FWIW, I did not think a guide was necessary for Matera -- the printed information seemed sufficient to me. But I know many people prefer to work with a guide....

Yes I did, thank you raincitygirl. I will reach out to her and see how much it is and her availability. Thank you.

kja- does the tourist information have a good map there so that you can walk around yourself? I usually do that but since we have only one day to spend I thought perhaps a guide might be good.

temashana, there is a tourist info place in the main square just above the sassi. They probably have maps.

We really enjoyed having a guide here, it is a bit of a maze and we enjoyed her local perspective, plus we ended up chatting with some locals she knew along the way. I can't remember how much she charged but she went way over the time limit and we thought her price was really reasonable all things considered. We went for an aperitif and snacks with her afterward.

We only had the one day there as well and wanted to maximize our time.

I picked up a map at my hotel, but I saw others carrying similar maps, so I'm pretty sure they are widely available in Matera. And yes, I found it very easy to get around and explore the area.

I understand that a guide could be a very good idea -- I just wanted to point out that IME, a guide was not necessary.

Thanks kja and raincitygirl for your thoughts. Much appreciated and will review with my travelling companion.
Best,

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