Richard And Jo Demeester's photos with the keyword: Matera

We crossed the gorge and picked our way up to this viewpoint. Both sides of the gorge, for many kilometres, are dotted with caves of various size, many turned in to chapels and churches with ancient frescoes. A few were accessible from this path across, and despite their varying state of preservation or lack there-of, they were interesting spots to visit.

A full 360 panorama of a piazza which featured in the Bond film, "No Time to Die". Apparently, it gained the pseudonym of donut square. In the movie, our hero in his Aston Martin, taking a beating from the villains, unleashes a furious barrage of firepower as he spins the car around in the centre. Thankfully, it was all special effects, and they didn't really fill all the buildings and the 12th church with bullet holes....

The Crypt of the Original Sin, near Matera, has unmatched paintings from the 8th century, featuring paintings that have earnt the unknown painter much acclaim for the style he brought to his art of that era. The freedom he painted with, and his attempts to bring together, particularly the early part of the Old Testament, in a simple flow, were beautiful. Here, we see the serpent tempt Eve, who takes the fruit, and after tasting it, offers it to Adam. He in turn, willingly, almost happily, accepts to participate in this activity, contravening the one restriction God has placed on them, and leading to their downfall, and ultimately, the downfall of humanity.

Madonna degli Angeli. We were the only people up there, and so even just to be somewhere the crowds weren't going was a plus. The state of abandonment made me feel a bit sad, especially to see that some visitors had chosen to graffiti right over the top of centuries old paintings. Even in there decaying state, or maybe because of that, they deserve respect.

As the New Year ticked over, and we cheered and watched the fireworks, we embraced each other, our friends, and even our restaurant hosts. Many wishes for a wonderful 2022 were given by all to all.

New Years Eve. We met up with Justin and Paul, friends from Melbourne, Richmond even. When the first two plates arrived, we thought it looked like a lot to share between four. Then another two plates arrived. With another four courses to come, plus panetone, we were going to need the whole time until midnight to move our way through the food.

Lights coming on, and a prominent Christmas tree pokes out to remind us the photo was taken in late December.

Abandoned a century or so ago, the water cisterns beneath Matera have recently been drained and restored. They are no longer used as a water source for the city, but are now another tourist attraction. But a splendid sight, amazing engineering of its day, and a real appreciation of the importance of supplying a city with a good amount of water.

Our B'n'B was just opposite here, and this was the view we had (from the roof terrace, at least) over the ancient city of Matera.