a guest of Puglia Cycle Tours and Puglia Promozione. More at pugliacycletours.com and agenziapugliapromozione.it. She’ll be back soon with more in her Head for the Heel miniseries.
