Matera

If you ever head to southern Italy, the town of Matera is one you should by no means miss. It's one of the most photogenic places I've ever seen in Italy. It lies in the Basilicata region and has been part of the UNESCO cultural heritage since 1993. People have lived in this place since the Paleolithic, and the town itself was reputedly founded by the Romans in the third century BC.

Arriving in Matera was much like arriving in any of the surrounding towns. By car I drove through the newer outskirts and gradually sank into the stone alleyways. All of that changed the moment the Sassi di Matera district (the Stones of Matera) opened up before me. That view literally took my breath away. What appeared before me was a great ancient city that looks as if it had grown entirely into the local rock. Originally these were many cave dwellings, but most of them have been rebuilt into comfortable apartments or for tourist purposes.

Yet as recently as the 1950s this place was the shame of Italy. People here lived in wretched conditions; in the cramped caves a family with, on average, six children often lived together with their farm animals as well. That's why around 15,000 inhabitants were forcibly relocated, and Matera then gradually began to transform into its present form. Today, in the state in which I had the chance to see it, it's a great draw for tourists, and this year (2019) it was even a European Capital of Culture.

Wandering the alleyways, I came upon a rock church that had been hewn out here by orthodox Greek monks, and at another turn a newer church with baroque decoration. But above all, new views of the town itself kept opening up before me. I felt as though I were walking through some film set. And that feeling isn't so far from the truth, because a number of films really were shot here. Mel Gibson, for example, filmed The Passion of the Christ here. But it was by no means only this film. On the internet I found almost thirty of them, and even a bit of the new "Bond film", which will premiere next year, was shot here.

As the sun moved across the sky, ever new shots offered themselves up for the taking. It gradually lit up one side of the hill or the other, so there was essentially never a moment when I'd be willing to put the camera down. Luckily it was already the end of October, so no great crowds of tourists disturbed me here. Only near the major landmarks or at the most beautiful viewpoints did a larger cluster of them gather. Most, though, photographed the town from the three main viewpoints and then fled again to some restaurant or to the other side of the valley, which is separated from the town by a river. From there you get a view of the town in all its stony beauty, and moreover there's access to several hollowed-out caves.

I photographed until it was completely dark, and once the street lamps came on, the feeling that I was walking through some film only deepened further. I stayed in Matera two nights and would definitely have lasted even longer here.

The second evening was made all the more pleasant by a visit to the local museum, where an exhibition of sculptures by the world-famous Salvador Dalí was on at the time. In the dark and in these unusual stone spaces, his works seemed like something from another world. In large rooms hewn into the rock, or in dark little corridors, beautifully lit sculptures were placed, and the magical atmosphere was heightened by the recorded music. Part of the exhibition was also outdoors. Thanks to the incredible setting and the perfectly created atmosphere, it was certainly one of the most beautiful exhibitions I've ever seen. I think that if I'd seen these sculptures somewhere in a conventional gallery, they probably wouldn't have made such a strong impression on me. My hat's off, then, to the creators of the exhibition.

On the last day I said goodbye to my lovely accommodation and set off once more to the hill across the river to take in the view of the town and the remains of the original settlement. I spent about an hour walking around here, peering into the abandoned caves and photographing Matera, but then I had to move on, because a transfer to the mountain villages of Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa was waiting for me, and I wanted to get there while it was still light.

Tip 1: Go and take a look from the opposite hill across the river, from where there's a nice view of the old part of town. If you're here by car, come at dusk, when the town will be beautifully lit.

Tip 2: Don't miss the large museum spread out in a former rock temple.