24 Sep 2018 – Drive From Matera To Lecca
Sat: The Church of Santa Maria di Idris, also known as Santa Maria de Idris or Madonna de Idris, is located inside the rocks. It is a cave Church, that is carved into the rock. Santa Lucia alle Malve, another cave Church and photography was not permitted in both. And these amazing frescos will not be able to survive as time goes by.
http://www.italianways.com/the-rupestrian-church-of-santa-lucia-alle-malve/
Drinks@KeivCafe and got some take-away food for later – view to the caves across the ravine. Should not have had any alcoholic drinks, especially when waking on sunny days! Had a headache the rest of the afternoon and stayed indoors 🙁
All’s well that ends well and things have a way of working out on our last supper in Matera without any betrayal kiss! A yummy and delightful evening dining outside the B&B room and did not have to walk far to the bed to get a good night sleep before driving off tomorrow.
Sun: got up bright&early to clear sky, unlike the last 2mornings where the fog did not clear until after sunrise. Had to take a walk towards St Agostino as that is the only direction we did not venture to.
In time for a beautiful sunrise – what a amazing way to give thanks for this wonderful stay. Thank you and good-bye Matera.
The car was delivered to the BB costing EUR40 S$64 to valet park in a garage for 3nights in Matera. Headed towards the coast, Alberobello to see the trulli/conical stone huts. It was an enchanting place and another UNESCO World Heritage site. Some of these huts are found amongst the olive trees of the Valled’Itria countryside and in Alberobello there are 1,500 of them in the entire town.
Interesting huts and was also introduced here to this instrument Handpan which I heard it somewhere, but nothing like these tranquil sounds by Hunza. Bought a CD
A safe fairyland is untrue to all worlds ― The Hobbit
Delicious fresh seafood lunch@Miramare da Michele, Torre San Sabina by the sea.
A short stop in Ostunni but was too hot to walk to the top, especially after a slight stressful mishap on one of the car tires!
Veggie dinner@ShuiWine in Lecca before retiring to our B&B@Personè
Mon: somewhere out there (Santa Maria de Idris/Matera & Chiesa Santa Maria della Grazia/Lecce) we are all under the same sky and moon. To all who are celebrating and where ever you may be – Happy Mid-autumn Festival and enjoy the Moon-cakes.
Took a short solo night walk@Chiesa Santa Maria della Grazia/Lecca for some quiet time and somehow felt this inexplicable calm serenity while praying in the square. Returned early next morning to for this card.
Lecce is a historic city with a pop app 95,766 (2015) and had a theater and an amphitheater. The Roman Amphitheatre is in Piazza Sant’Oronzo, the core of the city and no one knew of its existence until the construction of the building of the Banca d’Italia (Bank of Italy).
http://www.stayciao.com/blog/the-roman-amphitheater-in-lecce/
Duomo di Lecce; Cattedrale dell’Assunzione della Virgine (1141) with the principal entrance on the northern façade, which is considered to be a masterpiece of Baroque art.
This must be olive oil and paste heaven@Valentine. Later to discover that their prices are way above others…
Built in the 2ndCentury AD, the Roman Theatre was forgotten for a long time, covered by gardens and palaces and absorbed by the 18thCentury city, until it was rediscovered in 1929.
Also an interesting museum there – the paving rocks of the Via Appia, a reminder to the years of AppianWay in Dublin/Ireland!
A walk out of the historic district to discover that MuseoCastromediano does open until after 1400hrs; (KK returned alone later to discover that what he wanted to see were not there!). Hot stroll along VialeFrancescoLoRe to stumble upon lovely Morrish style buildings.
Had to stop for cold refreshments outside one of the historic gates.
Back into the wall to the historic district by PortaSanBiagio
Museo Archeologico Faggiano – a private building open to the public with long historical-archaeological evidences – highly recommended if archaeology is your forte.
http://www.museofaggiano.it/en/how-was-born/
Late lunch@FratelliLaBufala – 1st course-mussels with pasta and 2nd course-shrimps& calamari, lightly breaded+one bite of dessert – decent food. Too heavy a lunch for another big meal.
A small plate of the tiniest meat balls cooked in wine sauce somewhere outdoor? with a good saxophone player and an evening stroll ended this last night in Lecce. Too dark to take pix, took another stroll to the same street the next day to capture some shots – The Teatro Paisiello and could not find a name for the other baroque building which looked like some private residence?
When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness – Alexis de Tocqueville