My bus trip was long and managed to get a little bit of sleep on the 10 hour journey. People getting on and off at different stops. I considered taking a sleeping tablet but conscious of missing my stop so I am waking up and checking the time.
One stop took a little longer due to a person not having bought the right ticket or getting off at the wrong station. Our bus driver seems constantly angry at everyone. He doesn’t speak a word of English and just continues to speak in Italian although it’s obvious that they aren’t understanding a word he is saying.
I’m lucky enough to see a beautiful sunrise from the bus and am amazed to see such a combination of older buildings, beautiful landscapes and renewable energy spots like wind farms and solar panels.

The bus is emptying at each stop and the bus driver says a stop that sounds like where I am going but check maps and from what I can tell it’s a bit further to my hostel. So I stay on the bus. After a little while I double check maps and am now moving further away from my destination.
I go to talk to the driver and it seems that was my stop after all. He tells me that the next stop is Taranto. It’s a ‘problemo’. This is not a word I need to hear. With WiFi on the bus I start to have a look at my options. Taranto is 1 hour from Matera. I call the hostel as I know she speaks English and asked for her advice. She tells me about another bus company to check as well. Seems all the busses don’t head back to later that day. Unless we make it to Taranto for a 9.45am bus but we will cut it fine.
I ask the driver if they will wait cause we will get there only a few minutes late. Seems ‘maybe’ is the best response I will get. As we approach Taranto I see a bus headed back the direction I need to go. I am pretty sure it’s the one I needed. I am dropped at a wharf area and wait for about 15 minutes with only local busses coming and going. I pop into the station shop and tell them I’ve missed my bus. They confirm that the next bus back is not till 6pm. So I order a cappuccino and jump online and book.
So Hannah, time to see where I can find somewhere to sit. Today is Sunday and many places won’t open again until 1pm. I step outside and sit on the kerbside and see another Flixbus pull in. The bright green busses are hard to miss. They tell me I should go to Napoli with them, but alas I need to get to Matera where I am very keen to see what the city has to offer there. I ask if there’s a restaurant nearby and they gesture and smile and I head off in the direction they pointed.
I get a message from Francesca who runs the hostel with another option, but it’s all good I’ve booked with Flixbus again which will get me back there a little sooner.
I see people sitting outside what looks like a small cafe next to a car wash. When I walk inside the owner greets me like an old friend. As soon as I start talking English she realizes it’s a case of mistaken identity and is so apologetic. I just smile and tell her it’s ok. I tell her I’ve missed my bus and won’t be leaving again till tonight. Her face is empathetic and so is her tone of voice. Although I have no idea what she actually said. She uses google translate to see what I’d like to drink and so I order a beer. It’s 27° and definitely in need of a cold drink. I head outside and ask to sit with a lady who is by herself. She is so kind to me and the app I book my hostel with has a translator we can both talk into to work out what we are trying to say to each other.
Her name is Lilliana and she is there with her husband Jano. I enjoy my beer and listen to the locals converse. Lilliana is telling them about my predicament and asks me if I need a restaurant to have something to eat. She knows of a place that is not too far and even offers to take me there. We finish our drinks and her and her husband tell me they will drive me to save my legs. We share information about each other’s countries. She is originally from Romania and said she had trouble learning the language when she arrived but she obviously has it sorted now.
They drop me not far and I express my gratitude, even offering to buy them a drink for their kindness. She declines but tells me not to worry she will not leave me until I am safely at a restaurant.
The couple laugh at me when I put my seat belt on. It’s not something that the police check here apparently. I tell them about how in Australia we always do and can be fined.
Jano and Lilliana even get out of the car and speak to the waitress to explain what has happened. She smiles empathetically as well and offers me a seat. So I’m here in the back streets of Taranto looking down cobblestone streets with a fruit shop across the road. People are passing by and chatting loudly with each other. I look up to see small balconies where people are talking to each other across the walkway. I feel like I’m on a movie set.

I speak to the waitress and she is explains that they are not open till 1pm. But offers to prepare my food anyway. I still have a number of hours before my bus so I just take in the spectacle around me. Motorbikes, kids and cars with loud music passing by. It’s so interesting to see.

I sit there thinking how frustrated I am at myself for not being more aware and missing my stop. But at least I am not going to be stuck. Let’s just call it an adventure.
I finally finish what I can eat of this delicious pasta. Seems I’m in a seafood district given that it’s located right near the ocean.
The waitress checks on me a couple of times and I order a wine. I think I’ve earned it. I still have 3 hours to kill but I’m so conscious of making sure I’m in the right place that I decide to head back to the bus station. Have another cappuccino and go to the bathroom. While I’m sitting there I check out the distance from where my bus is going to drop me off. Seems it’s a little further away than I expected. I decide to check the other bus company that Francesca had suggested and it seems closer, and wait, there’s an earlier bus due to arrive in just half an hour or so. I jump online to book and find that it’s entirely in Italian with no English option. But hey I’m going to give it a shot. Success! I think?!?
I get a Paypal email but nothing from the bus company. Luckily the PayPal email has all the details which gives me some comfort. But until the bus comes I can’t rest easy. I check my Fitbit, heart rate 105! Nothing like some adrenaline to make life interesting. Oh well. Worst case scenario is I have another ticket a couple of hours later and a longer walk. All is not lost. My ticket later had only cost me £5 so it’s not so bad.
I have google translate ready with what I need to say and thankfully with modern technology the driver has my booking on his iPad. And I’m off! Heart rate has dropped and I’m in air conditioned comfort. I hope my hostel has a well stocked bar.

I am glued to the map and the road signs and we take twists and turns that didn’t happen on my trip out. But that’s ok I’m in air conditioning and I know I am going to arrive safe and sound.
But seems there is a changeover in the middle of nowhere. My bus driver is so kind and reassuring and tells me I change to a piccolo bus. We stop for about 15 mins where there is an old pub, toilets and a big car park area where busses pile in and people file out.

I find my bus and driver. It clearly says Matera on the front. Phew. It also looks comfortable and air conditioned.

While I wait for us to leave my previous driver comes over to make sure I’m on the bus and says I’m going to be ok now. Super sweet.

We make twists and turns and I get a beautiful view of the countryside. Which I would have never seen had I not taken this unexpected detour. But it’s safe to say I look hideously tired but I’m still smiling. In the interest of being ‘real’ here is what I looked like when I got on my last bus.

I arrive at Matera and I can’t be happier. I have about a 20 min walk to my hostel and finally see the front door. I want to kiss the ground.
Francesca greets me at The Rock Hostel and it’s simply gorgeous, and she is so helpful. She gives me a map and tells me where all the vantage points are to see the best of the ‘sassi’. I was uncertain whether it would be safe to go out at night but she basically said ‘get amongst it’. So that’s exactly what I did.

I keep walking and come across hundreds and hundreds of people in a plaza. Seems this city never sleeps either. I look for a place to eat and/or drink and just keep on waking till I find it.
Success! There are no more pictures from tonight because I basically spent the rest of my night making new friends with local people from Matera! They were also kind to me and then asked me to join them to a couple of local bars. I explain to them in Australia we call that a pub crawl!
The group is about 6 people and only a few speak English. But we get by. What an incredible night. I’m so glad I made it here!!