Sassi di MateraStory N° 148
The Hidden Cave City of Matera
Sleep inside ancient stone caves and uncover the secret rock churches of Matera, Italy's astonishing City of Stones
The itinerary.
4 days · 11 stops
Thursday
Day One
Arrive and step into a city that looks frozen in the Bronze Age, then let the Sassi surprise you as thousands of lights flicker on across the ravine at dusk.
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Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita
Check into a candlelit cave dwelling carved into the rock, restored as a 'diffuse hotel' with no televisions and centuries of silence.
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Belvedere Luigi Guerricchio
A first jaw-dropping view across the Gravina ravine to the honey-colored cascade of cave houses.
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Vitantonio Lombardo
A Michelin-starred dinner hidden inside a cave, reinventing Lucanian ingredients in surprising tasting-menu form.
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Hotel
Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita booking.com
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Getting around
- Arriving via train to Bari, then a transfer coach to Matera
Friday
Day Two
Descend into the layered history of the Sassi on foot, ducking into rock-hewn churches and the haunting cave home that reveals how people lived here until the 1950s.
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Casa Grotta nei Sassi
A restored cave home showing the astonishing reality of families living alongside their animals in a single dim grotto.
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Chiesa Rupestre di Santa Maria de Idris
A church carved into a rock spur, its faded Byzantine frescoes surfacing unexpectedly from the stone walls.
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Palombaro Lungo
Descend into a vast underground cistern beneath Piazza Vittorio Veneto, a hidden cathedral of water carved from the rock.
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Hotel
Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita booking.com
→
Getting around
- Exploring entirely on foot through the stepped alleys of the Sassi
Saturday
Day Three
Cross the ravine into the wild Murgia plateau to find prehistoric cave churches, then discover a frescoed crypt called the Sistine Chapel of rupestrian art.
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Parco della Murgia Materana
Hike the ravine trails past prehistoric cave settlements with the entire Sassi laid out across the gorge behind you.
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Cripta del Peccato Originale
A hidden 9th-century crypt nicknamed the Sistine Chapel of rupestrian churches, its vivid biblical frescoes a stunning surprise in the rock.
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Oi Mari
A relaxed cave restaurant for crusty Matera bread, peperoni cruschi and orecchiette after the trail.
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Hotel
Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita booking.com
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Getting around
- Short transfer to the trailhead, then walking the Murgia footpaths
Sunday
Day Four
A final dawn over the stones before farewell, watching the city glow gold one last time.
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Convento di Sant'Agostino
Catch sunrise from the convento terrace as the first light rakes across the Sasso Barisano.
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Pasticceria Schiuma
A last local breakfast of fresh sfogliata and espresso at a historic Matera pastry shop.
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Hotel
Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita booking.com
→
Getting around
- Transfer coach back to Bari for onward travel
Location.
Frequently asked
How many days do you need for The Hidden Cave City of Matera?
4 days. The itinerary runs from Thursday to Sunday and covers 11 curated stops across 4 days.
How much does The Hidden Cave City of Matera cost?
Premium — €300–600 per day per person, premium lodging included.
Where do you stay during The Hidden Cave City of Matera?
Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita is the recommended base for the trip; the full hotel list per day is in the itinerary section.
What's included in the The Hidden Cave City of Matera itinerary?
Day-by-day stops at 11 restaurants, museums, viewpoints and landmarks; transportation hints between each leg; and a hotel base in Sassi di Matera.
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