Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita

Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita

Eighteen rooms across three floors sit inside the Sassi di Matera, caves and rock churches that families inhabited until the early 1950s despite malaria and conditions bad enough that postwar reformers called the settlement the shame of Italy. Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita is the site's restoration project, built on the same conservative approach used at its sister address in Abruzzo: plumbing and wiring hidden behind original stone rather than laid over it, reclaimed materials wherever possible. Room sizes vary from a 215-square-foot Classic double to a Standard Double Suite past 860 square feet, several with a private safe, telephone and mirror alongside the private bathroom. A chapel, a solarium, a spa room offering massage, and an on-call doctor sit alongside a conference hall, so the amenity list reads more like a small settlement than a hotel wing, which at 18 rooms over three floors is close to the truth. Staff work reception in Arabic, English, French, Italian and Spanish. Pets stay for 35 euros per stay, and parking is chargeable public parking nearby at 40 euros a day, worth planning around before arrival. This suits travelers drawn to stone, shadow and a restoration that resists prettifying its own poverty, not those wanting glass, chrome or a pool deck. Cyclists and hikers get bike rental and trail access on site, families get a dedicated family room and babysitting on request, and guests are asked to call the property 24 hours ahead with an arrival time since check-in instructions aren't automatic. What no comparable stay in Matera offers: rooms that are, quite literally, the caves themselves, restored rather than replicated. Eighteen rooms carved into the Sassi di Matera, caves inhabited until the 1950s and once called the shame of Italy, restored rather than smoothed over. Expect a chapel, a spa and multilingual staff, not glass and chrome; pets stay for a fee, parking is chargeable and off-site.