Sleeping in a modernized cave was a great experience. You really notice the effort to preserve the heritage of this environment and the authenticity of the furniture and accessories. It was very interesting to learn about the history of Matera (and the caves). The hotel overlooks beautiful hills and vistas. Be prepared for lots of steps but it is worth it. The staff is very nice and accommodating. Breakfast is delicious in a wonderful large cave (deconsecrated former church) or outdoors on the terrace with great views. Our cave was enormous with 3 levels and all modern conveniences.. Lighting was the biggest challenge but it is quite charming and you get used to the romantic candles throughout!

Everything about this hotel surpassed my expectations, from the comfort of the hotel to the surprise of how special and fascinating Matera turned out to be. Of course, I had seen the photos and knew it would be beautiful, but it is impossible to understand how breathtaking it is until you are there. I cannot forget the moment that we first arrived at the hotel, blown away by the majesty of the view of Murgia and then entering our room for the first time, candles lit, entering another time and exotic place. I love that the furniture is all restored original pieces from the caves, adapted to make everything very comfortable and losing none of the authenticity (minus the animals living inside with us!). The staff is both warm and friendly and extremely helpful. I am afraid I would leave someone out if I named everyone that helped me plan our stay before we arrived, but they made our stay seamless and connected us to the best activities for us, dinner reservations, transfers and the best guide in Matera. You definitely want to ask for Alessio to be your guide for both the Murgia walk and the Sassi tour. He comes from one of only a handful of families that were actually living in the Sassi during the 1980's. He also has a degree in medieval history and is EXTREMELY interesting and informative. One of the greatest highlights for me of our 2 1/2 weeks traveling around southern Italy was the cooking class I took at the hotel with Nunzia! I cook and bake a lot, but love to collect new skills and recipes when I travel and this was no average class. To begin with, I entered the cave church/breakfast room which had been set up just for our private class, lit by candles, table set out with all of the ingredients, including some exceptionally fragrant herbs that permeated the room. Nunzia is a person whose love for local cuisine and joy of cooking and sharing what she knows is written all over her face and in her actions. Spending time with her was part of the value of the experience and she patiently let me practice my rusty italian, doing the class all in italian. She guided me through making pasta without a recipe and artfully how to shape the cavatelli and calzone and the other dishes. I had such a wonderful time and can't wait to try out the new dishes on my friends and family. A couple hours later, she served the food we made in a private dinner for my husband and I in the candlelit church. It was DELICIOUS and an experience we will never forget. I promised to send Nunzia photos of the dinners I make using what I learned from her and next time I am in Matera, we are going to do another class focused on sweets and bread! I heard a couple of other hotel guests commenting on the fact that they had a tub but no shower, so you may want to make sure you do, if that matters to you. I have very long hair, so prefer a shower and we did have one. Other than that, be sure you plan enough days in Matera. We had two full days and one half day and it was NOT enough to see all we wanted to see and do.

A visit to Matera is a unique experience, but for the ultimate experience, stay in a cave at the Sextantio. This property has been tastefully renovated, and the experience of sleeping in a cave is unlike anything we had enjoyed before. Our cave was huge and the space was well utilized – we even had a small refrigerator! Breakfast is terrific – a buffet set up in a 1300s era chapel with a huge selection of fruit, breads, pastries, meats, and cheeses. Service is provided by a very attentive staff and a table outside overlooking the gorge made us want to sit for hours! The room is serviced twice daily – something we have not seen during the pandemic – and the entire property is spotless. The location is great – a short walk to several good restaurants with easy access to the town interior. Do yourself a favor and stay here – you will not be disappointed!