Valerie
100+ Posts
RESIDENCE SAN GIORGIO, Via Fiorentini 259. Phone 0835/334583.
http://www.sangiorgio.matera.it/
This is technically a hotel, but it’s a residence which means that the suites are more than ample-sized and since most of them have small kitchens, they’re actually apartments. We stayed here not long after they first opened more than 10 years ago and have stayed on other occasions since. We've watched them renovate other apartments, one by one, and grow. Each is unique and comfortable.
Let me just come out and say it: I love this place. I love the owners. They were born and raised here, and they have labored and invested of their own blood, sweat and tears (and funds) to excavate and renovate the place, by hand. Themselves. With the help of their Matera friends and local skilled craftsmen. (I believe strongly in supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs; in a city that has started booming, there are now lots of rentals and hotels that are not owned by Materani.)
This unique residence hotel is located in the Sassi district. Their reception building is on Via Fiorentini where you’ll check in, then they will show you how to reach the suite through the stone pedestrian lanes of the Sassi. The suites/apartments are beautifully restored from the caves and buildings that make Matera so fascinating. Most of them are located in a unique Matera Sassi feature called a “recinto,” in this case, the romantically-named Recinto Paradiso. These enclosed "districts" each had a water fountain, a communal bread oven, and piazza-like open space for neighbors to work together and socialize together. San Giorgio also hides a secret that the owners discovered during renovations: one of the several hewn cistern systems that supplied ancient Matera with its water supply. It had also been a rock church dedicated to –yes, Saint George. It is a fascinating thing to explore, and the owners will give guests an informative tour.
Each suite is different. Some are caves, and others are the old original structures that were built out from the caves. They give you a true sense of the architectural intricacy that makes Matera so fascinating. My personal favorite is Suite Granai, which is a beautiful space on two levels with a large living room and a kitchen. Suite Bifora is very cool, with its ancient wine cellar, another Matera feature, and its jacuzzi tub. Most of the other suites also have a small kitchen, and while not outfitted like a traditional vacation rental property’s kitchen, do provide enough to make simple meals and give you a sense of being at home for a few days. Each has some outdoor space to enjoy, too.
http://www.sangiorgio.matera.it/
This is technically a hotel, but it’s a residence which means that the suites are more than ample-sized and since most of them have small kitchens, they’re actually apartments. We stayed here not long after they first opened more than 10 years ago and have stayed on other occasions since. We've watched them renovate other apartments, one by one, and grow. Each is unique and comfortable.
Let me just come out and say it: I love this place. I love the owners. They were born and raised here, and they have labored and invested of their own blood, sweat and tears (and funds) to excavate and renovate the place, by hand. Themselves. With the help of their Matera friends and local skilled craftsmen. (I believe strongly in supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs; in a city that has started booming, there are now lots of rentals and hotels that are not owned by Materani.)
This unique residence hotel is located in the Sassi district. Their reception building is on Via Fiorentini where you’ll check in, then they will show you how to reach the suite through the stone pedestrian lanes of the Sassi. The suites/apartments are beautifully restored from the caves and buildings that make Matera so fascinating. Most of them are located in a unique Matera Sassi feature called a “recinto,” in this case, the romantically-named Recinto Paradiso. These enclosed "districts" each had a water fountain, a communal bread oven, and piazza-like open space for neighbors to work together and socialize together. San Giorgio also hides a secret that the owners discovered during renovations: one of the several hewn cistern systems that supplied ancient Matera with its water supply. It had also been a rock church dedicated to –yes, Saint George. It is a fascinating thing to explore, and the owners will give guests an informative tour.
Each suite is different. Some are caves, and others are the old original structures that were built out from the caves. They give you a true sense of the architectural intricacy that makes Matera so fascinating. My personal favorite is Suite Granai, which is a beautiful space on two levels with a large living room and a kitchen. Suite Bifora is very cool, with its ancient wine cellar, another Matera feature, and its jacuzzi tub. Most of the other suites also have a small kitchen, and while not outfitted like a traditional vacation rental property’s kitchen, do provide enough to make simple meals and give you a sense of being at home for a few days. Each has some outdoor space to enjoy, too.
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