Vetera Matera Lodge in Matera, Italy

Filmmakers have lengthy been enamored with the UNESCO World Heritage-listed limestone tufa cave homes of Matera, which have made the southern Italian hilltop city a magnet for tradition and historical past buffs. Nevertheless it wasn’t all the time this manner.

In 1952, the Italian authorities ordered the evacuation of 20,000 residents from these hollowed-out underground abodes, inhabited repeatedly for over 2,000 years, as a result of unsanitary residing circumstances. They have been relocated to fashionable residence buildings within the surrounding suburbs. Matera was branded “la vergogna nazionale,” or “the disgrace of the nation.”

Within the ’50s and ‘60s, famend Italian administrators flocked right here to shoot dramas corresponding to Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1964 biblical epic “The Gospel In accordance with St. Matthew.” Then, in 2004, Mel Gibson’s extremely controversial “The Ardour of the Christ” launched Matera to a global viewers. Extra just lately, Matera’s tangle of alleyways and stone-built stairways served because the backdrop for Daniel Craig’s portrayal of James Bond in “No Time to Die.”

Nonetheless, the city, located within the Basilicata area, bordering Puglia, Calabria, and Campania, had already been drawing guests since Matera earned UNESCO standing in 1993. Its two districts, referred to as the Sassi, along with the Park of the Rupestrian Church buildings, represent homes, church buildings, and monasteries constructed into the pure caves of the Murgia. In 2019, Matera rose to prominence as one among two European Capitals of Tradition (alongside one other historic metropolis, Plovdiv, Bulgaria).

Visiting in Might, I used to be among the many first to remain at Vetera Matera. An Italian dentist had step by step acquired a sequence of neighboring buildings, together with cave homes, in Matera through the years, with the dream of making a resort. When he fashioned a partnership with the Russo-Attanasio household, who’re behind Italian hospitality firm Bellevue Group, his imaginative and prescient started to take form. Eight years of considerate restoration later, Vetera Matera is among the few resorts to have joined the rarefied ranks of Relais & Châteaux earlier than opening. It’s the one five-star luxurious albergo diffuso, or subtle resort—a time period used to explain resorts unfold throughout a number of historic buildings—affiliated with the worldwide, culture-focused not-for-profit affiliation.

Named after the neighborhood, or rione, by which it’s situated, Vetera Matera contains 23 rooms, together with eight suites. I initially booked an upper-floor Noble suite, assuming my photographer husband would favor all-hours entry to views of Matera’s cornsilk-hued rock dwellings. Ultimately, I chosen a Hypogeal suite. I needed the total expertise of sleeping in a cave dwelling, just like the inhabitants of Matera have performed because the Paleolithic period.

Getting into the cool, soothing subterranean master bedroom, I shortly realized why Vetera Matera’s lodging are so distinctive. Grasp Suite 5, because it’s merely recognized, is about on three softly-lit, cream-hued ranges, every one step by step descending deeper underground. Whereas I will be barely claustrophobic, excessive ceilings alleviated any considerations. A fellow visitor advised me she opted for a Noble suite as a result of she didn’t really feel snug with the considered staying in a cave room. Questioning who may need as soon as resided right here, I discovered our momentary abode mysterious, beguiling, and extremely romantic.

This is what it is like to remain at Vetera Matera.

The Rooms

Getting into our 1,044 square-foot Hypogeal (which implies “underground” in Greek) suite, it was laborious to fathom that, for hundreds of years, individuals lived in these caves. Much more spectacular is that, in response to hotelier Adda Attanasio, daughter of Elsa Russo, minimal intervention was wanted to transform it right into a resort room.

Limestone brick arches alternate with clean tuff partitions, some pockmarked, whereas others are chiseled with geometric shapes. On the primary stage of our suite was a settee mattress and a rest room. A couple of steps lead all the way down to an open-plan bed room with a king-size mattress, a sprawling toilet with twin vanities, and an amply sized closet. Enhancing the vibe have been two clay feminine busts, one with sea sponge for hair, crafted by artist Paolo Sandulli and set in two gently illuminated alcoves. On the third and remaining stage, there was a sizzling tub and a daybed. “There, a bell-shaped area of interest etched into the wall by earlier inhabitants marked the place excavation may proceed into the earth, whereas sustaining a gradual stream of sunshine into the house,” Attanasio, who has invested monumental effort to carry this venture to fruition, tells Journey + Leisure.

In a separate constructing, Noble suites on higher flooring provide views of Matera via breezy home windows, some with vaulted ceilings and terraces. Interiors are impressed by modern Italian type, that includes timber, iron, and travertine crafted by native artisans. Rest room design varies from stone to monochrome marble tiles.

Meals and Drink

Govt chef Eduardo Estatico, whose grandmothers sparked a ardour for cooking his native Neapolitan delicacies when he was simply eight years previous, takes nice satisfaction in showcasing the uncooked supplies from Basilicata and Puglia.

All meals are served within the underground eating room, Artema. Breakfast delights embrace focaccia Barese, whereas Matera’s famed sourdough bread pairs effectively with Lucanian black pig salami, stracciatella cheese from Murgia, and buffalo ricotta.

For lunch, I sampled handmade orecchiette with turnip greens sautéed with garlic, chilli, anchovies, and E.U.-classified PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) Senise peppers, a pleasant mix of flavors and textures. My Roman husband, a gifted dwelling cook dinner, accepted of the spaghetti with 4 tomato varieties and recent basil. Rum-soaked baba with vanilla cream and black cherries proved a boozy solution to finish a meal.

Tasting menus for dinner change continuously and observe the seasons. Count on delicate, scrumptious starters, corresponding to a savory eclair with pink prawns from Porto Santo Spirito, spring onion panna cotta, and Beluga caviar with smoked sabayon and tarragon. Vesuvian peas dominate a surprisingly wealthy dish that includes Pastificio 28 Pasta from Campania’s Gragnano, 24-month aged Caciocavallo Podolico cheese from Puglia, Lucanian black pork jowl, and pink grapefruit. Estatico likes to work with seafood, turning out dishes corresponding to rockfish soup with candy and bitter spring ciaudedda (regional vegetable stew) and seaweed and Matera bread cubes. (However he’s additionally adept at vegetarian fare.)

There may be an indoor bar, whereas an al fresco wine and cocktail bar is scheduled to open this summer time on an elevated terrace. At sundown, when Matera is forged in a mesmerizing golden glow, the views are chic.

Actions and Experiences

Common supervisor Marco Cagnetta may be very selective in regards to the experiences supplied to visitors. “I choose to handpick guides, fairly than depend on businesses, for personal excursions,” he says. Cagnetta organized for Di Modugno, whom I discovered immediately participating, to introduce us to the Sassi of Matera, specifically the districts of Caveoso and Barisano. We pored over frescoes within the ninth-century Santa Lucia alle Malve church, relationship to the settlement of Benedictine monks in Matera. Passing by an indication pleading “Siate gentili con i Sassi” (Be light with the Sassi), I questioned how busy these stone-paved streets have to be within the thick of summer time.

Tour information Vincenzo Di Modugno led us right into a cave home full of unique furnishings, terracotta vases, and agricultural instruments, recreating the standard life the Materani as soon as lived, even sharing area with livestock. Entrance was free, however a donation to maintain these cultural treasures alive is welcome. At Studio d’Arte, we chatted with artist Christian Andrisani as he crafted a vibrant cucù whistle from clay, an historic good-luck allure and image of prosperity.

One afternoon, Vetera Matera’s deputy supervisor, Desirèe Rappazzo, confirmed us round her native Altamura, a close-by Puglian city buzzing with locals and few vacationers, at the least in Might. There, we visited Antica Tipografia Portoghese, one among Italy’s oldest printing presses nonetheless in operation, relationship to 1891. At Caseificio Dicecca, we met cheesemaker Vito Dicecca and sampled Amore Primitivo, a berry-topped blue cheese that was pure ambrosia.

The Spa

Retreating to the subterrestrial Elysium Spa, I couldn’t fairly consider we had all of it to ourselves. Hewn from rock, this can be a spa set in an precise cave and one of many best I’ve skilled. Within the calidarium, a generously-sized sizzling tub, highly effective hydromassage jets pummeled away at weary muscle groups. Transferring from there to a steam room and sauna, then onto the frigidarium, I barely dipped a toe within the chilly plunge pool. I adored the important oil-infused rain showers that alternated between tropical scents and refreshing menthol. I then examined the Zerobody system, floating on a smooth mattress full of heat water whereas following a meditation through headphones.

Afterwards, I brewed some Florentine natural tea and frolicked reveling in my newfound relaxed state, lounging on day beds on the out of doors leisure space, looking over Matera.

There are additionally therapeutic massage rooms, together with one for {couples}. Signature physique remedies embrace the Vetera Ritual, which entails a foot tub, hydrating physique pack, facial therapeutic massage with a mix of important oils, a face masks, and scalp therapeutic massage.

Household-friendly Choices

Vetera Matera feels particularly fitted to {couples}, however the resort welcomes households, providing sizable suites, connecting rooms, a youngsters’s menu, and early dinner. Babysitting companies can be found at a further value.

Accessibility and Sustainability

Whereas the landscapes of Matera pose appreciable accessibility challenges, the resort has two rooms for visitors with disabilities and a wheelchair ramp.

Vetera Matera observes Relais & Châteaux’s sustainability necessities, notably a dedication to preserving native cultural heritage and structure. Many of the employees members I spoke to have been from Matera or surrounding cities.

The resort subscribes to the tenets of the worldwide Sluggish Meals motion, based in Rome. Seasonal merchandise for the restaurant and bar are sourced from small-scale artisan producers, together with cheesemakers and vintners, within the wider area.

Bogs are stocked with Vetera Matera-branded refillable bitter almond-scented natural physique wash, hand wash, and physique lotion, produced by a Milan-based firm. On the spa, Essentia Puglia, a Puglia-based natural magnificence product line enriched with further virgin olive oil and grapes, takes satisfaction of place.

Location

Located in Matera’s Sasso Barisano district, the resort is 39 miles, or a couple of 50-minute drive relying on visitors, southwest of Bari Worldwide Airport (BRI) in Bari, Italy. The resort can organize transfers for visitors. Close by, you will discover Murgia Nationwide Park, which has a community of trails that go by caves and church buildings carved out of rock. Excursions and actions in northern Basilicata will be organized, corresponding to white truffle looking and focaccia baking in a wood-fired oven within the forest. Coastal Polignano a Mare is simply over an hour’s drive east. Hire a automobile to discover independently.

E book Now

The resort is a member of Relais & Châteaux, which has a Visitor Recognition Programme. Point out your Relais & Châteaux Visitor Quantity on the time of reserving and upon arrival on the resort to obtain customized service and unique advantages.

Nightly charges at Vetera Matera begin at 300 Euros ($345 USD) for a traditional room.

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