Hotel Sant'Angelo
Italy
| Information |
|
Basilicata, the ancient Lucania, is the “heart” of Southern Italy: a heart positioned between Puglia, Campania and Calabria, which is mountainous
inland and lapped by two seas, the Tyrrhenian and the Ionian. Still a relatively unknown tourist destination, it only reveals its secrets to the inquisitive traveller, driven by the desire to discover its hidden, unusual and enchanting landscapes, the archaeological sites left by the peoples who once inhabited it, and the products of its land, culture and traditions.
Matera currently has a population of around 60 thousand inhabitants and extends seven kilometres in length, with modern districts (developed as a result of the 1952 law, following the evacuation of the Sassi) and an extensive public infrastructure. This can all be attributed to the regulatory plan drawn up in 1956 by the architect Luigi Piccinato, which has protected the city landscape from being ruined for many years now.
THE SASSI
With their origins lost in prehistory, the city’s unique nature is indissolubly linked to the ancient Sassi districts: the “subterranean city" has an ancient heart, covering around 42 hectares (104 acres).
The city’s architecture is simple, using the tufa cut out for the caves to build the other houses, thus creating a continuum of roof-floor-roof. Several houses, often overcrowded and unclean, looked out onto the same courtyard, encouraging a close relationship between the "private life", in the caves, and the community and facilitating a form of mutual aid which has been lost in modern cities.
The Sassi, awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 1993, have now almost all been completely restored.
The local cuisine is also a jealously guarded secret. Strong and simple flavours, and genuine produce that emanates the scents of this land: the intense olive oil, generous red wines, thyme-scented cheeses, home-made pasta and roast lamb and pork, to name but a few. Ancient traditions, as ancient as the hospitality of its people.
Basilicata, the ancient Lucania, is the “heart” of Southern Italy: a heart positioned between Puglia, Campania and Calabria, which is mountainous inland and lapped by two seas, the Tyrrhenian and the Ionian. Still a relatively unknown tourist destination, it only reveals its secrets to the inquisitive traveller, driven by the desire to discover its hidden, unusual and enchanting landscapes, the archaeological sites left by the peoples who once inhabited it, and the products of its land, culture and traditions. Matera currently has a population of around 60 thousand inhabitants and extends seven kilometres in length, with modern districts (developed as a result of the 1952 law, following the evacuation of the Sassi) and an extensive public infrastructure. This can all be attributed to the regulatory plan drawn up in 1956 by the architect Luigi Piccinato, which has protected the city landscape from being ruined for many years now.  THE SASSI With their origins lost in prehistory, the city’s unique nature is indissolubly linked to the ancient Sassi districts: the “subterranean city" has an ancient heart, covering around 42 hectares (104 acres). The city’s architecture is simple, using the tufa cut out for the caves to build the other houses, thus creating a continuum of roof-floor-roof. Several houses, often overcrowded and unclean, looked out onto the same courtyard, encouraging a close relationship between the "private life", in the caves, and the community and facilitating a form of mutual aid which has been lost in modern cities. The Sassi, awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 1993, have now almost all been completely restored. The local cuisine is also a jealously guarded secret. Strong and simple flavours, and genuine produce that emanates the scents of this land: the intense olive oil, generous red wines, thyme-scented cheeses, home-made pasta and roast lamb and pork, to name but a few. Ancient traditions, as ancient as the hospitality of its people. |
