A Basilicata Recap

I received some wonderful emails after the last post, several from folks considering a trip to Basilicata and asking for travel information.  Got me to thinking that maybe I should start an incoming travel agency!  ;) 

I have written about our various journeys through Lucania, but thought this would be a good time to provide some links and a recap of some of them for blog newcomers who have missed those posts.

Matera

We have spent a few months there when you add up all our trips and have come to consider Matera one of the most fascinating cities in Italy.  Whenever we're in town we make ourselves at home at Residence San Giorgio.  The Suite dei Granai is awesome!  Suite della Bifora is romantic and has an ancient underground wine chamber.  All the suites are spacious and most of them have little kitchens, which is a nice convenience.

So just what do we love so much about Matera?

The Cats.  Matera has oodles of cute-as-can-be kitties.  They are not so skittish or feral that they dash off.  On the contrary, many of them purr and wait for some affection.

The Music.  Whether it's classical, jazz, bird songs or chiming bells we hear music wherever we go.

The Stone.  Matera is built upon, into, and out of rock.  It is endlessly interesting and beautiful.

The Food.  I've written restaurant reviews for Matera as well as other parts of Basilicata, so hop over to Slow Travel and rev up the tastebuds.

All Around The Region:

Pisticci is a pretty town that captured our imaginations so much we even sought out real estate offices there.  Obviously we chose Lucanella instead, but I think we could have felt very much at home there.

The people of Aliano demonstrate their gratitude to Carlo Levi by keeping his legacy alive all over town, which has been declared a "national literary park".

The death of Craco is oddly and ironically what draws visitors to the ghostly spires and overgrown streets of this abandoned town.

The days of the Briganti and the Risorgimento are relived every summer through the spectacular production, La Storia Bandita at La Grancia Historical Park. 

Thrill seekers will find that Basilicata is not as sedate as you might think.  You can fly like an angel at the Volo del Angelo, a high-flying zipline suspended over a very deep gorge.

And for those of you who missed my two-part rant about how Basilicata gets dissed in the press, be sure to read A Little Misguided and Misinformed, where I declare my undying love in defense of the Motherland.