Guided Tour of Matera Sassi
Description
Discovering Matera, the city of the Sassi which has the title of European Capital of Culture for 2019 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ancient stony districts are characterized by houses carved into the limestone rock and rock churches that make it unique in the world. This natural conformation, which evokes biblical scenarios, has always made them ideal sets for important films, most recently the film by Ben Hur.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your guide at our agency
Church of Purgatory
The first stop of the tour takes visitors to Via San Francesco, in front of the majestic church of the same name. This moment allows for admiring the architecture and understanding the role that churches have played in the history and daily life of the Sassi.
Sassi of Matera
One of the highlights of the tour is the visit to the Rupestrian Church of Sant’Antonio, an ancient place of worship carved into the rock. Here, the guide provides detailed information about the history and religious importance of this unique structure.
Participants have the opportunity to explore a typical cave house, once inhabited by the residents of the Sassi. This experience offers an authentic glimpse into daily life in the past and helps to better understand the architecture and lifestyle of the Sassi.
During the tour, a brief stop is planned to deepen the knowledge of the Church of San Pietro, another important historical site of the Sassi di Matera.
The tour concludes with a stop at the picturesque Piazzetta Pascoli, which offers a spectacular view of the Sassi di Matera.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Shared tour. This experience will be shared with other guests
Reviews(1,397)
Our guide, from Ukraine, was well informed, patient and kind. We throughly enjoyed the tour and all the info. What a truly amazing historical place - a one off!Centuries of history
The guide did not do any justice to Matera, I got more information from asking the internet… she does not seem to have a good sense of history of the place. And simply pointing out “caves here” and “caves there”.
Dear Customer, Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to read that the experience did not meet your expectations. However, after speaking directly with the guide, we would like to clarify what happened during the tour. According to the guide, the tour was not completed because you decided to leave after approximately 40 minutes. The reason given was that the route seemed too difficult and not suitable, especially due to the stairs and the walking path. We would like to point out that Matera and the Sassi are a historic area built on different levels. Visiting them naturally involves walking through the old town, going up and down stairs, and following uneven stone paths. This is part of the authentic experience of discovering the Sassi, and it is not possible to fully explore this area without this type of route. The guide also explained that the historical and cultural explanation of Matera was planned throughout the full itinerary. Since the tour was interrupted after a short time, it was unfortunately not possible to complete the visit or provide the full historical context normally included in the experience. We would also like to mention that another participant from the same group left a very positive review about the same guide and tour, describing the guide as well informed, patient and kind, and stating that they thoroughly enjoyed the tour and all the information provided. We always take customer feedback seriously, but in this case we do not believe it is accurate to say that the guide did not provide value to the tour, as the experience was not completed by the guests. Thank you for your understanding. Kind regards, Martulli Viaggi
Great Experience! It’s such a beautiful place with interesting history that you wouldn’t necessarily know without going on a tour! The tour stops at some great places including a visit to one of the grotto houses. The tour also ran to schedule even with the million questions from the group. Take water and a hat! It is hotttt and there isn’t much shade on the tour. The tour is also maybe not for someone who isn’t too mobile! Matera is quite hilly and you go down some steep and slippery steps! Overall a great tour!
Our guide Mariapia showed us Matera not only with our eyes but also with our souls. It was an emotional journey through the history of this city, discovering those people who made it so unique. Thank you very much.
A beautiful experience. The guide was very skilled, knowledgeable, and very engaging.
Congratulations on the organization, the staff, and the Guide with a capital G for their professionalism, the way they explained things, and their willingness to answer questions. Thank you!
A perfect visit in every aspect. Giusy, our guide, is fantastic!!! Friendly, empathetic, and extremely knowledgeable. I adored her! Highly, highly recommended😍
Grazie mille Stefania per il tuo splendido feedback! Siamo entusiasti che tu abbia trovato la visita così appagante e che Giusy abbia contribuito a rendere l'esperienza speciale. Speriamo di rivederti per altre avventure!
Informative and knowledgeable tour.
Danke, Norbert, für Ihr positives Feedback! Es freut uns, dass Sie die Führung als informativ und kompetent empfunden haben.
We took the tour, just the two of us, with Angela, our guide, who speaks French very well. This tour mainly allowed us to get our bearings in Matera and to properly locate the upper town, the gravina, and the two Sassi. She was able to provide us with additional information beyond the descriptions in the guidebook, mentioned anecdotes, and showed us photos (like the James Bond film partially shot in Matera). Regarding the route, there are always these imposed and usual visits where the hosts are primarily merchants, welcoming, smiling, but interested... Finally, the price (40€ per person, excluding tips) is discouraging (tours in Italian are much cheaper!!!).
Merci pour votre retour détaillé, Doume. Nous sommes ravis que la visite vous ait aidé à découvrir Matera et ses richesses. Nous prenons note de vos remarques sur le prix et les étapes commerciales.
Congratulations to the guide Arch. Marchetti (Pasquale) for managing to give us a sharp and deep overview of Matera in 2 hours, a beautiful and complex city in ancient and modern times.
Grazie, Christian, siamo lieti che la nostra guida, Arch. Marchetti Pasquale, sia riuscita a offrirti un'esperienza così approfondita e significativa di Matera. Speriamo di rivederti presto per altre scoperte!
