Italy - The Caves of Zungri

Italy - The Caves of Zungri

We head inland. The roads get narrower, much narrower. The town crossings are now met with cries of "Oh no!", just like in the south of England.

But we have a goal: the caves of Zungri. Opening hours in winter only until shortly after noon, we learn and know about the strictly observed siesta.

In the smallest of spaces and in a unique atmosphere, the journey back in time takes us back a thousand(e) years. The cave settlement, called "Grotte", covers almost 3,000 m², and its origin is actually still unexplained to this day.

There are two hypotheses: a settlement founded by oriental peoples or an outpost of the nearby castron of Mesiano, which served as a production site and camp. Built and modified over the centuries, the traces of settlement probably date back to the 8th to 12th centuries. Here, caves hewn into the rock and bricked up served as dwellings, stables, wine and quicklime stores or granaries.

If we first thought small signs = small caves, we learn how we were fooled. For one and a half hours we wander - all alone again - through the caves, er, excuse me, grottos. Many of the holes in the earth are roofless, plants and bushes are taking back what once belonged to them. The view is magnificent, the location sheltered. We dream of minimalism and the simplicity of times past, and yet we are grateful that our Felix is equipped with heating, a cooker and a shower.

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In the adjoining museum we find a wealth of objects reflecting local folk culture of the 19th and 20th centuries, arranged according to themes such as agriculture, weaving, blacksmithing, clothing and household goods. Three rooms are filled with agricultural implements, old production machines and many other objects from the everyday life of the cave and farming culture.

I was particularly fascinated by the needlework corner. Again and again I think how elaborate it used to be (and still is, but mostly invisible to us) to make the simplest garments.

On leaving the museum, the museum employee gives us the tip to stroll through the small village, where it is somehow fashionable to have the doors painted by artists. And so, on the way to our rolling cave, we pass many works of art that somehow add a little glamour to the little town.

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Merci for "travelling with us

We are thinking about taking another break from travelling in the summer and visiting our families in Germany and Switzerland. One of the ideas is to organise a Lecture about our long journey to the Persian Gulf to prepare. If you would like to, what would interest you the most? We will also tell stories here that don't find a place here on the blog. We're thinking of the Bern and Berlin area - simply because we have family there. But other places are also conceivable. Feel free to write to us.

By the way, we are travelling through Iran. It's possible that we won't be writing posts at all or will be late. We first have to see if it works for us. And whether we can even manage to write down all the fantastic impressions in good time.

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Sabine End
Sabine End
1 year ago

Hello you two,
It's great that you discovered Zungri.
A real Calabrian gem.
If you're not ready, go to Ginosa, not Matera.
I'm curious to see where else you've drifted off to.
Best wishes and great onward journey
Sabine

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