In Gravina

April 24, 2023

Today may have been our favorite day of the tour so far. We really like Gravina, and can imagine coming back again some year and using it as a base for a longer stay. There are attractive hiking and biking options in all directions, the setting is nothing short of spectacular, it’s the right size for us, it’s vibrant and interesting without being awash in tourists, it has some appealing restaurants. It’s pretty wonderful really, and well deserves Rocky’s very enthusiastic two thumbs up:

When I planned out this stay I imagined taking a bike ride west into hilly Basilicata; but once we arrived and looked around it felt obvious that if we only had one full day here it was best spent on foot. Our thinking on this was reinforced yesterday by carrying the bikes up a flight of steep and narrow stairs to our apartment - the idea of carrying them down and up again unnecessarily wasn’t appealing. We parked them on the narrow balcony outside overlooking the famous bridge and gave them both a break.

We have a room with a dramatic view, if you poke your head out the door to the balcony and look around.

The day didn’t go exactly as we imagined when we first plotted it out. With the prospect of showers or a brief thunderstorm in the early afternoon, we decided to each take a walk in the morning and return in time for an afternoon lunch during the potentially rainy period. We mapped out different routes for ourselves - a longer one for Rachael of course, climbing up into the hills on the other side of the gorge while mine circled back through town - but they both began with an exploration of the west side of the gorge and the archeological park with its remains from prehistoric civilizations.

Our plans changed though when we both spent longer along this stretch of the gorge than we had imagined. It’s quite a remarkable place, as you might remember from Susan Carpenter’s visit almost exactly an year ago. I know of no other place quite like this, where you wander freely over, around and into the stony remains of prehistoric civilizations, all the while taking care that you don’t topple over the edge into the hundred meter deep ravine.

Rachael quickly pulled ahead as I took my time stopping every few feet for another shot of the archeological remains or the fantastic views down the ravine or back to the town or the phenomenal wildflower displays; but our paths crossed when she doubled back, and after that we walked together back to the town. By then it was late enough in the morning that it made more sense to go back to the room, use the facilities, and start thinking about lunch.

We hadn’t been back in the room for long when Rachael was off again, checking to see if Mamma Mia Trattoria was open for lunch. With its position right on the edge of the ravine it would make a spectacular spot to enjoy your meal. It’s not for us though, for today at least - it’s fully booked - as is Trattoria Zia Rosa, as were the next few places she checked. In fact, the town is packed again today and the market is still on, even though it’s a Monday. I assumed at first that this was because tomorrow is a national holiday (Liberation Day) and this is more or less a long holiday weekend. It’s not that though - by chance we’re here for the 729th edition of the Festival of San Giorgio, one of the oldest fairs in Italy. If we’d chosen to focus on it, this post could really be centered on the festival instead - the first one in three years, restarting the ancient tradition after a three year hiatus for Covid. It’s a good thing we booked a room as early as we did, or we might not have been staying here.

After Rachael returned from her frustrating outing we had a snack lunch and then I went out again to see if I could make a reservation for dinner instead. I found one at Zia Rosa and then spent the next hour wandering through the city’s amazing maze of narrow streets, alleys, staircases and dead ends. It’s a town that merits a much longer look than the brief one I gave it.

There’s a story here. This woman and I will be held up by that car, which is oh so carefully inching down the road, navigated by the man whose head you see peeking over it. There can’t be more than a centimeter of clearance between the curb and tire on both sides.

Doesn’t look like. Suitable B&B for a bike traveler.

Reversing time. If I stare at it long enough, will I become a young man again?

Closed today, but I probably couldn’t get past their height restriction anyway.

This morning’s walk along the gorge was spectacular, but the afternoon’s surpassed it - easily the best hike of the tour so far. We picked up on the second half of Rachael’s morning route and headed west into the hills on a well marked, well maintained walking trail: the Via Peuceta, the 170 km walking route from Bari to Matera. We only covered a few miles on it today, but judging by this section it would be a spectacular route for a much longer walk. If we used Gravina as a base again someday, we could probably make Matera on. Long day and take a bus or taxi back.

The light was getting low on the horizon when we dropped back into town, giving the landscape an ethereal glow that made me think of that magical morning in Yorkshire last summer when Rachael and I got out at the crack of dawn to avoid the heat on the hottest day of the year.

Dinner at Zia Rosa was outstanding. If this post wasn’t overly long already we’d be seeing food photos of my orecchiette with turnip greens and anchovies and of Rachael’s impressive sea bass fillet with roasted potatoes. Afterwards we stopped in at the frozen yogurt shop and then stumbled back to our room, getting lost and dead-ended more than once in Gravina’s mystifying maze. Wandering around in the near dark with live music still echoing through the streets and the evening’s chill setting in was both frustrating and magical. It reminded me of probably my favorite memory from Venice from over twenty years ago, wandering its streets and getting a bit lost in the dark on the way back from a concert.

And one last statistical note on a spectacular day: Rachael proudly reports that she totaled 13.5 miles with 1,800’ of climbing from her combined walks today. I covered just a bit less.

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Rachel and Patrick HugensLove how you guys explore where you are!
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1 year ago

Scott AndersonTo Rachel and Patrick HugensYup. Love the one you’re with, Stephen Stills told us years ago.
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1 year ago

Janice BranhamSpectacular photos. You really pack a lot into a day.
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1 year ago