Matera Private Tour: Sassi, Casa Grotta & Rock Churches

Stone houses carved into the rock, a peasant home frozen in time, frescoes older than memory

A private guided walking tour of Matera's Sassi district takes you through the carved-stone neighborhoods, into a Casa Grotta furnished as it was centuries ago, and into a rock church with ancient frescoes. The guide is yours alone, the route adjusts to your rhythm, and entrance fees to both the cave house and the church are included. Small groups or couples, completely customizable.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Matera Old Town and Sassi

• Introduction at Barisano stone
• Explore Sasso Barisano panoramic points
• Visit Piazza Duomo facade
• Explore Sasso Caveoso and rock churches
• Visit Monterrone rock and churches
• Admire cave house with furnishings

The experience

The tour starts at the Barisano stone with an introduction to the district's layout, then moves through the historic center and its panoramic overlooks of the Sasso Barisano. You'll reach Piazza Duomo to see the cathedral's 1270 façade in Apulian Romanesque style, then descend into the Sasso Caveoso to explore the rock churches and cave dwellings carved into the hillside. The route includes the rock of Monterrone and its churches before ending at a Casa Grotta: a typical house with the tools and furnishings that show how families actually lived in these carved rooms.

The Casa Grotta entrance and the cave church visits are included, so you step inside without arranging tickets separately. A private guide means no other groups, no fixed pace dictated by a schedule, and no rushing through a stop because the bus is waiting. With the guide to yourself, the whole itinerary bends to what interests you: linger at a church, skip ahead to the views, ask about a detail carved into a doorway. The customizable structure means you shape the visit.

The Sassi is a UNESCO site built into the limestone itself, and a private tour lets you move at the rhythm that lets it sink in: the scale of the carved neighborhoods, the intimacy of rooms cut from living rock, the frescoes that survived centuries in darkness. This is not a rushed overview. It is the district on its own terms, with someone who knows it walking beside you.

What’s included

• Entrance fees to the Casa Grotta and the rock churches of Santa Maria de Idris.
• private guide in your chosen language.
• walking route through the Sassi di Matera, Piazza Duomo, Sasso Caveoso and Monterrone.
• completely customizable itinerary and pace.

Options for this experience

3 options

Tour Sassi Italian09:30, 11:00 and 14:00Lasts 2 hours

Tours in FrenchNo fixed timeTours in French

Tour in EnglishNo fixed timeTour in English

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 09:30, 11:00 and 14:00

Book up toStart time

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German and Italian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Passi nei Sassi

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to move through the Sassi without following a group schedule or waiting for other travelers: the private guide and flexible timing let you spend as long as you need at each stop, whether that is the frescoes in a church or the view from a panoramic point.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

In Italian, at 09:30, 11:00 and 14:00. In English and French.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly is the Casa Grotta, and what will I see inside it?

The Casa Grotta is a typical cave dwelling in the Sassi furnished with the tools and household items that show how peasant families lived in these carved stone rooms. You enter as part of the tour, with the entrance included, and see its rooms arranged as they were in daily life.

Are the rock churches actually inside the stone, or are they separate buildings?

The rock churches are carved directly into the limestone hillside, chambers hollowed from the living rock and decorated with ancient frescoes. You visit them as part of the walking route through the Sassi. Entrance is included.

Will I be walking uphill the whole time, or is the terrain manageable?

The Sassi involves walking through alleys and some elevation changes as you move between the Sasso Barisano and Sasso Caveoso, but the tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels. The guide can adjust the route if you need a gentler pace.