Matera

I'm still not sure how I had never even HEARD of Matera, the southern Italian city that was Europe's Cultural City of 2019. It's a stunner with a riveting history...from the early human agrarians who settled in this fertile river valley to the people still living in limestone caves (sassi) in the ancient town center until after WWII, in conditions more similar to those of the Middle Ages than the 20th Century. Seriously, do a little googling. Riveting. And today, utterly beautiful.

The ancient cistern system still exists under the modern town...

...and it was amazing to be able to go underground to see them.

Back up in the sunshine and letting myself get a little lost among staircases and arches and alleyways,

I kept surprisingly popping back out to another stunning viewpoint and having to regain my bearings, confused at how I'd ended up in one part of the city from where I'd started.

Oh, and it's just as beautiful by night.