Matera’s Sassi tumble down two ravines below the Civita and its cathedral. Pick a cave room among the steps, or a hotel on the Piano, where luggage and cars are easier.
Sasso Barisano wraps around the north side of the Civita. Via Fiorentini and the lanes below Sant’Agostino pass restored stone houses and small churches. The cathedral is above, on the Civita, and from a lower room you reach it by steps.
Sasso Caveoso faces the Gravina and the Murgia plateau. Around Piazza San Pietro Caveoso and Santa Maria de Idris, the lanes are steep and often stepped. Ask your hotel how close a vehicle can get. If daylight or ventilation matters, ask whether the room is cut into rock.
On the Piano, Piazza Vittorio Veneto, Via del Corso and Via Ridola sit above the Sassi. A room here is close to shops and restaurants and on an easier walk from Matera Centrale. You walk down into either Sasso to sightsee, then climb back in the evening.
Matera Centrale is on the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane line from Bari, not the main Trenitalia network. The Sassi have restricted car access and uneven stone paths. If you stay below the Piano, arrive with a small bag, and confirm parking before you drive in.