In the heart of the Sassi di Matera, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, the Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita hotel tells a story that spans millennia. Here, the rock preserves traces of ancient life: from the protohistoric civilizations of the Bronze Age to monastic communities, to the harsh metropolitan marginality that marked the epic of the southern farmer, tied to large estates and a harsh and generous land.
Sextantio was founded as a “diffused hotel” in the oldest part of the Sassi, a project that restores dignity and silence to places carved out of stone. The 18 rooms, almost all of which are located inside the caves, are spacious, often exceeding 100 square meters, and overlook a landscape suspended in time. The common areas are located in a large cave that was once a rock church, while the structure is spread over three levels connected by terraces overlooking the Gravina river gorge, facing the wild scenery of the Murgia Park and its rock churches.
The restoration follows the principles of conservative restoration: essential furnishings, sometimes embedded in the rock, early 20th-century linen, soft lighting. Each cave welcomes guests with fresh water, seasonal fruit, desserts, liqueurs, and the warmth of a fireplace. In the morning, breakfast in the ancient church celebrates the local area with biscuits, jams, cheeses, and cold cuts, while modern comforts such as air conditioning and internet connection interact with the memory of the stone.
