Stone Age, ancient times, Middle Ages – in the far south of Italy, in Apulia and Basilicata, millenia-old history is joined by superb landscapes. A small, winding side road forms the culmination of the coach ride from the port of Bari to the cave dwellings in the town of stone, Matera, the 2019 European Capital of Culture. 

A barren, deserted high plateau and low vegetation. Here and there a walled farmyard. We go through the Parco della Murgia Materana, a sparse, stony landscape located far in the south of Italy between Bari and the beaches of the Ionian Sea. Giuseppe Daraio steers the three-axle Mercedes-Benz Tourismo skilfully round the tight bends. The 455 BHP Euro 6 engine combined with the Powershift GO 250 automatic transmission effortlessly propels the fully occupied coach towards the mountains. On board are cruise passengers who got off the ship in the port of Bari and boarded the coach operated by the southern Italian bus company, Grassani, for a day trip. 

Passing the famous Basilica di San Nicola and the Norman-Hohenstaufen Castle in Bari, the capital of Apulia, the route took us on well-developed roads to start with, going slightly uphill towards Altamura, whose medieval centre with its narrow alleys and historic buildings gives a sense of this region’s former importance. After little more than an hour, the motorway-like SS99 gives way to the much narrower Strada Statale 7. The gentle, hilly landscape up to here now looks steeper and more rugged. And then, three kilometres further, Giuseppe Daraio suddenly turns his Tourismo off to the right onto a small side road. “Parco della Murgia Materana” says the signpost to the turn-off.

The narrow road through the nature reserve twists in bends going uphill and Giuseppe has his hands full dodging the oncoming cars and buses on the tight stretch of road. Now, early in the morning, there is a surprising amount of traffic on the minor road. The destination: the Belvedere di Murgia Timone. This viewpoint is on an elevation opposite Matera, the city of stone and 2019 European Capital of Culture. From the square above the Gravina canyon, the visitors have a breathtaking view of the famous cave dwellings, the Sassi, whose white tuff stone is now being bathed in a colourful display of warm shades of light by the sunrise.

The Sassi, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are settlements whose origin dates back to the Neolithic period. Over the course of history, people carved out living spaces, cisterns, stables, temples and chapels in the rock. The houses were still inhabited in the 1950s but with no electricity, sewage system or running water they were a national disgrace, which is why the government ordered the relocation by law. It was not until the 1980s that the extraordinary architecture was rediscovered, with many buildings from the Neolithic period, the Norman-Hohenstaufen period, and the baroque and renaissance period being restored and partly converted into accommodation or restaurants. The two ancient quarters were filled with new touristic and cultural life. Today they are one of the most popular destinations for international tourism.

Since its nomination as European Capital of Culture, Matera has attracted more and more visitors, such as the passengers from some North American cruise ships that dock in the nearby ports of Bari and Brindisi. The coach company, Grassani, based in Grassano a few kilometres from Matera and which recently extended its fleet by five Mercedes Tourismo coaches, regularly transfers cruise tourists to the inland region, where they get to see the Matera’s splendour. 

Driver Giuseppe Daraio has been part of the company’s team for 30 years. He knows the countryside and the small, winding roads around Matera like the back of his hand. When the sun has risen far above the horizon and his passengers get back on board with countless photos of the Sassi of Matera in the bag, he guides his 13-metre long Tourismo slickly back through the sparse, elevated landscape of the Parco della Murgia Materana, past low vegetation, craggy rocks and here and there a walled farmyard.