Sassi of Matera tour: Frescoed church and cave house

Two hours through the Sassi: a rock church, a canyon view, and the inside of an ancient cave home

A 2-hour guided tour of Matera's Sassi district with an authorized guide covers Sasso Caveoso, Sasso Barisano, the frescoed Madonna delle Grazie church, and Casa Grotta del Casalnuovo, a furnished cave house. The guide leads you through UNESCO-listed streets, explains the baroque and fresco details inside the church, and shows the original rooms and everyday objects that families used before the Sassi were depopulated in the late 1950s.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Matera's Sassi and historic sites

• Visit Sasso Barisano and Cathedral facade
• Admire Gravina canyon in Sasso Caveoso
• Tour Madonna delle Grazie church interior
• Explore Casa Grotta del Casalnuovo house

The experience

Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano make up the heart of Matera's Sassi, the ancient districts carved into limestone that UNESCO recognized as a World Heritage Site in 1993. The guide walks you through the renovated streets and points out the Cathedral's Apulian Romanesque facade, built in 1270, so you understand the scale and age of what surrounds you. From the heart of Sasso Caveoso, you also stand at the Gravina canyon: a drop of stone and history that frames the whole district.

Inside the Madonna delle Grazie, a rock church on via del Sasso Caveoso, you see what remains of centuries of worship. The church was originally dedicated to Sant'Eustachio in the 1540s. Now a baroque altar sits near the original iconostasis, and the ceiling holds two sculpted domes. On the walls are frescoes: Christ flanked by angels with the Mother and John below, Saint Francis receiving the stigmata, and Saint Lucia painted in the apse. A terracotta bas-relief of the Madonna and Child frames the bell-tower entrance. The guide explains what you are looking at instead of leaving the details silent.

Casa Grotta del Casalnuovo, the furnished cave house at the end of the tour, is where the Sassi become real. You walk through the original rooms as they stood before families left in the late 1950s: the beds, the kitchen tools, the objects of daily work and common use that show how people actually lived inside the stone. It is a small ethnographic collection, not a ruin, and the difference matters: you see a home, not a shell.

What’s included

• Entrance to the Madonna delle Grazie frescoed rock church.
• access to Casa Grotta del Casalnuovo with its original furnishings and everyday objects.
• authorized guide in Italian for the full 2 hours through both Sassi districts.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day except Wednesday and Thursday6 departure times: the first at 10:30, the last at 16:30

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (18 to 80 years) · Youth (11 to 17 years) · Child (under 11)

GroupUp to 25

Live guideItalian

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.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by LUCA PRISCO GUIDA TURISTICA MATERA

Is this one for you?You walk the whole route with a guide who knows the Sassi (the streets, the church details, the canyon, and the story of the cave house), so you understand what you are standing in instead of reading a map alone. Choose this if you want the history explained and the spaces opened up by someone who lives there.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (11 to 17 years); Child (under 11).

What is inside the Madonna delle Grazie church in Matera?

The Madonna delle Grazie holds a baroque altar, two sculpted domes in the ceiling, and frescoes on the walls, including Christ with angels and the Mother and John, Saint Francis receiving the stigmata, and Saint Lucia. A terracotta bas-relief of the Madonna and Child decorates the bell-tower entrance, and the interior preserves the original iconostasis.

How long is the guided tour of the Sassi?

The tour runs 2 hours and covers Sasso Caveoso, Sasso Barisano, the Madonna delle Grazie church, and Casa Grotta del Casalnuovo cave house with an authorized guide speaking Italian.

What can you see at Casa Grotta del Casalnuovo?

Casa Grotta del Casalnuovo shows the original rooms and furnishings of a Sassi family home as it stood before the districts were depopulated in the late 1950s: beds, kitchen equipment, and everyday objects that reveal how people lived inside the stone caves.

What is the Gravina canyon in Matera?

The Gravina canyon is a dramatic drop of limestone that runs through the heart of Sasso Caveoso and frames the Sassi district. The guide shows it to you during the tour as part of the landscape that shaped the settlement.

Do I need special shoes or fitness level for this tour?

Comfortable shoes and comfortable clothing are recommended for walking the Sassi streets and inside the cave house. The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels, though strollers are not recommended and infants must sit on an adult's lap.