Sleeping well in Matera, from cave luxury to the town above

Nowhere else does the room itself upstage the destination quite like Matera, where hotels occupy caves inhabited for millennia. The trick is choosing your district first — and being honest about how many stairs your luggage can take.

Key facts

• The geography: Sasso Barisano (more restored, more services), Sasso Caveoso (rawer, more haunting), the Civita ridge between them, and the modern Piano district on the plateau above.
• Luggage warning: many Sassi addresses are reached only on foot, down uneven steps; most hotels arrange porters — confirm ahead.
• Book early: cave rooms are few by nature, and spring and autumn sell out far ahead.

Sasso Barisano and the Civita: iconic cave luxury

This is where Matera's most celebrated stays burrow into the rock. Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita is the standard-bearer of the "albergo diffuso" idea — candlelit caves furnished with monastic restraint, breakfast served in a rock-hewn former church, and views across the ravine that feel biblical. Nearby, Aquatio Cave Luxury Hotel & Spa adds a full subterranean spa and pool to the formula, modern design flowing through ancient chambers. Expect serious rates in high season, and expect to consider them justified.

Piazza Duomo: palazzo polish

For grandeur without the cave dampness, Palazzo Gattini occupies a noble family's former residence beside the cathedral at the city's highest point — carved stone, contemporary comfort and a rooftop terrace surveying the Sassi. It suits travellers who want the view of the stones more than a night inside them.

Sasso Caveoso: atmosphere first

The southern Sasso is wilder and quieter, and its scattered-room properties — Sant'Angelo Luxury Resort among the best known — spread suites through restored cave dwellings around a church square. Nights here are profoundly silent; mornings mean coffee on a stone terrace with swifts wheeling over the gorge.

Mid-range in the Sassi

Between the flagships, dozens of family-run cave B&Bs and small hotels offer the essential experience — vaulted rock ceiling, thick walls, terrace — at far kinder prices. Properties such as Locanda di San Martino in Sasso Barisano have long been travellers' favourites in this bracket; whichever you choose, check the walking route from the nearest driveable point before booking.

The Piano: budget sense on the plateau

The 18th- and 19th-century town above the Sassi holds straightforward guesthouses and apartments at the city's gentlest prices, with lifts, level streets and parking actually possible. You sacrifice waking inside the rock — but the Sassi begin a five-minute walk away, and evening panoramas from the belvederes along the rim cost nothing.

Tip: Whatever your budget, spend at least one night actually inside a cave room, and pack layers — the rock holds a constant coolness that is delicious in August and demands a sweater in March.