The Sassi, on foot – private walking tour of Matera.
The Sassi of Matera are not a walking route — they’re a layered record of 8,000 years of human settlement, most of it underground and invisible to the untrained eye. This tour is built around making that visible.
We’ll move through the Sassi at a deliberate pace, taking paths most visitors never find. Along the way I’ll explain not just what you’re looking at, but why it exists — the geology that made cave-dwelling possible, the cultural and social dynamics that turned a prehistoric settlement into a medieval city, and the postwar politics that led to the forced evacuation of 17,000 people from these same streets.
Every tour includes at least one underground site — chosen based on your interests. If you’re drawn to Byzantine frescoes, we’ll go one way. If you want to understand the engineering of negative architecture, we’ll go another. Or both! I adapt the route to you, not the other way around.
- Duration: 2 hours, with optional 3rd hour
- Private: just you (and your group) — no strangers
- Fully customisable itinerary
- Conducted entirely in English
- Includes at least one cave site
