Sassi and Murgia

 Took a long walk through the Sassi...

...along the edges of those neighborhoods...

...down to the Gravina River...

...across the Tibetan Bridge...

...and back up the mountainside into Murgia Park, with its stunning view back to Matera. I love how you can see all the caves in the hill below where the more developed building takes over.

The view of the river was pretty spectacular, too.

Back in the town, the sun was getting low and, just, wow.

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.

Old and new

They discovered remains of the ancient agora in central Athens when they were building the train/subway lines. The old and new look so strange juxtaposed, and yet in their own weird way they now belong together.

It's time to say a bittersweet goodbye to Greece and to my travel companions. Sad the trip is over, but bursting with wonderful memories. And now I'll be heading to the other side of the Ionian on my own...

Athens

I spent a day (or two?) in Athens in 1998, but barely remember it. So this visit, though it was jarring to be in the big city after the peace and quiet of the islands, was pretty darn wonderful. 

Highlights: Lycabettus Hill for dinner at Orizontes Restaurant, with a view of the Acropolis...

...and then the Acropolis itself, for a late afternoon visit that was basically perfection.

Not too shabby, Athens! Not. Too. Shabby.

Milos (III)

 Sarakiniko...

+ the view from the ruins of the ancient theater...

+ Pollonia by night...

+ Tripiki by morning...

+ Klima fishing village...

= Milos Heaven.