Matera is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world: its Sassi (stone cave dwellings) have been occupied for at least 9,000 years. UNESCO World Heritage since 1993, European Capital of Culture in 2019. FFGR Italia manages transfers from Bari (BRI, 1h15), Napoli (NAP, 2h), and private access to the Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita: the most architecturally significant cave hotel in Italy.
The Sassi | 9,000 Years of Habitation
The Sassi di Matera are divided into two districts: Sasso Caveoso (south, the older section, with cave churches including the rupestrian Madonna de Idris) and Sasso Barisano (north, better restored, with the principal hotels and restaurants). The two Sassi together cover approximately 1,000 cave dwellings carved directly into the Murgia Plateau limestone. Inhabited continuously from the Palaeolithic to 1952 (when the Italian government forcibly relocated 15,000 residents to new housing), they were repopulated from the 1990s onward as a UNESCO-protected cultural heritage zone.
FFGR Italia arranges private guided circuits of the Sassi beginning at 06:30, before the tourist coaches arrive at 09:00. The guide is a licensed archaeologist with access to closed rupestrian churches (Santa Maria de Armenis, Santa Lucia alle Malve, Cripta del Peccato Originale, 8th-century frescoes). The full circuit is 3 hours.
Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita | Living in the Rock
Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita (Via Civita 28, Sasso Caveoso) is the most architecturally rigorous cave hotel in Italy, 18 rooms carved directly into the tufa rock of the Sassi, furnished with antique regional objects (wooden beds, terracotta floors, oil lamps) rather than contemporary hotel furniture. The design principle: bare stone surfaces, minimal intervention, no decorative additions. The hotel operates a silence policy after 22:00.
Sextantio has no restaurant, meals are served in the cave refectory (breakfast) and the adjacent Bottega (cave bar, small plates from 18:00). For dinner, FFGR arranges private transfers to Ristorante Il Terrazzino (Via San Giuseppe 7, traditional Lucanian cuisine, cavatelli with lamb ragù, Aglianico del Vulture wine) or to the terrace of Baccanale (Piazza Vittorio Veneto, panoramic Sassi view, more contemporary menu).
Palazzo Gattini | The Luxury Alternative
Palazzo Gattini (Piazza Duomo 13) is the conventional luxury alternative to Sextantio: a restored 18th-century noble palazzo at the edge of the Sassi, 20 rooms with en-suite marble bathrooms, rooftop terrace with Sassi panorama, and a spa. The palazzo retains its original frescoed ceilings on the piano nobile. FFGR Italia coordinates arrivals and departures from the palazzo's private courtyard (no street-level drop-off).
For corporate mandates, Palazzo Gattini's piano nobile salons are available for private dinners and board meetings: capacity up to 40 seated. We manage the catering (Basilicata cuisine), AV equipment, and FFGR ground fleet throughout the stay.
Bari Karol Wojtyla Airport (BRI) | Southern Access
Bari Airport (BRI) is the primary gateway for Matera. The GA terminal (Aviazione Generale, north apron) handles charter and business aviation. FFGR Italia meets clients airside at BRI and transfers to Matera in 1h15 by Rolls-Royce. The A14/SS7 route passes through Altamura (Murgia plateau, 30 min from BRI): a stop at the Antico Forno del Conte bakery (Altamura bread DOC, certified since 1999) can be integrated into the transfer.
Alternative access: helicopter from NAP (Naples) direct to the Matera sports aerodrome (LIBM, grass strip, 5 min from Sextantio). Flight time: 45 minutes in AW109. We coordinate with the aerodrome for landing slots, the aerodrome is uncontrolled and requires advance NOTAM.
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