Matera 2
This not often captured view of the Sassi di Matera shows the Gravina di Matera, a deep ravine that follows the edge of the Sassi separating the old city from the monastic hermitages and rock churches that form the outwards view from the core. This area is now protected as Parco della Murgia Materana a regional park that was recently established during the 90’s it contains over 150 rock churches and the remains of early civilization dating back to the Paleolithic period.
As you can see from the small stream running through the gorge this would not have been enough water to supply the needs of the people living here so they constructed an ingenious water collection system that harvested the rainfall and collected it into subterranean cisterns. Besides storing the water long term in cisterns there were many channels cut and water canals diverted to supply immediate needs for livestock and hanging gardens that kept the population fed.
Under Piazza Vittorio Veneto lies the largest cistern found so far in the Sassi, built in 1832 carved out of solid rock it stands 15m in height with floor to ceiling pillars hewn out of the bed rock and can be explored by boat. Besides this massive water cathedral there are scores of smaller cisterns scattered everywhere throughout the old city with most of those having been turned into homes with the advent of modern plumbing reaching the Sassi they were utilized to service the growing population.
I took this on Oct 9th, 2018 with my D750 and Nikon 28-300mm f3.5-5.6 Lens at 32mm 1/30s f`16 ISO 100 processed in LR, PS +Lumenzia, Topaz , and DXO
Disclaimer: My style is a study of romantic realism as well as a work in progress
Matera 2
This not often captured view of the Sassi di Matera shows the Gravina di Matera, a deep ravine that follows the edge of the Sassi separating the old city from the monastic hermitages and rock churches that form the outwards view from the core. This area is now protected as Parco della Murgia Materana a regional park that was recently established during the 90’s it contains over 150 rock churches and the remains of early civilization dating back to the Paleolithic period.
As you can see from the small stream running through the gorge this would not have been enough water to supply the needs of the people living here so they constructed an ingenious water collection system that harvested the rainfall and collected it into subterranean cisterns. Besides storing the water long term in cisterns there were many channels cut and water canals diverted to supply immediate needs for livestock and hanging gardens that kept the population fed.
Under Piazza Vittorio Veneto lies the largest cistern found so far in the Sassi, built in 1832 carved out of solid rock it stands 15m in height with floor to ceiling pillars hewn out of the bed rock and can be explored by boat. Besides this massive water cathedral there are scores of smaller cisterns scattered everywhere throughout the old city with most of those having been turned into homes with the advent of modern plumbing reaching the Sassi they were utilized to service the growing population.
I took this on Oct 9th, 2018 with my D750 and Nikon 28-300mm f3.5-5.6 Lens at 32mm 1/30s f`16 ISO 100 processed in LR, PS +Lumenzia, Topaz , and DXO
Disclaimer: My style is a study of romantic realism as well as a work in progress