We dined several times at Pizzeria -- Hotel Lo Smeraldo and enjoyed every visit! The cozy…read moreatmosphere, combined with attentive service, made it a pleasure each time. One of the highlights was the incredible value--just 5.50 € for a half-liter of delicious, local red wine. The pizzas were perfectly cooked with fresh ingredients, balancing traditional flavors with a wood-fired crispness. The beautiful setting in Cisternino added to the overall experience, making it a must-visit for anyone in the area. Salute!

What a wonderful hotel!!! We lucked into this hotel as the place we were planning on staying…read moredidn't pan out. The front desk clerk was warm and friendly during check in even though it was 1 AM! The hotel was quiet, clean and just plain wonderful. The beds were a little hard but how does a hotel plan for everyone's preferences?! Anything they lacked in amenities they made up for in hospitality. The restaurant that serves the hotel had exquisite authentic Italian cuisine. I can't say it enough. The food was AMAZING. My husband and I split three courses every night and left uncomfortably full and too full to even try the dessert. This is a must try hotel and restaurant in Cisternino, Italy.

Romantic doesn't come close to the magical dreamy place this is. Yes, lots of walking and mostly up…read moreand down stairs, but this is a cave city. 1,000+ years old. Actually, my lower back felt better walking the terrain then other cities which have flat paved streets. Our room I could relax and enjoy nearly all day. Great food at the hotel such as the buffet breakfast or dinner. And some of the best tasting bread we've ever had is in this town.

Stayed here at the end of our Backroads Puglia bike trip. I see that the reviews are a bit mixed…read morebut most of the negative reviews seem to be from several years ago so maybe the kinks have been worked out. The entire town of Matera is an indescribably magical place that pictures don't do justice to, and this hotel fits right in. Yes, the rooms are created from a series of caves. Yes, our room had a tub in the bedroom (but a separate sink and toilet area). Yes, it got a bit dark when the sun went down but it was not problematic. Reception staff was terrific, as was the breakfast spread. The room did get a little stuffy at night (climate control is outside the room), but the hotel staff quickly bright a fan when we requested one. I'm not sure I would want to stay more than two or three nights here, but it was the perfect place to stay in one of tbe most unique towns I have ever seen.

Do not trust this hotel for your confirmed booking !! they pull bait & switch on apartment you book…read moreand try to increase rate at last minute if you booked with hotel directly!! we booked reservation at this hotel for a week - we booked directly with hotel and couple weeks before arrival they tried to increase our rate $1,000. when we refused they cancalled our booking /reservation! terrible!!!

I can't give this beautiful hotel a high enough recommendation. If you ever dreamt of being…read moresomebody's guest at their Italian palazzo, then this is the place. The staff can't do enough for you. The food is excellent. The rooms are spacious and all them amenities are top quality. The staff will recommend day trips and provide everything including transportation. We took the cooking class and learned to make some unusual pastas. Another guest told us about the local cheese store that provides all the cheese for the restaurants. One of the staff took us there one morning to watch them make mozzarella. The store gives you samples of their products including the local Manteca-butter inside of mozzarella It is the second Francis Ford Coppola properties that we have stayed at and highly recommend them. Staying here was like being a guest at somebody's palazzo.

One of our favorite things to do when vacationing (especially in Europe) is to research and look…read morefor cool places to stay. Many of the smaller towns and villages won't have your standard go-to hotels anyways. This was my favorite place to stay in all of the places we stayed at in Puglia. The accommodations were in a traditional Trullo, which is a round stone building with a cone shaped roof. In addition to living spaces, they were used to help keep things cool. I'm not sure what it is about this design, but we did not have any AC and the building stayed the perfect temperature day and night. The place has a small pool area, which was perfect for some relaxing during the day, and the surrounding landscaping was really cool with all the fun cactus. Breakfast is included, and it was good. The manager of the place is not always on site, but reachable if needed. It's a small place, so depending on what the other guests are up to, you may have a run of the whole place. The only thing is that it is down some dirt roads and not that easy to find, but with GPS we eventually located this amazing little place.

Extremely unique hotel. The lobby is just for that. Just check in and they personally walk you to…read moreyour room. 33 rooms total. All in different areas around the lobby. I believe all rooms are basically caves that have been converted into living space or modified from its original form. Very unique, amazing views. Unlike any hotel you may have stayed at in the past. The restaurant facility has two different restaurants. We only went to the one that had the morning breakfast which was a great display of different breads, bacon and eggs and different vegetables and fruits. Great coffee as well! Matera is must see. Incredible history and absolutely stunning when you get to the old city. Bring walking shoes and expect to walk lots and lots of stairs.

First. This place is beautiful. But the experience was awful. My family and I (2 adults and 3…read morekids) arrived here after the prior week on farms in the area. The first thing I wanted to do when we got here was to get some laundry done for the next 5 days so as soon as we checked in I started sorting clothes. I was shocked at the prices. While I'm happy to pay extra at a 5 star hotel. This was outrageous. 5 people for 5 days was 910 euros - more than $1,000. That would be the price for 8 people to have a nice dinner with si e upstairs. Each kid t shirt was $20 euro - roughly the same price at a pasta dish at a high end restaurant. I briefly considered spending the next day looking for a Zara or similar store to buy clothes. But I didn't want to miss a touring day so decided to pay for it and chalk it up to experience. The hotel said it would take 24 hours to do the laundry which was ok bc we needed clean clothes for dinner the following night. The next afternoon after 24 hours I went to check in the lobby and they said the clothes wouldn't be ready until the next day. I said that they said they would be ready in 24 hours and they said they didn't think I really needed them that soon because we were staying in the hotel a few days. (Not sure the rationale of that). I said I really needed them by dinner and they said they would check in the status. No one got back to me so I went back before dinner to check. They said we would probably get the clothes that evening. So we went out to eat in the clothes we had been wearing. That night we came home to the room and the clothes were all folded in bags in our room. I decided to let the matter go. The next morning we started to get ready and realized the clothes on top were all damp and the ones below were soaking wet. I brought a wet shirt downstairs to complain and wanted to show them I wasn't crazy. I asked to speak to the manager but she wasn't there. I went a few more times to talk to the manager ask for the manager but she was never there. Despite my repeated trips to the lobby, she never looked for me. I finally saw her yesterday in the lobby and told her the stor. She said the problem was that we gave them too many clothes. I said that was silly. They have a big hotel and we gave them clothes for 5 people for 5 days. What a stupid comment. She avoided all responsibility. We just checked out and they are charging us 600 euros instead of 900. So we're paying more than 700 dollars for them to give us wet clothes late. I would never recommend this hotel to anyone. I told them if they were going to charge a huge premium for a service (which I was fine to pay) they needed to make sure they performed it well. They utterly failed to provide a basic service and still charged us a premium. And the service when we tried to raise the issue was awful. We are here with a group of people and they are all washing their laundry in the sinks because of the prices. I've never seen people starting at a 5 star hotel do their own laundry because the hotel is gouging them so much on laundry prices.

Amazing cave hotel in the Sassi. The rooms are very spacious. Views are amazing no matter where you…read moreturn on your patio. Refrigerators are in room and items are for purchase. Restaurants are nearby plus the town center is a bit of a walk. Bed is very comfortable. Spacious "closet" type cave area. Breakfast is included and pretty decent selection of items for breakfast from yogurt to eggs to toast and fresh fruit.

We had the most amazing stay at the Aquatio cave hotel! No stone is left unturned here. See what I…read moredid there? Cave hotel. No stone. Get it? Ok, moving on... Although the hotel is located in a ZTL, you are allowed to drive into the center twice -- once to drop off luggage at the beginning of your stay and again at the end to pick up your bags and depart. The hotel reports your license plate to the city so that you don't get a ticket in the mail for your two journeys into the ZTL. We opted for the valet parking. At just €20 per day to not have to deal with finding parking, it was well worth it to us! Our room was in a cave, as promised. Surprisingly, Aquatio makes cave dwelling super comfortable and modern. Our bed provided an excellent night sleep, and the room was super dark and quiet because, well, it's in a cave. The shower had great water pressure. There was even climate control in the room that kept the temperature comfortable and the humidity down. All of the property's amenities and "extras" were just as wonderful as the room. Front desk staff were incredibly friendly and accommodating! Schlepping our luggage to our room, bringing a bottle opener to our door within minutes of calling the front desk, providing tons of helpful info about what to see and do in the area, etc. Breakfast was included in the room rate and was ample/delicious. An hour in their spa was also included and was by far the highlight of the stay! They have an incredible heated pool (in a cave, obviously) that I could have seriously floated in all day if only we weren't butting up against our noon checkout deadline. There is also a relaxation area with wonderful hot tea, a sauna and a hammam (steam room) below the pool. Everything you need to enjoy your time at the spa -- shower cap (for the pool), flip flops, towel, robes -- is provided. Seriously, heaven on earth. Or, heaven in a cave. Whatever. You catch my drift. As if all that wasn't glorious enough, when we lingered a little too long at the spa on our last day and weren't quite ready to check out at noon, they didn't even bat an eye when we asked for 30 extra minutes. We can't wait to visit beautiful Matera again and will most certainly stay at Aquatio when we do!m

We have had a delightful two bedroom en suite apartment in the heart of Matera ... and a reasonable…read morewalk to the Duomo and the Sassi (caves). Great location for walking to restaurants. Our host Antonella has been wonderful, including providing restaurant recommendations, decaffeinated coffee, and other things we requested.

Every once in a while, it's good to indulge - and breakfast at Sant'Angelo Luxury Resort in Matera…read moreis an experience worth savoring. From fresh, artisanal pastries to perfectly brewed Italian coffee, every bite reflects the elegance and attention to detail of this stunning resort. The breathtaking setting, nestled among ancient stone structures, adds a special charm, making each morning feel both relaxing and memorable. It's the perfect way to start a day exploring Matera, blending luxury with the warm hospitality of Southern Italy. Truly a breakfast experience to remember! Saluti