THE WHODUNIT WANDERER, DR. MANJIRI PRABHU*
It’s Christmas time, and instead of snowy landscapes and sparkling Christmas trees, I am reminded of my trip to Matera, Italy, a few years ago.
The first time I ever heard of Matera was when I was invited to attend the International Women’s Fiction Festival. My curiosity grew as I saw pictures of stark, rocky landscapes—so unlike the Italy I had experienced on past travels. But it was only when I arrived that I realized the full impact of being in Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
From Paris to Bari by flight and then an hour’s drive to Matera, I was exhausted by the time I arrived late in the evening in this historic town. The driver dropped off my bags in a cobbled square illuminated by orange-yellow streetlights. A long flight of uneven, cobbled stairs wound steeply down between houses and into eternity. I stared in dismay at my heavy bags. Having traveled for a fortnight, it hadn’t occurred to me that wheeled bags would be useless in Matera. Luckily, the helpful receptionist of my hotel appeared magically just then and gallantly carried my bags down the 100-odd steps. By the time we reached the hotel, he was breathless but smiling—a young man with a kind heart.
My hotel room, located at the top of a curving flight of steps (yes, more climbing), was my first introduction to the ‘cave’ culture of this fascinating town. The room was huge, resembling a scooped-out sitting area, which led into a spacious, high rock-ceilinged bedroom. Even the hotel reception, lobby, and dining area were carved out of the rock. I was instantly transported to the Flintstone era and completely captivated by the unusual surroundings.
Matera is considered one of the three oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world—and what an incredible place to experience!
Every day brought a unique journey of discovery. Fascinating décor featuring boats, bottles, and anchors; quaint squares lined with outdoor restaurants; cobbled streets that dipped and rose steeply, vanishing into the hillside; old churches like Monacelle, where the festival was held; and the breathtaking valley views—everything held me spellbound.
The vast town of Matera looked like an abandoned stone village by day, but as the evening light turned golden, it lit up like a magnificent, bejeweled tapestry. As a pamphlet aptly described it, Matera transformed into “a giant Nativity scene.”
I soon learned some interesting facts about Matera. It has been a World Heritage Site since 1993, especially the Sassi district with its cave dwellings and churches carved from rock. Sassi is Italian for “stones.” People lived in these caves until the 1950s, often in stark poverty, before the government relocated them. Today, Sassi is an incredible, complex, and fascinating network of rock streets, dwellings, hotels, churches, stairways—you name it. It has also been a favorite location for biblical films, including The Gospel According to St. Matthew and Mel Gibson’s Oscar-winning The Passion of the Christ (2004). Matera, with its resemblance to a 2,000-year-old Jerusalem, provides the perfect setting for such films.
During the weekdays, Matera felt abandoned and lonely, as if waiting for something or someone. The deserted streets and eerie silences left me wondering. And then, by Friday evening, it transformed. Rock shows sprang up in every square, pantomime processions and dancers filled the streets, and restaurants overflowed with visitors and laughter. The two faces of Matera—its quiet solitude and its lively festivities—struck me as exceptional. The transformation from silence to celebration was astonishing. I fell in love with Matera and its Sasso Caveoso (the cave Sassi)—earthy, dark, and fairytale-like—a place like no other.
The caves and caverns of Matera, with their almost biblical landscapes, bring me back to this moment. It’s a town that evokes the essence of Jesus and lends itself naturally to telling his stories. As the pamphlet claimed, the changing light from dawn to dusk indeed transforms the historic town into a giant Nativity scene. The spirit of a glittering Christmas lives on in this stark but alluring landscape of stones and caves. Years later, when I think of Jesus and Christmas, my thoughts spontaneously return to Matera.
Cover photo: By Bönisch, CC BY-SA 2.0
*Dr. Manjiri Prabhu is an award-winning international author, short filmmaker, and the curator & founder/director of two international festivals.
