Guided Tour of Matera Including Casa Grotta and Rock Church
by VIAGGI KARMA MATERA
Choose from 1 available option
How do you want to book?
✓Confirmation before Wed, 9 Sept - card's only charged if it's a yes. If it's a no, still time to book on Viator.
Book on Viator Confirmed right away, but you pay full price.€24Overview
This guided walking tour of Matera lasts about two hours and covers the main historic areas of the city. The tour visits both Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano, the two ancient districts carved into the rock. You will see the historic center and enter a furnished cave house and a small rock church, with all entrance fees included. The tour starts at Sasso Barisano, which is named for its northwest orientation toward Bari and forms one of the oldest stone districts. Next, it continues to Piazza San Pietro Caveoso, a rectangular square overlooking a ravine with views of nearby rock churches and natural cavities once used for pastoral purposes. Then the group stops at Piazzetta Pascoli, located beside the 17th-century Palazzo Lanfranchi, where you can see a wide panorama of the Sassi. The visit includes a 30-minute stop at Casa Grotta del Casalnuovo. This cave house is furnished with original items and tools used by the families who lived there until the 1950s, effectively serving as a small ethnographic museum. Finally, the tour enters the Chiesa Rupestre di San Giuliano, also known as Madonna delle Grazie, where you can observe frescoes, a Baroque altar, and a decorated ceiling despite some alterations to the original structure. The guide is highly specialized and will accommodate different group types throughout the tour.
Highlights
What's included
Itinerary
Sasso Barisano
Sasso Barisano is named for its northwest position facing the city of Bari. It is one of the primary stone districts along with the Civita and represents an early part of Matera's stone settlements.
15 min
Piazza San Pietro Caveoso
This rectangular square offers a view over the ravine marked by an arch beside the church of San Pietro Caveoso. Across the ravine, you see rock churches on the Murgia and natural cavities once used for pastoral purposes.
15 min
Piazzetta Pascoli
Situated to the left of the seventeenth-century Palazzo Lanfranchi, Piazzetta Pascoli is named after Italian poet Giovanni Pascoli, who started his career teaching Latin and Greek in Matera between 1882 and 1884. This square offers one of the most notable panoramic views of the Sassi of Matera.
Casa grotta del Casalnuovo
Casa Grotta del Casalnuovo is a furnished cave house that shows how families lived in the Sassi before the 1950s depopulation. It contains original rooms, furniture, and daily-use tools, acting as an ethnographic collection and small museum.
30 min
Chiesa Rupestre di San Giuliano o Madonna Delle Grazie
This rock church, formerly dedicated to St. Eustace, features an entrance courtyard and a terracotta bas-relief of Madonna and Child. The interior has a Baroque altar interrupting the ancient crypt, frescoes in good condition, and a ceiling decorated with coffered panels and motifs.
30 min
Meeting point
Meet 5 MINUTES EARLIER AT THE SAGRADE OF THE CHURCH OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Languages
Cancellation policy
- Cancel at least 24 hours before start for a full refund.
Additional info
Guided Tour of Matera Including Casa Grotta and Rock Church
by VIAGGI KARMA MATERA
Choose from 1 available option
How do you want to book?
✓Confirmation before Wed, 9 Sept - card's only charged if it's a yes. If it's a no, still time to book on Viator.
Book on Viator Confirmed right away, but you pay full price.€24Overview
This guided walking tour of Matera lasts about two hours and covers the main historic areas of the city. The tour visits both Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano, the two ancient districts carved into the rock. You will see the historic center and enter a furnished cave house and a small rock church, with all entrance fees included. The tour starts at Sasso Barisano, which is named for its northwest orientation toward Bari and forms one of the oldest stone districts. Next, it continues to Piazza San Pietro Caveoso, a rectangular square overlooking a ravine with views of nearby rock churches and natural cavities once used for pastoral purposes. Then the group stops at Piazzetta Pascoli, located beside the 17th-century Palazzo Lanfranchi, where you can see a wide panorama of the Sassi. The visit includes a 30-minute stop at Casa Grotta del Casalnuovo. This cave house is furnished with original items and tools used by the families who lived there until the 1950s, effectively serving as a small ethnographic museum. Finally, the tour enters the Chiesa Rupestre di San Giuliano, also known as Madonna delle Grazie, where you can observe frescoes, a Baroque altar, and a decorated ceiling despite some alterations to the original structure. The guide is highly specialized and will accommodate different group types throughout the tour.
Highlights
What's included
Itinerary
Sasso Barisano
Sasso Barisano is named for its northwest position facing the city of Bari. It is one of the primary stone districts along with the Civita and represents an early part of Matera's stone settlements.
15 min
Piazza San Pietro Caveoso
This rectangular square offers a view over the ravine marked by an arch beside the church of San Pietro Caveoso. Across the ravine, you see rock churches on the Murgia and natural cavities once used for pastoral purposes.
15 min
Piazzetta Pascoli
Situated to the left of the seventeenth-century Palazzo Lanfranchi, Piazzetta Pascoli is named after Italian poet Giovanni Pascoli, who started his career teaching Latin and Greek in Matera between 1882 and 1884. This square offers one of the most notable panoramic views of the Sassi of Matera.
Casa grotta del Casalnuovo
Casa Grotta del Casalnuovo is a furnished cave house that shows how families lived in the Sassi before the 1950s depopulation. It contains original rooms, furniture, and daily-use tools, acting as an ethnographic collection and small museum.
30 min
Chiesa Rupestre di San Giuliano o Madonna Delle Grazie
This rock church, formerly dedicated to St. Eustace, features an entrance courtyard and a terracotta bas-relief of Madonna and Child. The interior has a Baroque altar interrupting the ancient crypt, frescoes in good condition, and a ceiling decorated with coffered panels and motifs.
30 min
Meeting point
Meet 5 MINUTES EARLIER AT THE SAGRADE OF THE CHURCH OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Languages
Cancellation policy
- Cancel at least 24 hours before start for a full refund.