Matera San Giorgio Underground: 400m² audio-guided rock chambers

Walk through centuries of carved rock at your own pace

San Giorgio Underground is a self-guided tour of roughly 400 square meters of chambers, cisterns and rupestrian spaces carved into the bedrock beneath Matera's Sassi district. You explore the complex autonomously with a multilingual audio guide that explains the history and daily life of the site across centuries. The visit runs about twenty minutes and suits all fitness levels.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore San Giorgio Underground Complex

• Arrive at San Giorgio Rock Complex
• Start audio-guided underground tour
• Explore cisterns and cellars
• Visit rupestrian spaces
• Learn history via multilingual audio guide

The experience

The Ipogei of the San Giorgio Rock Complex sits in the heart of the Sassi, the ancient neighborhood carved directly into limestone. You descend into spaces that once held water cisterns, storage cellars and living quarters, each one shaped by hand from the stone. The audio guide (available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and seven other languages) walks you through what each room was, how people used it, and how the complex changed over time. You move through the chambers at your own speed, stopping to listen wherever you want.

The tour takes about twenty minutes and requires no special fitness or preparation. Infants can come in a pram or stroller, and children from age one are welcome. The self-guided format means you're not tied to a group schedule or a guide's pace. You set when you linger and when you move on. The audio guide is the only instruction you get, so the experience depends on how much time you spend in each space and how closely you follow the narration.

What’s included

• Multilingual audio guide.
• self-guided access to approximately 400 square meters of underground chambers, cisterns and rupestrian spaces.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (14 to 70 years) · Senior (71 to 90 years) · Youth (7 to 13 years) · Child (1 to 6 years)

Audio guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Czech, Dutch, Hungarian, Japanese and Polish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 16 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPets welcomeInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Complesso Rupestre San Giorgio Matera

Is this one for you?The twenty-minute length and self-guided format work best if you want to explore the underground without a group schedule or a guide's narration pace. You control how long you spend in each chamber and which sections of the audio guide you follow closely.

Traveler reviews

5.00★★★★★★★★★★

5 verified traveler reviews

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (7 to 13 years); Child (1 to 6 years).

How long does the San Giorgio Underground tour actually take?

The visit runs about twenty minutes. That timing assumes you listen to the audio guide in each chamber. You can move faster if you skip sections or slower if you pause to absorb the space.

What languages does the audio guide come in?

The audio guide is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and seven additional languages, so you can follow the narration in your own tongue.

What exactly am I exploring in these underground rooms?

The San Giorgio complex includes ancient cisterns that once stored water, cellars used for food and goods, and rupestrian spaces, rooms carved directly into the rock, that served as living quarters and work areas. The audio guide explains what each chamber was used for and how the site evolved over centuries.

Do I need to be in good physical shape for this tour?

The underground visit is suitable for all physical fitness levels. There's no strenuous walking or climbing required. You move through carved chambers at your own pace.