Page 5 - Italian American Herald - July 2020

FROM THE COVER
The fabled caves of Matera were first inhabited 9,000 years ago.
is probably the most unique Italian town. Located next to Bari, the small town of Alberobello has the oddest shaped cute little houses one would ever see in Europe, the Trulli. Unlike the traditional houses, the Trulli have a round form, they are always white, and have a cone roof made of gray stones. To keep their white color shiny clean, the houses are whitewashed every year. A curious fact is the stones forming them are put together without mortar, but with an old traditional secret technique. It’s quite an experience to walk on cobbled paved streets with nothing but Trulli on both sides. An experience one can only find in Alberobello.
Our next site just to Puglia’s west is the region of Basilicata, known by the Romans
as Lucania. Today the inhabitants of the region are still referred to as “lucani.” The UNESCO site “Sassi di Matera” which are
the cave homes of Matera which were first inhabited 9,000 years ago, 4,500 years before the earliest known Egyptian pyramids were constructed. Until the later parts of the 20th century, the town of Matera was “the shame” of Italy. People lived in caves, without running water, electricity or even sewage.
It was a book written by Carlo Levi, “Christ Stopped at Eboli,” which raised awareness
of the problem and forced the government
to move half of the 30,000 population to new homes in the modern part of the city. After the induction to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1993, Sassi di Matera became a popular tourist destination. Since it’s one of the few places in the world where you can sleep, eat and even drink some cocktails in a cave, I would say its fame is well deserved.
Our last UNESCO site we will feature takes us to the Alps. Actually, it is not really
a site, it’s a train ride! But the Rhaetian Railway is not your regular train ride. With multiple passes over viaducts and bridges and dozens of tunnels and covered galleries, all of them in the beauty of the central Alps, this train ride is arguably the most scenic one in the world, and this UNESCO attraction is free for everyone. Yes, fare free!
Who knows which, and how many, UNESCO sites in Italy have left a mark in the hearts of millions of foreign visitors; who knows just how many places Italians would like to popularize and protect for future generations? When the dark days of COVID-19 are a thing of past, no doubt will see Italy “rise like a phoenix from the ashes.” IAH
at least three days to be able to see most of the landmarks and catch the soul of the city.
Sicily can boast of having seven UNESCO sites. With limited space, it was difficult to choose which one to consider. Having called Sicily my home for the first decade of this century, I picked the one to which I can best relate: Mount Etna, which was listed as a UNESCO site in 2013 for its huge geological,
scientific and cultural value. Mount Etna
is the most active and the highest volcano in Europe and has been recognized World Heritage Site on basis of its intense and persistent volcanic activity, as well as for the fundamental role within the Mediterranean bio-geographical region.
Heading up Italy’s Southeastern coast into the region of Puglia we come to what
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