Bat Grotto, Matera
Bat Grotto, Grotta dei Pipistrelli in Italian, is more than a large cavern. This rock cave, 120 meters deep, is home to three kinds of bats. It is part of a large network of caves and has three secret entryways. And it boasts traces of human habitation 40,000 years ancient. - Pottery fragments and animal fossils dating from the mid and late Paleolithic as well as remains of a Mediaeval alter and frescoes were uncovered here in the 1870s. - Yet what makes a trek to the Bat Grotto really cool are the legends and myths told by the locals.
- Bat Grotto information
- Bat Grotto reviews
- Bat Grotto trip planner
- Fun stuff for kids
|
Legend of the Barbarossa King
 Once upon a time there was a fabulous king with a great interest in nature and learning but little patience for religion. He was a descendent of Barbarossa, the red-bearded King of Germany and Roman Emperor, and hence known as a Barbarossa king. The king spent much of his time in southern Italy and often passed through Matera. On one of the king's journeys he destroyed a cave church and in its place built a tomb. In the tomb he buried his daughter alongside a magnificent treasure. |