Current plan is that we actually will be going to Croatia and Italy in the fall! Most of the accommodations are booked, and I'm pretty happy with most, but I've been unsure about the Matera hotel. Right now, I have reservations at 2 hotels for the 2 nights in October that we will be there and would appreciate feedback. We are there mid-October. I'm torn between the idea of being into the sassy and a bit above. I also want to have a good night view for an overview. We will have a car so driving in and parking will be important, though I don't expect we will take the car out once we are there.

I do have some problems with walking up and down, but I can manage going slowly and figure that I'll deal with it no matter what. After all, that's what Matera and the sassi are all about! If we stay near the top, we'll have to walk down anyway, so it seems like there's not a great advantage to being just out of the sassi until we actually have to get the car again. At least, that's what it looks like to me.

The first reservation is at Il Belvedere. A friend who is a photographer loved it because of the views and it gets great reviews, but it looks like it's not quite in the sassi. Parking the car looks relatively easy, too.
1) https://www.hotelbelvedere.matera.it/en/gallery/
2) http://www.booking.com/Share-0xy3C8

The second reservation is at the popular Locanda di San Martino, and I do think this is where we will stay. Because of covid, some of the benefits (sauna, turkish bath) are not available. In mid-October, the rates drop significantly so I got a great rate on the junior suite. Parking is 15 euros/day, which is certainly reasonable.
Home ? Locanda di San Martino

As I write this, my sense is that the Locanda is the preferred place to stay. Is there any reason why I shouldn't or is it easier to tour from just out of the sassi? Again, we probably won't take the car out for the 2 nights we'll be there.

Thank you!

Or Fra I Sassi residence?

it’s hard to tell where one is located from a flat map.

The Locanda San Martino looks like it might be difficult for you with your walking difficulties. Would you stay in cave room? We stayed in one of those
( not in Matera) and it was dark, damp and claustrophobic.
I would stay up on top if this were my trip.
We toured the Sassi but felt no reason to stay down there. It was a lot of difficult walking and I walk at least three miles every morning. It is interesting to see but we much preferred our time in Puglia to Matera.

Thanks, HappyTrvlr. Interesting that you weren’t that crazy over the cave room, though I can understand it. We were in one in Cappadocia so I’m familiar with the experience. The ones in Locanda look spacious but you never know.

Since I expect that we’ll need to be going up and down no matter where we stay, isn’t it a bit of a wash? We’ll definitely need to climb back up to where we stay, no?

We will be in Puglia for a week before Matera.

What are your plans while you are staying there, Progol? If as it appears from your OP your aim is solely to use your stay to explore the Sassi then staying inside it makes sense to me. The easy parking at the Belvedere won't be any help if you then have to drive to the Sassi anyway, and if you are at the Locanda, being on the spot if you need a rest you can much more easily return there and put your feet up, either in your room or on the terrace with a nice drink from the bar! And then you could go out again in the evening without having to worry about parking and driving. I doubt you'd feel like doing that and you were staying in the Belvedere.

So the Locanda gets it for me.

Thanks, annhig! That makes sense to me. I haven’t had a good sense of what it looks like and how extensive it is, so it’s been hard to make a decision. Now I’m looking at Fra I Sassi residence and think it looks pretty nice, too. Any thoughts on choosing between this one and the Locanda?
https://www.fraisassiresidence.com/en/

Hi again, Progol,

I wasn't sure about Fra i Sassi from its website so I had a look at TA which to my mind make it look nicer.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_...asilicata.html

What I couldn't find was detail of its car parking, except that it says that it's free "nearby". It is towards the outskirts of the Sassi but that will make road access easier and it's not so far away that you'll need to use the car to get there. Very little to choose between the two, I suspect.

thanks,,annhig! I also looked at TA and thought it sounded lovely. I’ll probably make a reservation here, too, and then decide which one I want to keep! I’m not doing a very good job of narrowing things down this way! 😁

<<thanks,,annhig! I also looked at TA and thought it sounded lovely. I’ll probably make a reservation here, too, and then decide which one I want to keep! I’m not doing a very good job of narrowing things down this way! 😁>>

That's probably what I'd do too, progol. Have you looked at booking.com for them both? you can pick up a bit of a vibe from them too - Fra i Sassi seems to get more plaudits for its friendliness then the Locanda, and I like the little piece in Italian that they have included talking about the history of the place and how it's run by their family with mamma's recipes for breakfast. https://www.booking.com/hotel/it/fra....html#tab-main But it's probably a toss up between them.

annhig,
I just went with Fra I Sassi - I liked the vibe. I canceled the Locanda and Il Belvedere. Now I hope that we are REALLY going this time!

Thanks for helping me clarify priorities!

Hurray. Good for you, progol. Now I can look forward to reading about your adventures and seeing your lovely photos. fingers and toes firmly crossed.

There are plenty of ape taxis that go up and down between the sassi and the old town up top. I liked the nightlife up top better than down in the sassi. YMMV. You can always take an ape up. There's always some kind of artsy entertainment up top either at Piazza Giovanni Pascoli (by the art museum/school) or around near a music school. These are pedestrian areas from Piazza Giovanni Pascoli to Piazza Sant'Eligio, Piazza San Franceso, Piazza del Sedile with a lot of restaurants and people out at night.

I was there the 1st week of September a few years ago and it had already turned pretty cool at night.

Thanks, kybourbon. We’ll be there (&#129310 mid-October so perhaps a few extra layers will be packed!

Good to know about the option to go up and down with the ape taxis. Who knows what will be happening then, given the pandemic as well as the time of year. And we love just strolling around, so hopefully, we’ll find some life at night. Of course, sitting on a terrace with the spectacular view isn’t such a bad thing, either!

There are areas you won't be allowed to drive that the ape taxis can (ZTL). Some areas such as between Piazza San Francesco going towards Pizza del Sedile has those auto barriers in the ground that go down to allow you through if you have a resident tele pass. Be sure to check ZTL for both top and bottom.

By nightlife, I meant more passeggiata/locals up top and not late. Places to have cocktails outside trended younger than some of the dinner spots. I had nice meals up and down and there were plenty of people down as well. I don't know what has survived covid. At one restaurant in the sassi, horse was on the menu (which I could tell). What I didn't understand and asked the waiter was the specials board. Turned about to be donkey.

Here's one of the taxis down at the bottom.

Thanks, kybourbon. We will definitely do our best to avoid the ZTL zones, having made the mistake of getting tickets in Paestum after going into the wrong zones. We will leave the car in the lot when we get there and forget about it until we leave.Hmm, horse and donkey on the menu? So, did you try either?😁

I passed on the horse/donkey. I didn't notice any ZTL when I was in Paestum except the street with the entrance/shops/cafe.



When I was looking for the taxi picture, it turns out I took several pictures of your hotel. There is a small parking area in front of the hotel.

kybourbon,
The hotel suggests parking at the top and taking a shuttle, which I think makes more sense than negotiating the streets.

I don’t remember exactly where the ZTL was in Paestum, but it may’ve been when DH parked by the site while we had lunch. Or perhaps it was somewhere else.

We have enjoyed "visits" to Matera by watching very entertaining episodes of Imma Tataranni on MHZ Choice. Imma is a public prosecutor in Matera and has a very interesting public and private life. The series is spectacularly filmed in Matera and elsewhere in the region. Cesare Bocci (Mimi Augello from Montalbano) plays a recurring role.

https://www.moretimetotravel.com/rev...nni-of-matera/

ooh, you've peeked my interest about Imma Tataranni, MaineGG. How many episodes can i watch in 7 days free trial I wonder? and I really like Cesare Bocci.

MaineGG,
Thank you! We've watched the show, Imma Tataranni, and I forgot that it was filmed in Matera! So cool!