Casa di Lucio
Matera
Painting and review are copyrighted work by Ginda Simpson
Matera, one of the most unusual towns in all of Italy, is in
the Basilicata region, southern Italy.
Once an area of extreme poverty where peasants made their homes in
cave dwellings known as “I Sassi,” Matera has been included in
the UNESCO World Heritage List and is now enjoying a revitalization that
is bringing tourists to its doors. Doors
that still lead into the interiors of the ancient cave dwellings carved
out of the tufa rock along the side of a
ravine. La Casa di Lucio is
in the heart of Matera and Anna, the owner of this fascinating structure,
now B&B, is justifiably proud of her town and her decision to bring
this building back to life.
Constructed on top of two authentic cave dwellings, the house
has two more stories built in the 16th century.
Accommodations are available in the grottoes, or above, in small
holiday apartments, and there is even an elegant suite with a terrace
overlooking the maze of Sassi below.
It was here that Jim Caviezel (the actor who played the role of
Christ in Mel Gibson’s movie the Passion) stayed for three months during
the filming. In the
center of town, Anna has opened up a restaurant in the Sasso that once
belonged to her grandmother. “La
Cantina di Lucio” serves up traditional Matera dishes. Casa di Lucio is a fascinating and
historically significant place to stay if one
is visiting the Sassi of Matera, but Anna’s warm hospitality is what
makes it so special.