Discover Vetera Matera Relais & Châteaux, a five-star luxury albergo diffuso in Matera’s UNESCO-listed Sassi. A rare blend of history, design, and hospitality
A New Jewel in the Sassi
Matera, Italy’s stone-carved city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is no stranger to poetic headlines. But come spring 2025, the story takes an even more glittering turn: the opening of Vetera Matera, Relais & Châteaux, the first and only albergo diffuso of its kind to carry the Relais & Châteaux insignia.
Eight years in the making, this five-star retreat doesn’t merely occupy Matera’s historic Sasso Barisano—it revives it. Every vaulted ceiling, terracotta floor, and sunlit terrace has been painstakingly restored, offering guests not just a stay, but an immersion into centuries of layered history.
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The Concept: An Albergo Diffuso with Gravitas
Italy has a word for hotels scattered across multiple historic buildings: albergo diffuso. But Vetera Matera isn’t just any interpretation of the concept. Spread across medieval and 19th-century dwellings, the property features 23 rooms, including eight suites, each with its own dialogue between stone, light, and modern design.
Some suites unfold underground, carved into the rock, complete with private plunge pools and lounge areas. Others gaze out toward the Sassi with vaulted ceilings and terraces that look as though they were sketched by Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro brush. Everywhere, the design ethos is one of restraint: minimal furnishings, maximal atmosphere.
Beyond the Room: The Art of Living Well
At Vetera Matera, luxury extends beyond linens and marble bathrooms. Guests can follow the rhythm of the day through spaces that celebrate both conviviality and retreat.
- ARTEMA Restaurant brings Lucanian cuisine into the 21st century, reinterpreting traditional recipes with seasonal flair.
- A Wine & Cocktail Bar terrace offers front-row views of Matera’s golden hour, best paired with an Aperitivo Negroni or a glass of Aglianico.
- The Wine Cellar, dramatically carved deep into the earth, doubles as a stage for tastings—a descent into terroir, history, and theater.
- Elysium SPA, entirely underground, combines calidarium and frigidarium baths, Zerobody float treatments, and candlelit massages, proving that wellness in Matera is as elemental as the stone itself.
Living Matera, Then and Now
The magic of Vetera Matera lies in its ability to slow time. To walk through its courtyards and staircases is to sense the hum of community life that once thrived here. To stay underground is to inhabit the same stone where families carved their homes millennia ago.
Yet Matera is no museum piece. Beyond the Sassi, guests can trek through Murgia Materana Park, hunt for truffles in Basilicata, or knead focaccia in a wood-fired oven. At Vetera, the concierge curates not itineraries, but experiences—authentic encounters with artisans, bakers, and the rhythms of Southern Italy.
A Legacy of Hospitality
Behind Vetera Matera is the Russo Attanasio family, fifth-generation hoteliers best known for Bellevue Syrene in Sorrento. Their trademark mix of bella figura and heartfelt warmth now infuses Matera, creating a hospitality that feels both rarefied and deeply rooted.
General Manager Marco Cagnetta and his team complete the picture: young, cosmopolitan, yet profoundly local. The result is a property that redefines luxury in Matera—not as excess, but as authenticity wrapped in elegance.
Why Vetera Matera Matters
In a city where homes were once hewn from stone out of necessity, Vetera Matera elevates that same instinctive architecture into art. It’s not just a new hotel; it’s a dialogue between past and present, between Matera’s UNESCO-listed genius loci and the global language of luxury hospitality.
And for discerning travelers? It’s a chance to call the Sassi home—even if only for a few unforgettable nights.
Practical Notes
Opening: Spring 2025
Location: Sasso Barisano, Matera, Italy
Rooms & Suites: 23 total (8 suites, some with private pools)
Highlights: ARTEMA Restaurant, panoramic Wine & Cocktail Bar, underground Wine Cellar, Elysium SPA, bespoke excursions
TheHotelTrotter.com is curated by greek journalist and fanatic hotel lover Eleni Stasinopoulou. With the eye of a fashion and lifestyle editor, Eleni hopes to inspire all connoisseurs of traveling, focusing on stylish hotel moments around the globe.
