Belvedere Piazzetta Pascoli (Pascoli Square Belvedere), Matera

Next door to the 17th-century Lanfranchi Palace, home of the Museum of Medieval and Modern Art of Basilicata, is the tiny Pascoli Square (Piazzetta Pascoli). The square is named for the great 19th-century poet of Matera, Giuseppe Pascoli. Pascoli started in Matera as a high school teacher of literature. He would have liked the Belvedere, and here's why.

The Belvedere is, in effect, a balcony from which one can view the most striking and emotive prospects of the Sassi districts (Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano). It is a place for lovers and poets. In the evening, see the Civita Caves, Matera Cathedral, and the Sasso Caveoso, all a-glitter with lights "like sparkling pearls."

Japanese sculptor, Kengiro Azuma, exhibited his bronze work, "the Drop," in Pascoli Square in 2011. It is a drop of water, standing nearly ten feet high, a symbol of the importance of water in the life of Matera since the beginning.

Walk along the pedestrian Ridola Street and suddenly come upon Pascoli Square. Step up to the stone parapet and see the ingenuity of Matera. The city of stone fans out like an amphitheater. Spires, great rocks, pinnacles, grottos, and caves offer a timeless panorama. It is a place of peace and tranquility.