Maria Ceprano
Program Director
Department of Elementary Education and Reading
Department of Elementary Education and Reading
Today we left the B&B at 7:30 to board the bus to an astonishing place: Matera, a city which has recently been chosen as the cultural center of Italy and the World till 2019, and has been noted as an "international tourist destination" by Mel Gibson, who used the Sassi ( the caves in the rocks) as the set for the "passion of Christ" because the scenery seemed to reflect the appearance of ancient Jerusalem. Matera has had inhabitants since Palaeolithic times, however the city began its role as a city in the middle ages. It was invaded several times including the Saracens, who destroyed it, and taken over in 1042 by William the Conqueror. The invasions apparently continued but people continued to live in the houses in the caves till about 1956. These houses, are clustered around open spaces forming neighborhoods with cisterns which gather rain water used for various purposes including drinking water. Visiting one of these abandoned houses caused reflection on what is deemed poverty-- a home no bigger than what people today would consider a large bedroom was shared by 6 or more people and animals ( a donkey perhaps) used for labor--No TV, no phones no wifi. It rained as we toured the city climbing the rough hewn streets and steps up and down to see the city of sassi from various perspectives. Looking at the river the rivulet that runs at the very bottom level was reminiscent of viewing places in the vicinity of the Grand Canyon
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AuthorDr. Ceprano is a retired Professor of Reading and the English Language Arts at Buffalo State College. She developed the IPDS-Italy connection through her Spring 2014 sabbatical. Archives
January 2018
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