Matera

Last stop: Matera in the region of Basilicata, the "instep" of Italy.

This is the view from my hotel room window at dawn.

Because the rock in this area is so soft, in prehistoric times, inhabitants simply carved into the stone to live.

My guess is that this is pretty much how it looked up until the 1950's, when residents of area were still living in the "Sassi" without running water or electricity. The Italian government relocated citizens to a modern part of town.

However, tourism has become an economic boom (re: people like me) and so the two main ravines which contained the majority of the "Sassi" have been restored, even gentrified, and hotels, restaurants and families have moved back into the region.

Oh, Italy, I love you so, errors and all.

The town of Metaponto was a major Greek city of Magna Grecia. This is the remnants of the Temple of Hera.

It is here on this spot that it is believed that Pythagoras lived his final years. This is purported to be his home and his tomb is here or nearby.

The morning I returned to Viterbo, I went for a tour of the Grotte Castellana. It was a 1.5 km walk in a cave to get to the most amazing "Grotto Bianco." Think white stalactites and stalagmites as far as the eye can see.