Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to Vetera Matera, Basilicata
Facts in brief
Official star rating 5
Location In the Rione Vetera district of Sasso Barisano, within the Sassi di Matera
Annual opening 27th March to 7th January
Closest airport Bari Karol Wojtyła
Distance from airport 1 hour 15 minutes by car
Closest railway station Matera Centrale
Distance from railway station 15 minutes' walk
Hotel facilities and services
Artema Restaurant, Lounge Bar, Wine & Cocktail Bar on panoramic terrace, underground wine cellar with guided tastings, Elysium Spa with heated pool, hammam, Finnish sauna, cold plunge pool, and three treatment rooms, outdoor courtyard, panoramic terraces, Paradeisos garden, bicycle rental, yoga classes, concierge and experience-booking service, shuttle service from partner car park, babysitting, laundry and dry-cleaning, and lift.
Complimentary
Wi-FI
Land sports
Cycling, hiking, and yoga.
Out and about nearby
The Sassi di Matera – the two UNESCO-listed cave-dwelling districts of Sasso Barisano and Sasso Caveoso – spread across the hillside immediately around the hotel, with thousands of homes, workshops, and rock-hewn churches carved into the limestone over just as many years. The 13th century Matera Cathedral, set at the top of the Civita on the original mediaeval quarter, is a short walk away, as is the Church of San Pietro Barisano, one of the city's largest rupestrian churches. Beneath Piazza Vittorio Veneto lies the Palombaro Lungo, a vast underground cistern 15m deep, capable of holding 5 million litres of water and rediscovered only in 1991. Just 7km from the city, the Crypt of the Original Sin houses remarkably well-preserved 8th century frescoes within a Benedictine cave church, earning it a reputation as one of the most significant sites of early mediaeval art in southern Italy. The Parco della Murgia Materana, directly across the Gravina ravine, offers more than 150 rock churches alongside hiking trails and panoramic views back over the Sassi. Further afield, the hilltop ghost town of Craco, the UNESCO white pointed trulli of Alberobello, and the two breathtaking Lucanian Dolomite villages of Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa are all within roughly an hour's drive.
Sports nearby
Cycling, hiking, horse riding, and sailing.
Everything was extremely well organised.Mr P, May 2025
From about
Holiday Code EXH49703
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to Vetera Matera, Basilicata
Eight years of careful restoration transformed a collection of centuries-old cave dwellings, courtyards, and noble buildings in Matera's historic Rione Vetera district into Vetera Matera – a five-star Relais & Châteaux property and the first luxury albergo diffuso within the group. True to the albergo diffuso format, the hotel's 23 rooms and suites are distributed across several restored historic structures along the pedestrian streets and stone staircases of Sasso Barisano, with an outdoor courtyard at its heart. Rooms fall into two genuinely distinct categories. The hypogeal rooms and suites are carved directly into the ancient tufa rock, their natural vaulted ceilings and original stone wall markings preserved alongside soft earthy tones, terracotta flooring, and stone-tiled bathrooms. Above, the noble floor rooms occupy the upper levels, with high ceilings and large windows looking out over the Sassi cityscape. The Artema restaurant – set in an underground room at the base of the rock – offers two tasting menus by Naples-born Chef Eduardo Estatico, drawing on Lucanian and Mediterranean traditions. The Lounge Bar opens onto the courtyard for all-day aperitifs and light lunches, and a separate Wine & Cocktail Bar occupies a panoramic terrace above the city. An underground wine cellar hosts tailor-made guided tastings led by sommelier Francesco Marsiglia. The Elysium Spa is housed within natural cisterns carved into the rock, with a heated pool, hammam, Finnish sauna, cold plunge pool, and three treatment rooms including a couples suite and Zerobody floating therapy room. Together, these experiences place Vetera Matera among the most distinctive places to stay in southern Italy, where the ancient and the contemporary sit side by side.
Room descriptions
Vetera Matera in the Sassi di Matera has 23 rooms and suites. All rooms have air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, desk and/or armchair, minibar, safe, TV, shower, hairdryer, and bathrobes.
Everything was extremely well organised.Mr P, May 2025
From about
Holiday Code EXH49703
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to Vetera Matera, Basilicata
The journey and how you get there
For a holiday to Vetera Matera, fly to Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport and hire a car or arrange a transfer to Matera, approximately one hour's drive away. A direct shuttle bus service also connects Bari Airport with Matera in around 1 hour 15 minutes. For those travelling by train, Matera Centrale is around 15 minutes' walk from the hotel, with services from Bari Centrale via the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane. As the Sassi area is pedestrianised, guests arriving by car should use the hotel's shuttle service from the partner car park nearby. A car is recommended for exploring the wider Basilicata region.
Additional information
Children: Vetera Matera welcomes families, with cots available in Superior and Deluxe rooms, children's menus, and family-friendly concierge experiences including a treasure hunt through the Sassi.
Everything was extremely well organised.Mr P, May 2025
From about
Holiday Code EXH49703
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to Vetera Matera, Basilicata
About Basilicata
An Expressions tailor-made holiday in Basilicata is an opportunity to explore a little-known area of the country. If Calabria is Italy's toe and Puglia its heel, then Basilicata is the elegant, intoxicating instep. Home to a magnificent legacy of architectural splendours reflecting its prosperous past, and peppered with breathtakingly beautiful coves and long, sandy bays, as well as a rugged, unspoiled mountain interior that makes for fabulous walking, Basilicata is one of Italy's most rewarding yet unsung destinations. With coastlines on both the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas, Basilicata has been heavily influenced by visiting Greeks and Lombards, Byzantines and Normans, but has been relatively neglected by holidaying visitors in recent years. Sprinkled with a clutch of gorgeous beach resorts and hotels, the temptation in Basilicata is just to relax. However away from the beach the region offers huge rewards, with a rugged, remote sparsely populated interior with craggy, arid plateaux of pine and beech, terraces of chestnut and oaks, studded with sparkling lakes - it's Italy from another time and age, with leafy, cobbled village squares where you could sip cappuccinos all day long, watching the ancient pace of village life play out around you. Rich in archaeological relics, Basilicata has Greek ruins at Metaponto, while ruins of the Roman Age can be seen in Venosa. Mediaeval art also abounds, with the churches in Venosa and Cerenza particularly impressive. Architecturally, the region bears traces of many fascinating, contrasting influences, with Matera, Melfi and Lagopesole rich in Arab-Byzantine and French influences, while Neapolitan Baroque influences also abound. Finally, wherever you venture in Basilicata, eating out is a hugely enjoyable aspect of local life. Here in this arid land, gastronomy is based on traditional, strong, sharp and sun-filled flavours, washed down with rich and full-bodied reds. Basilicata is an excellent destination for those who wish to discover fascinating architecture as well as to relax in beautiful surroundings.
Highlights of Basilicata
In Matera, the 13th century cathedral houses the 12th century Madonna della Bruna, while Santa Maria di Idris has 13th century frescoes; also in Matera, visitors can see the “Sassi”, the typical houses and churches dug into the “tufa” crag; the May “chopping festival”, played out in villages right across the region; Sunday markets selling the region's famous ceramics, as well as traditional foods such as spicy sausage and fresh game; the Antiquarium of Metaponto; breath-taking views from the summit of Monte Biagio above Maratea, crowned by a huge statue of Christ the Redeemer; Potenza has some beautiful Romanesque churches and a wonderful 12th cathedral, and is a fascinating regional capital, at 2,687ft above sea level, Italy's highest. A visit to the region is also an opportunity to try local cuisine, with Basilicata particularly known for strong, rustic flavours, such as roast kid with potatoes, peas and artichokes and provolone from Sila.
