Matera (home of "The Passion of the Christ")

Matera, the climactic destination for the GSE trip, and venue of the District Conference, is where Mel Gibson filmed about 80% of "The Passion" (in Aus, "Passion of the Christ"). The old city is filled with caves people have inhabited for 40, 000 years. In one cave we visited, there was a Christian church with carvings in the ceilings to emulate windows, and upstairs there was a Greek Orthodox church.
The small gentleman is Francesco, a 78 year old who proudly walks everywhere in the hilly city.
We had the opportunity to reunite with many old friends from the various districts we visited. Sarah took a shine (that maternal instinct!) to the cutest little girl.
We visited an artist who annually creates an intricate float with papier mache. It is paraded through the streets during a festival. At the end, the crowd rip it to shreds, taking a piece to ward off evil in their homes.
Notice the curved-ceiling pizzeria restaurant that used to be a grain silo. Pizza in Southern Italy has few toppings (apparently too many spoils the pizza).