Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / Italy / Matera / Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita
Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita
Matera, Basilicata, Italy · Independent · Core Luxury
Daniele Kihlgren turned abandoned cave dwellings in Matera's Civita into an eighteen-room albergo diffuso in 2009, keeping the tufa walls and original cave shapes. Breakfast is served in a thirteenth-century deconsecrated cave church; a terrace looks across the Gravina gorge to Murgia National Park. Michelin gave the house One Key in 2025.
- 18 rooms
- Opened 2009
- Neighborhood: Sassi di Matera
About Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita
- Breakfast is served in a thirteenth-century deconsecrated cave church, candle-lit, with Lucanian cooking on request.
- Eighteen rooms sit inside the Sassi di Matera, a four-minute walk from Matera Cathedral.
- Design Hotels member in the Civita district of the Sassi.
History
Founded by Daniele Kihlgren in 2009, the property converted abandoned ancient cave dwellings in the Civita district into a luxury "albergo diffuso." The restoration project prioritized extreme authenticity, retaining the original shapes and tufa stone walls while using traditional building techniques and recycled materials to preserve the site's prehistoric atmosphere.
The setting
4-minute walk to Matera Cathedral. 10-minute walk to Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario anthropology museum.
Experiences
- Gala dinner — Gala dinner is readily available for conference events.
- Light lunch and coffee break with local products — Light lunch and coffee break with local products are readily available for conference events.
- Team building activities — Team building activities are readily available for conference events.
- Transfer service — Transfer service is readily available for conference events.
Amenities
- Organic breakfast served in a 13th-century deconsecrated cave church
- Candle-lit dining experiences featuring traditional Lucanian cuisine
- Panoramic terrace overlooking the Murgia National Park and Gravina gorge
- Wellness treatments including Ayurvedic massages and reiki
- Authentic minimalist interiors with indigenous furnishings and antique linens
- Complimentary Wi-Fi and climate control in all cave rooms
- Hot tub
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- MICHELIN One Key (2026)
Open Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
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