Leaving Bari on the South East coast of Italy, we drove our hire car on an excellent, fast road up into the hilly terrain of the Basilicata Region. It only took an hour to drive so we considered it an easy detour, yet did not know what to expect. We decided to visit this region to explore Matera enroute to Naples and the Amalfi Coast. Happily Matera was a wonderful surprise and totally enchanting.
Recognised by Unesco as the finest example of cave architecture in the Med, this fabulous, troglodyte town of prehistoric grottoes, caves and renaissance houses, is well worth a visit.
You can stay over night here in Les Grottes des Civita, an exquisitely renovated cave hotel in the heart of the Sassi district of Matera. You can spend your days exploring the sites or venture across the canyon into a beautiful national park which is scattered with ancient caves and rock churches.