Corte San Pietro Matera

For over thirty years we have traveled around the world in search of beauty and quality. Along the way we have discovered many new places and made many new friends. Originally our dream was to host these people at our home in Matera, just a few at a time.

To host them we needed suitable places, places that speak quietly of human history.  So, we began restoring these ancient cave houses and thus, were created –  our 5 star “stalls”.

Matera with its Sassi is one of the oldest cities in the world. We are proud to live here and provide hospitality in such a magical place. We offer comfort and serenity, live music and tastings of local products. In sum, we offer an escape to another time and dimension and… so, so much more.

Matera is one of the oldest cities in the world, with evidence of human presence in the area since the Paleolithic era & human settlement since the Neolithic era. Travel365.com lists Matera, with its approximately 10,000 years of history, as being the third oldest city in the world!

The Sassi districts, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, comprise the original urban nucleus of the city, which evolved over time from what were originally natural caves located along a deep ravine.

These caves were then gradually enlarged as humans dug further into the rock and were modeled into increasingly complex structures. Along an intricate network of narrow streets, alleys, courtyards and neighborhoods, there are houses of all sizes, ancient walls, towers, warehouses, cellars and cisterns.

In sum, the Sassi are an endless maze of both excavated and built dwellings.In the heart of the ancient Rioni Sassi, a number of abandoned and disused structures, dating back to the 1600’s,  have been restored and “reinvented” to accommodate the new spaces of a Borgo Albergo Diffuso (“Dispersed Hotel”) –  the Corte San Pietro.

The passion of Fernando and Marisa Ponte aided by Daniela Amoroso, a young Materan architect, gave birth to the project.

Superfluous elements and other modern “contaminations”, such as layers of more recent modern floorings, have been eliminated and the texture of the original, ancient tuft walls and vaults have been restored and highlighted.

This historical structure has been laid bare and is an architectural testimony –  a point of interest and topic of discussion for visitors. In our search for the essence of authentic and pure spaces, free from the superfluous, we were inspired by the “Wabi” spirit, created by Axel Vervoordt.

Historical and seductive spaces have been harmoniously combined with comfort and a refined and elegant design.

The old houses on the ground floor have been transformed into refined hotel rooms, overlooking a courtyard which, thanks to the patient work of recovering the original pavement (the so-called “chiancarelle”), has been returned to its former glory.

The courtyard, illuminated by candle-light, becomes an evocative and cozy place of warmth and “protection”.From the entrance on Via B. Buozzi, as if entering into a private residence, you will be welcomed at the finely furnished yet cozy Reception area, from which you may access the private internal courtyard.

ROOMS & SUITES
The rooms are strictly monochromatic, characterized by brown tones ranging from the beige of the stone to the brown of the wood and the short iron. The earth, the chianca, the natural color of the stone become the wall, ceiling and seat.

The constant search for a link between the interior and the surrounding landscape has given life to the game of mixing local stone, wood and iron that is repeated in each room with different proportions following a linear and essential design.

Poor elements, usually associated to a rustic style, they take on lightness and refined modernity. From the skillfully hand-crafted wooden doors to the rooms, light filters through transparent linen curtains, softly illuminating the first environment of each room – intended as a living room and relaxation area.

The more private spaces towards the back, carved out of the rock, are instead illuminated by small windows placed up high on the vaults, the so-called “wolves’ mouths”. These high windows create directional beams of light, alternating with large intimate and suggestive areas of shadow.

GASTRONOMY
From one rupestrian church to the next, the hunger rises, and surrounded by delicacies of many kinds, we could not leave out packages for gastronomy. Walking around inside Sassi, you’ll taste wines, cheeses and much more, and for the adventurous kind, a laboratory of cheese is waiting for you just 10km outside of Matera.

COOKING LESSONS
From the many things Matera has to offer, one of the best ones is food. Cooking lessons will teach your how to work our dough and make pasta from it. We’ll tempt you with seasonal produce and recepies of our heritage. From theory to practice, you’ll get the chance to tast your own work, amazing activity for adults and kids.

Rooms: 10

Price: from 134 EUR per night

Source: www.cortesanpietro.it