Casa Noha (Noha House), Matera (must see)

Noha House (Casa Noha) is an asset of the Italian Environmental Fund (Fondo Ambiente Italiano), known by its initials, FAI. The Fund, established in 1975, is aimed to protect elements of the physical heritage of Italy.

Located at the top of the oldest part of Matera, the 15th-century Noha House was once the residence of the noble Noha family. The Civita district was favored, by the nobility, as the best place to build their homes. From the Sedile Square (Piazza del Sedile) to the Cathedral Square (Piazza Duomo), there is a strip of palaces once belonging to noble families.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Nohas owned a complex of properties and gardens connected to the San Paolo district by a bridge called, not surprisingly, the Noha Bridge. The Casa Noha was built over an erosion channel in the Cavone district, an area shunned by other families as it was considered too unstable for building.

The Nohas purchased ruins in the area and used these materials to fortify the foundations. All this digging uncovered archeological artifacts from the Bronze and Iron Ages, Greek and Roman settlements, and the early Middle Ages.

Noha House is a prime example of the private architecture of the time, embellished by tuff framing and carvings. The house is partially covered. There are land service rooms around the courtyard. The home is basically within a cave. An external staircase leads to the residential area of the complex.

There is an informational thirty-minute video showing the history of Matera from the Stone Age to the present day. Earphones for several languages are available, and benches to sit on. The rooms are very cool in the hot Matera summers.

The FAI acquired Noha House in 2004. The Fund created a strong multimedia presentation that tells the millenary story of the area from the perspectives of architecture, art, and archaeology. The video is called "The Invisible stones. An extraordinary journey through the history of Matera."