Evening in the Sassi

In 1952, Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi ordered the evacuation of the Sassi, a drastic measure against long‑standing unsanitary conditions; the cave quarters fell silent until their cultural revival in the 1980s. At dusk today, they reawaken: rupestrian lanes at 401 meters, candlelight flickering by San Pietro Caveoso, and the Gravina ravine just below. Matera doesn’t flood with light; it glows in pockets. Footsteps on stone, cool air in the hypogea, and time feels layered—almost geological.

Your hotel pickup comes first, then the car stays with you all evening—no rushing, no stairs unless you want them. With an Amani Limousines private chauffeur in Matera, it’s an easy 8‑minute move from Piazza Vittorio Veneto to the viewpoints on Via Madonna delle Virtù (about 1.2 km), followed by a pre‑booked dinner inside a former palmento. While the driver handles parking and the maze, you taste Aglianico, step into a certified casa‑grotta, and close the night facing the candlelit Sassi above the Gravina.