A new Relais & Châteaux property is set to open in Italy's historic cave city of Matera, offering guests the chance to stay in restored Paleolithic dwellings known as Sassi. Olivia Palamountain reports

Vetera Matera, opening March 15, 2025, will feature 23 rooms, including eight junior suites, carved into Matera's iconic white stone mountainside.

The town, a UNESCO World Heritage site located in the Basilicata region, is renowned for these Sassi quarters – an extraordinary network of cave dwellings carved into limestone rock.

These caves, transformed over millennia into homes, churches, and palaces, represent one of Italy's most unique settlements, with origins dating back to the Stone Age.      The Vatera Matera hotel, a five-star Relais & Châteaux property, makes best use of its unique position, winding through the town's labyrinthine alleys and ancient caves. It will be a sister property to the Bellevue Syrene 1820 on the Amalfi coast.

Each room will feature large windows framing Matera's dramatic landscape - a setting that has attracted filmmakers from around the world - alongside spacious terraces offering panoramic views of the historic city.A highlight of the hotel is its unique spa, embedded within the rock itself. Ancient cisterns have been transformed into contemplative spaces, while saunas, hammams, and hydromassage pools have been sensitively integrated into the stone structure.

The spa's centrepiece is a massage room carved from an ancient stable, offering modern treatments in a historic setting. A dedicated relaxation area provides views across the Sassi.The hotel's culinary offering aims to establish itself as a gastronomic destination in Matera's historic centre, with a restaurant serving innovative interpretations of Italian classics.

 Guests can dine in an elegant indoor space or on a terrace overlooking the city's stone rooftops, while an outdoor bar offers creative cocktails and gourmet tapas.

Rooms will start from approximately £340 per night when the property opens next spring.Vatera Matera is not the first cave hotel to intrigue travellers. Dimora di Metello, launched in 2020 in the same southern Italian city was also once an ancient cave dwelling.

In 2021, US home rental platform Vacasa teamed up with Dr Seuss Enterprises to sell overnight stays in the Grinch’s cave in honour of the book’s original release in 1957, meanwhile Beach Caves at the Six Senses Ibiza launched in 2o22, combining a series of suites carved into a cliff, with a recording studio, restaurant and bar.