Discover Matera's Sassi: Iconic Ape Calessino Adventure

Had an amazing birdseye view of Sassi and also a cave house, plus a few other notable sights along the way. Loved being able to be in the historic spaces without having to walk to them, opportunities to step out and take pictures, and a hospitable driver/guide to “escort” us from place to place.

Too short. Driver with limited english. It was raining and he was in a hurry. Audio could not be heard.

The driver was lovely and we had a great time getting to know the town. Would definitely recommend. The best part was the cave dwelling museum. The story of the people of Matera is interesting and sad. Their living conditions were unimaginable in today’s standards but when they were forced to move into modern housing they didn’t want to go, thinking they were losing their traditional life. There is a book called “Christ stopped at Eboli” which brought light to the living conditions here in Matera and brought attention to the historical significance of this town. Around 1950 when the towns people were relocated the old town was relatively abandoned, a playground for the young kids here, so one of the locals told us. It wasn’t until it was recognized as a world heritage site in 1993 which brought resources for its revival. And now, it’s a beautiful city to explore.

Amazing! The wine is also reasonably priced! Our guide Peter was very knowledgeable and even shared some history about wine and regions, this was our favorite tour and they were not skimpy on the wine. Each wine portion was enough to satisfy the palate and enjoy the flavor! The food was delicious and well balanced with each wine!

The only issue was finding the pick up point. The map only had an area, which when you arrived had no indication that you were at the right place. Ended up having to call the operator of the tour to find exactly where to go.

A last minute booking but we really enjoyed it , lots of opportunities to take great photos and pop off at different locations .

Excellent way to see Matera and learn about some of its fascinating history . Tony , our driver, was fun and offered to take photos of us at various locations.

Great way to see the city and see it quickly! Would recommend again! The tuk tuk driver took us all around Matera!

Very few words were exchanged. We listened to a speaker, that was tough to follow with what locations it was talking about. Some involvement from the driver would have been great. This would be an okay thing to do as your very first introduction to Matera, but not if you’re looking for any sort of depth. The host was polite but said less than 10 words to us. Also don’t expect the host to take any photos of you. I’ve been on similar tours and this one didn’t live up to the expectations of such an amazing city.

Because we scheduled this tour for our second day in Matera, we had already been to every location in Matera that this tour took us. The driver was very nice and the audio added some interesting details. But, if you plan on doing a lot of walking and touring on your own, this tour may not be worth it.