If you’re anywhere in the area, you pretty much have to check out Matera. It’s been continuously occupied since the Palaeolithic era (!), making it the oldest city in Italy and in Europe.
It’s also absolutely stunning to look at, and has been featured in films like No Time to Die and Wonder Woman.
I will say that, given its history and distinctive cityscape, it shouldn’t be surprising to hear that it’s absolutely swarming with tourists. It’s one of those places that feels like it’s primarily for travellers to gawk at, with no real sense that people actually live there.
This means that most of the restaurants seem like varying degrees of tourist trap; I checked out a place that specializes in pasta called Pasteggiando, and it was fine. Nothing about it particularly stood out, but for seven Euros for a pretty substantial plate of pasta, it’s hard to complain too much.
And clearly, no one is here for food. You’re here for this:
