Literary Italy

Ep. 10: Carlo Levi / Basilicata

June 21, 2021 Anne Schuchman and James Berrettini Season 1 Episode 10
Literary Italy
Ep. 10: Carlo Levi / Basilicata
Show Notes

This week we head south to Lucania, the region of Italy now known as Basilicata, as we discuss Carlo Levi's memoir, Christ Stopped at Eboli,  shedding light on the poverty and isolation of the area. We talk about one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Matera, which has gone from being the "Disgrace of Italy" to Italy's "2019 Capital of Culture." Crowded cave dwellings are now fancy hotels and restaurants, and cultural and art museums abound. But after over 9,000 years, the soul of this city remains: magical, earthy, real.