Guided Walking Tour of Matera Sassi: Rock Churches & Cave Houses

Houses carved straight into the limestone rock, still standing after centuries.

A guided walking tour of Matera's Sassi district, the UNESCO World Heritage Site and European Capital of Culture 2019, takes you through ancient neighborhoods carved into limestone to see rock churches, a lived-in cave house, and the architecture that has made the landscape a film set for major productions. The tour runs two hours with a local guide in your choice of language, includes entry to a Rupestrian Church and a traditional cave dwelling, and ends at a viewpoint over the entire district. Food tasting is available on some departures.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Matera's historic Sassi district

• Meet your guide at agency
• Visit Church of Purgatory
• Stop at Via San Francesco church
• Explore Sassi of Matera
• Visit Rupestrian Church of Sant’Antonio
• Explore typical cave house
• Stop at Church of San Pietro
• View from Piazzetta Pascoli

The Experience

Matera's Sassi are not a museum—they're a working neighborhood where the stone itself is the building. Your guide meets you at the agency and walks you into Via San Francesco to stand in front of the Church of Purgatory, where you'll see how these structures shaped daily life and faith in the district. The architecture tells the story: houses stacked into the rock face, carved rooms that stay cool in summer, water channels cut into stone. This is not a quick photo stop; the guide explains what you're standing in front of and why it matters.

The heart of the tour is the Rupestrian Church of Sant'Antonio, an ancient place of worship carved directly into the rock, and a typical cave house where residents actually lived. Walking inside both gives you the scale of how people adapted to the landscape—not building on top of it, but hollowing it out. The guide provides the history and religious significance of the church; the cave house shows you the daily reality: the rooms, the light, the way families organized a home in stone. A brief stop at the Church of San Pietro adds another layer to how faith and community shaped the Sassi over time.

The tour ends at Piazzetta Pascoli, a small square that opens onto a view of the entire Sassi district—the moment where the scale of what you've walked through becomes visible all at once. You'll receive a 10% discount coupon for MòVado Food & Drink if you want to eat in the neighborhood after. The tour is shared with other guests, and public transportation options are available nearby if you need them to reach the meeting point.

What’s included

• Local guide in your choice of language.
• entrance fees to a Rupestrian Church and a traditional cave house.
• 10% discount coupon at MòVado Food & Drink.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Martulli Viaggi

Is this one for you?Book the English, Spanish, French, German or Italian morning tour if you want to walk the Sassi with a guide who explains the history and architecture as you go—the two hours hold together as a narrative instead of a list of stops. The sunset tour runs in Italian only and trades daylight for a different mood over the same route and sites.

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Top questions

What exactly is a Rupestrian Church and why is Sant'Antonio important in Matera?

The Rupestrian Church of Sant'Antonio is an ancient place of worship carved directly into the limestone rock of the Sassi, a structure unique to this region. The guide explains its history and religious significance during the tour, showing how faith communities adapted their sacred spaces to the natural stone landscape.

Will I actually go inside a cave house, or just look at it from outside?

You'll walk inside a typical cave house to see how residents lived in the Sassi. Entry is included in the tour, and the experience shows you the rooms, layout and daily life of families who inhabited these stone dwellings.

How long is the walking tour and what's the terrain like?

The tour runs two hours and moves through the ancient stone neighborhoods of the Sassi on foot. The terrain is uneven and involves climbing, so it's not suitable for travelers with spinal injuries or poor cardiovascular health, though it's manageable for all other fitness levels.

What languages does the guide speak?

The tour is available in English, Spanish, Italian, French, and one additional language. You choose your preferred language when you book.

Is lunch or food included in the tour price?

Food tasting is available on some tour departures as an option you can add at checkout. All tours include a 10% discount coupon for MòVado Food & Drink if you want to eat afterward.

How do I get to the meeting point, and is transportation included?

The guide meets you at the agency in Matera. Transportation to the meeting point is not included, but public transportation options are available nearby.