{"id":3660,"date":"2013-01-02T14:44:52","date_gmt":"2013-01-02T13:44:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/walks.friday.ie\/?p=3660"},"modified":"2024-11-13T19:44:30","modified_gmt":"2024-11-13T19:44:30","slug":"matera-italy-sassi-travel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/matera-italy-sassi-travel","title":{"rendered":"Matera, Italy: 7 Tips You Need to Know Before Visiting"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_3661\" style=\"width: 490px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Matera-for-web-1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3661\" class=\" wp-image-3661 \" title=\"Matera in Italy\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Matera-for-web-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"320\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3661\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Matera, a hauntingly beautiful town in Italy<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Famous for its\u00a0<em>sassi\u00a0<\/em>and stunning landscapes, Matera, located on the border of Basilicata and Puglia, is one of our favorite cities in Italy. It&#8217;s not only breathtaking, but fascinating: Its history goes back more than 30,000 years.<\/p>\n<p>Did we mention that it&#8217;s\u00a0much\u00a0easier to than you think?<\/p>\n<p>Here are the top 7 reasons you should add Matera to your the itinerary of your next Italy trip! And if you like UNESCO World Heritage sites (who doesn&#8217;t?) don&#8217;t forget to \u00a0i you want to read our <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/all-around-italy\/unesco-world-heritage-sites-southern-italy-sicily-puglia-amalfi-coast\">blog on the other\u00a0jaw-dropping UNESCO World Heritage sites in southern Italy<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/matera-italy-sassi-travel\/#Facts_about_Matera_Italy\" >Facts about Matera, Italy<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/matera-italy-sassi-travel\/#Materas_famous_sassi_arent_what_you_think_they_are\" >Matera&#8217;s famous sassi\u00a0aren&#8217;t what you think they are<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/matera-italy-sassi-travel\/#Aside_from_Petra_Jordan_Matera_is_the_oldest_continuously-inhabited_settlement_in_history\" >Aside from Petra, Jordan, Matera is the oldest continuously-inhabited settlement in history<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/matera-italy-sassi-travel\/#Matera_is_where_The_Passion_of_the_Christ_was_filmed\" >Matera is where The Passion of the Christ\u00a0was filmed<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/matera-italy-sassi-travel\/#In_Matera_the_living_wasnt_always_easy\" >In Matera, the living wasn&#8217;t always easy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/matera-italy-sassi-travel\/#Nows_the_time_to_see_Materas_stone_churches%E2%80%A6_but_please_dont_touch_the_frescoes\" >Now&#8217;s the time to see Matera&#8217;s stone churches&#8230; but please, don&#8217;t touch the frescoes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/matera-italy-sassi-travel\/#If_you_dont_like_stairs_you_might_not_like_Matera\" >If you don&#8217;t like stairs, you might not like Matera<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/matera-italy-sassi-travel\/#How_to_get_to_Matera\" >How to get to Matera<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Facts_about_Matera_Italy\"><\/span>Facts about Matera, Italy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Materas_famous_sassi_arent_what_you_think_they_are\"><\/span>Matera&#8217;s famous <em>sassi\u00a0<\/em>aren&#8217;t what you think they are<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_3663\" style=\"width: 430px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/matera-basilicata3.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3663\" class=\" wp-image-3663 \" title=\"The sassi of Matera\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/matera-basilicata3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"279\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/matera-basilicata3.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/matera-basilicata3-768x510.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3663\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The sassi of Matera<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Many people think that <a href=\"https:\/\/whc.unesco.org\/en\/list\/670\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Matera&#8217;s cave dwellings are called<\/a> <em>&#8220;sassi.&#8221;<\/em>They&#8217;re not.\u00a0The\u00a0<em>sassi <\/em>(literally meaning &#8220;stones&#8221;) actually refer to the two\u00a0<em>neighborhoods\u00a0<\/em>of stone dwellings in the ancient town.<\/p>\n<p>These dwellings, by the way, don&#8217;t always\u00a0<em>look<\/em> like caves from the outside. (The caves you see in some pictures, like this one to the right, are Palaeolithic caves located across the ravine from Matera&#8217;s ancient center).<\/p>\n<p>Instead, these dwellings, carved into the rock,\u00a0look like homes piled one on top of the other. (Their interiors, though, often feel cave-like). It&#8217;s an ingenious, and space-saving, design: Step onto one of the narrow lanes between houses, and you&#8217;re actually standing on the roof of the house below. It&#8217;s also smart when it comes to sharing water, since water would be gathered on the plateau above the town and then come down so that the entire community could share it.<\/p>\n<p>Two main quarters sprung up in Matera that were built this way&#8230; and <em>these<\/em>\u00a0are the two\u00a0<em>sassi.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Aside_from_Petra_Jordan_Matera_is_the_oldest_continuously-inhabited_settlement_in_history\"><\/span>Aside from Petra, Jordan, Matera is the oldest continuously-inhabited settlement in history<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_3669\" style=\"width: 430px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Matera-web-7.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3669\" class=\" wp-image-3669 \" title=\"The ancient caves of Matera\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Matera-web-7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"280\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3669\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Palaeolithic caves of Matera<\/p><\/div>\n<p>We call the oldest period in human history the &#8220;Palaeolithic period,&#8221; a time when woolly mammoths roamed the earth and the last Ice Age was just winding down. And guess what? This is when people first settled in Matera. (We&#8217;re talking at around about 15,000 B.C.).<\/p>\n<p>What makes Matera different from other Palaeolithic settlements, though, is that those inhabitants, and their ancestors, never left. Instead, they dug in\u2014quite literally. In the Iron and Bronze Ages, newly-equipped with metal tools, settlers dug underground caverns, cisterns, and tombs in the landscape&#8217;s soft volcanic stone (called\u00a0<em>tufa<\/em>).<em>\u00a0<\/em>Famously, they also dug dwellings.<\/p>\n<p>Those dwellings, and those people, remained throughout the later waves of rulers and empires, from Greeks to Romans to Byzantines. They (and their descendants) are still there today&#8230; even though some things are a little different.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Matera_is_where_The_Passion_of_the_Christ_was_filmed\"><\/span>Matera is where <em>The Passion of the Christ\u00a0<\/em>was filmed<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Because of Matera&#8217;s unearthly, ancient beauty, Mel Gibson chose it as the setting for his 2004\u00a0<em>The Passion of the Christ.\u00a0<\/em>He&#8217;s not the first director to have set a Biblical film here: Pasolini&#8217;s\u00a0<em>The Gospel According to St. Matthew\u00a0<\/em>(1964),\u00a0Beresford&#8217;s\u00a0<em>King David\u00a0<\/em>(1985), and Hardwicke&#8217;s\u00a0<em>The Nativity Story\u00a0<\/em>(2006) were all filmed here, as well.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In_Matera_the_living_wasnt_always_easy\"><\/span>In Matera, the living wasn&#8217;t always easy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_3670\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/6987407034_e26cdf7962.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3670\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3670\" title=\"Life in Matera's cave dwellings\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/6987407034_e26cdf7962.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"323\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3670\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Life in Matera&#8217;s stone dwellings: not always so romantic (photo courtesy of Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Today, Matera seems incredibly romantic. But it wasn&#8217;t always this way. Even now, you can imagine the difficulties of living in the town&#8217;s ancient\u00a0<em>sassi:\u00a0<\/em>Homes, stores and churches are connected via narrow paths or stairs, so forget driving from your house to the grocery store. For those used to modern conveniences, living in a stone dwelling in Matera would be challenging!<\/p>\n<p>In the 19th and early 20th centuries, poverty also was rife in Matera, as for so much of southern Italy. People lived in one-room stone homes\u2014or, yes, caves\u2014without heat or plumbing, often with donkeys or other animals sharing the same space. (For the curious, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.casagrotta.it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario<\/a>\u00a0shows what living in the 1950s would have been like).\u00a0Malaria was rife.\u00a0Conditions were so bad that, in 1952, the government of Italy passed a law forcing Matera&#8217;s dwellers out of their old quarters and into new, modern buildings. This &#8220;new Matera&#8221; still exists, up the hill from the ancient\u00a0<em>sassi,\u00a0<\/em>and it&#8217;s where the vast majority of Matera&#8217;s residents live today.<\/p>\n<p>But in 1993, the area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. And as Matera has gotten more popular, people have started moving back into the\u00a0<em>sassi,\u00a0<\/em>restoring the stone homes and even opening them as luxury hotels. If Matera&#8217;s 19th- and early-20th century inhabitants could see their town now, they&#8217;d be astonished!<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Nows_the_time_to_see_Materas_stone_churches%E2%80%A6_but_please_dont_touch_the_frescoes\"><\/span>Now&#8217;s the time to see Matera&#8217;s stone churches&#8230; but please, don&#8217;t touch the frescoes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_3665\" style=\"width: 490px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/madonna-di-idris-matera.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3665\" class=\" wp-image-3665 \" title=\"The rupestrian church of Madonna di Idris in Matera\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/madonna-di-idris-matera.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/madonna-di-idris-matera.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/madonna-di-idris-matera-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3665\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The rupestrian church of Madonna di Idris in Matera<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The churches of Matera, like the homes, are carved into stone. (These types of churches are called &#8220;rupestrian churches&#8221;). They date back to the Middle Ages; many have their interiors covered in vibrant frescoes.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3664\" style=\"width: 298px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/ITA-Rupe-2.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3664\" class=\" wp-image-3664 \" title=\"Fresco in a rupestrian church in Matera\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/ITA-Rupe-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"288\" height=\"216\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3664\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A damaged, but still vibrant, fresco in one of Matera&#8217;s rupestrian churches<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Fascinating and eerie, these churches are also, unfortunately, in not-so-hot shape. While some restorations have taken place, the frescoes remain extremely delicate. And something that&#8217;s making them worse? Damage caused by tourists\u2014particularly from touching them. (Frescoes are especially sensitive to moisture, so the natural oils from your skin damage the artwork). In one church after another, you can see where the frescoes have all but completely disappeared in the parts where people have grabbed onto them, such as around doorframes.<\/p>\n<p>So please, go see the frescoes now, before they disappear. Contribute to their future restoration with your admission ticket price. And never, ever touch them.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"If_you_dont_like_stairs_you_might_not_like_Matera\"><\/span>If you don&#8217;t like stairs, you might not like Matera<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>At least, you might not want to stay in its <em>sassi.\u00a0<\/em>To get around, even just from your hotel to a church, you\u00a0<em>will\u00a0<\/em>be climbing stairs. Lots of them. And forget about handicap accessibility.<\/p>\n<p>So bring your walking shoes, and prepare to work up a sweat&#8230; especially if you&#8217;re visiting in the summer. (Because this is Italy&#8217;s south, it can be relatively hot even through the end of September).<\/p>\n<p>You have been warned!<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3666\" style=\"width: 312px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Matera-web-6.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3666\" class=\"wp-image-3666 \" title=\"Stairs in sassi of Matera\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Matera-web-6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"302\" height=\"202\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3666\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Coming to Matera? Expect to climb some stairs!<\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_get_to_Matera\"><\/span>How to get to Matera<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This is something that even seasoned Italy travelers don&#8217;t realize: Matera\u00a0<em>is\u00a0<\/em>connected by train to Italy&#8217;s other towns. However, even though no train to Matera comes up on the Trenitalia website, you <em>don&#8217;t\u00a0<\/em>need a car or bus to get there.<\/p>\n<p>Confusion comes in because if you go to the Trenitalia website and plug in, say, &#8220;Rome&#8221; to &#8220;Matera,&#8221; no solutions come up. But that&#8217;s not because there isn&#8217;t a train station here. (There is!). It&#8217;s because it&#8217;s not on the\u00a0<em>national\u00a0<\/em>rail system.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, if you want to travel by train, the easiest way is to first get to Bari (which is connected to the national system, so you can look up times and prices on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.trenitalia.it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trenitalia site<\/a>; it&#8217;s a 4-hour train ride from Rome to Bari). Then\u00a0go to the regional train site, <a href=\"https:\/\/ferrovieappulolucane.it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ferrovie Appulo Lucane<\/a>, putting in &#8220;Bari Centrale&#8221; as your starting point and &#8220;Matera Centrale&#8221; as your endpoint. A number of solutions pop up; the ride takes between 1 hour and 15 minutes and 1.5 hours, and the price is nominal (something like 2 euros). From the train station, it&#8217;s about a 15-minute walk to the\u00a0<em>sassi<\/em> of Matera.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3667\" style=\"width: 430px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Matera-for-web-4.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3667\" class=\" wp-image-3667 \" title=\"The train station in Bari\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Matera-for-web-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3667\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The train station in Bari with trains to Matera<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Note that the trains to Matera do\u00a0<em>not\u00a0<\/em>leave from the main part of the Bari Centrale station, but from a smaller station just outside the main one. When you walk outside onto the piazza outside the station, just look to your left, and you should see a building with the words\u00a0&#8220;Ferrovie Appulo Lucane.&#8221; That&#8217;s where you want to go.<\/p>\n<p>Because this is a smaller train service, on holidays and Sundays, it might not run. In that case, there&#8217;s a bus from Bari to Matera; just ask at the station.<\/p>\n<p>There are also buses to Matera from Rome, Ancona, Florence, and Milan\u2014but in general, we&#8217;ve found the train is the fastest, cheapest way to get there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Famous for its\u00a0sassi\u00a0and stunning landscapes, Matera, located on the border of Basilicata and Puglia, is one of our favorite cities in Italy. It&#8217;s not only breathtaking, but fascinating: Its history goes back more than 30,000 years. Did we mention that it&#8217;s\u00a0much\u00a0easier to than you think? Here are the top 7 reasons you should add Matera [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3661,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[92],"ppma_author":[155],"class_list":["post-3660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-things-to-do","tag-puglia"],"authors":[{"term_id":155,"user_id":3,"is_guest":0,"slug":"walksofitaly","display_name":"Walks of Italy","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9f4cd4dd0c5ab4b4bae57f3500298e23?s=96&d=mm&r=g","user_url":"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog","last_name":"of Italy","first_name":"Walks","job_title":"","description":"Walks began life as the passion project of two guys with one simple mission: To share their love for, and knowledge of, the city of Rome. Since then, Walks has grown into a team of over 100 ground staff and at any time up to 600 guides, operating across 13 of the world\u2019s most exciting cities (and counting!)\r\n\r\nToday we provide some of the most exclusive and beautifully designed small group tours in the industry through Italy-based Walks of Italy and around the world at Walks, where we offer special access to some of the world\u2019s most iconic landmarks and attractions as well as unique cultural experiences."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3660"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3660"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3660\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22175,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3660\/revisions\/22175"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3660"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=3660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}