Photo 1: Aragonese castle of Taranto
*** ATTENTION DON’T LOSE THE FINAL VIDEO*** 
18th and last stage of our cycling tour. From Taranto to Matera for a total of 82 km. There are so many because we have taken the wrong road due to missing directions near Mottola. We got about 10 km more in syrup, maybe even a little more. We followed the state road number 7 taken in Taranto after having crossed almost the whole city on sidewalks, as recommended by a resident of Taranto. The passage alongside Ilva, which the Taranto people still call Italsider, was impressive and we continued for a long time on state road 7, always very busy, very dangerous, not knowing other possibilities and having no other tracks indicated as cycling routes. As mentioned near Mottola we lost our way and continued along the state road 106, a 4-lane road, even more dangerous, as the last indications gave Matera, but on the detour to Castellaneta, not indicated (it seems to us, also confirmed by the inhabitants) not even that, we continued on the 106 and when we saw that we were coming back to the sea, we realized that something was wrong. About ten kilometers more, perhaps even more, and patience. Challenging climb to Castellaneta that leads from about 30 m above sea level to over 250 and then continues on the crest of a plateau with profusion of wind turbines. Continuing with gentle descents and ascents in a splendid hilly landscape, where you can admire the circling of countless hawks that throw themselves in the middle of the meadows to take their prey. In the midst of this bucolic landscape we arrived in Matera with the last stretch, prohibitive for us to pedal, we got off and not without difficulty, we turned around Matera in search of our last room of this trip.
Photo 2: Taranto swing bridge
Photo 3: Climb up the Murge and leave Puglia and enter another Italian region, Basilicata.
Photo 4: After the ascent of Castellaneta we cross a plateau that leads to Matera, with the last challenging climb that leads to the city.
Photo 5: Despite the effort, the smile never fails!
Photo 6: Here we are in Matera. We lodge in an ancient house, called “sasso”. It is practically carved out of the rock. Matera has been inhabited for 10,000 years, after Aleppo and Jericho, it is the third oldest city in the world inhabited continuously. So it is also the oldest European city !!
Photo 7: Our room inside the “Sasso”. Until the 1950s they were inhabited with very bad hygienic conditions. Here infant mortality was the highest in Italy. The people lived together with the animals and had no windows except the exit door, but the rooms near the door were occupied by the masters, while the inner rooms were occupied by the field workers, and the last room under the mountain was the stable.
Photo 8: The stones of Matera. A maze of narrow streets that climb up the mountain.
Photo 9: Matera. The church of San Francesco
Photo 10: Atrium of Palombaro Lungo, underground cistern for the collection of rain and spring water, rediscovered in 1991. Matera has numerous underground cisterns dug into the rock, and this is one of the characteristics that led it to be recognized as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Photo 11: Matera: The Sasso Caveoso
Photo 12: Matera. The Sasso Caveoso
Photo 13: The other part of Matera. Beyond the canyon that separates them, the Gravina, there is the other important part of Matera, the one in the Murgia. It is scattered with caves that were inhabited in the most ancient times of Matera. In the first centuries of Christianity they were inhabited by hermits who transformed them into rock churches and painted them with sacred representations. This very important site is also part of the World Heritage Site. On another visit I got to enter some of these churches and I will tell you about them in this post Matera città dei Sassi. Lato B
EPILOGUE
We thank all those who have followed us in these 1150 km of incredible adventure, for us who had never done it before. Undoubtedly a couple experience, because either you get along or fail. We believe it served to understand our characters even better, as defects and strengths emerge, and if you want to reach the finish line, you need to be united and try to understand the other. Thanks to everyone and we apologize if to someone we may have seemed excessive, a little crazy. We are like this and that is why we are happy, crazy people like us live happy and would like everyone to be happy and we try to do this also by sharing what we do. With affection Mariacristina and Paolo.
Photo 14: In Matera at night it seems to live inside a gigantic Christmas nativity scene.
Photo 15: San Pietro caveoso with much older caves on top with frescoed rock churches inside.
Photo 16: We ended our trip to Matera after 1,150 km, we are happy and proud of what we have done.
And here’s the video. ATTENTION!!! the final clip was taken from a live broadcast on Italian State TV RAI2 of the 100th Giro d’Italia for professional cyclists, where the commentator talked about our journey showing a photograph of us! These are satisfactions !!!
un abbraccio grande