Vanishing point
The ruler-straight lines of
the original Roman roads can be seen at many places
along the Via Appia. Here in the Matera province the
summer heat takes early afternoon temperatures well
over 40C (104F), when most people stay indoors and sleep
off lunch.
Chiesa del Purgatorio,
Matera
While the poor huddled in wretched caves in the Sassi
area, the wealthy built fine palaces and churches in
the upper part of town. The weathered Baroque façade
betrays the ravages of time as a priest places a heavy
iron key in the ancient doors, either to lock the poor
out or to protect the spirit within.
Hay rick
The vanishing art of assembling hay ricks was once a
source of local pride and each region still has a different
way of arranging hay to dry but the age of mechanization
and a diminishing interest in rural work have spelt
the impending demise of such regional diversities.
Taranto from the Parco
delle Remembranze
The Mare Piccolo, a lagoon surrounding the east side
of the ancient Spartan city of Taras, is largely given
over to oyster cultivation, an activity that has continued
since Greek times. The Romans founded the important
citadel of Tarentum near here; heavily bombed in the
second World War, it later developed a successful heavy
industry which has clearly left its grubby mark on the
local environment.
