“Absolutely the best place to stay in Matera”

La Casa di Lucio is simply fantastic from start to finish. The location in Matera is perfect, right in the middle of the Sassi (in the heat of summer, it was nice to be able to duck into your room for a half hour to cool off). Woven into the labyrinth of winding passages, each room seems to have its own outdoor entrance, and mine had a small terrace with tables and chairs. The rooms are in renovated buildings and give you an idealized version of what Matera architectural spaces were like (without the animals, of course): my room, which was five steps down from its front door, had the tell-tale, irregularly shaped vaulted stone and masonry ceiling (check out the pics on their website). The rooms have modern furnishings and fixtures (including a combo waterfall/sunflower showerhead in a large walk-in shower), so this feels more like a W Hotel than a rustic B&B. The breakfast is a banquet, the staff are courteous and generous, and the rooms are sparkling clean. And the best part: it's an incredible bargain compared to the price of most 4 star hotels in Italy, many of which are not nearly as nice or unique. If you have a bigger budget, stay at its sister hotel Regia Corte, which is even nicer. The Regia Corte's restaurant is very good, too, and the dining terrace has incredible views of the city, the ravine and the natural caves in the national park. This really is one of the nicest, and most reasonably priced hotel experiences I've had in Italy. It was perfect.