Palazzo Del Duca Luxury Hotel Matera

A hotel with a taste of home. A place where hospitality and experience meet. We like to describe ourselves like this, like a family place, where true luxury is first of all to feel always pampered, just like at home.

Then the experience, about Sassi and this extraordinary city, with a fascinating history to discover and live. Starting from the Palace that houses our hotel, which dates back to the fourteenth century and the prestigious Malvinni Malvezzi family, the former owner of the house.

Located in the “Civita” of Matera, in the highest and noblest part of the Sassi, where noble families lived at the time, Palazzo del Duca is the result of an important and accurate restoration and redevelopment project, which has allowed to revive the structure in all its glory respecting the original system.

Even the furniture of rooms is the result of this “attention” to the past, reminded by the candelabra, headboards, precious stone bathrooms, but also in the finishes and many other valuable elements: These, even embellished from the modern velvet, brass and crystal, that never betray the simplicity and taste of a style, the materan one, which is mainly expressed through poor materials, such as wood and iron.

The glorious history of the past lives on in a perfect match between references to the past and elements taken from contemporaneity. Just think of our suite with private pool and all the modern services provided by the hotel.

We believe that taking care of guests is the main aspect to which we offer our enthusiasm and time: a welcome that characterises all staff members, able to make extraordinary and authentic our customers experience.

This aspect derives mainly from the love we have for our land, which we try to transmit, combining comfort and tradition. The colors, the aromas, the customs and the flavors of Matera are the extraordinary experience that our guests will be able to live in Basilicata.

What today is a refined and elegant luxury hotel in the center of Matera, was once a noble palace belonging to the family, of Malvini Melvezzi from Bologna, ancient barons and marquises of Pietranico, Malanotte, Turaglio and Pennadoro.

The project of recovery and redevelopment of Palazzo del Duca is the result of careful study of the place, combined with the desire to revive the prestige of the noble family owner “Malvini Malvezzi” through the precious elements that enrich the environments.

The choice of the materials used for the restoration followed a careful historical research, precisely to respect and preserve the tradition: the coccio-pesto, the lime, the stone, the tuff and the natural decorative pigments of the walls and the facades.

To complete the work, handmade or antique elements of furniture are added. The coverings, the lights, the precious fabrics and the use of traditional materials such as iron and wood, have a strong reference to the tradition of the city.

Palazzo del Duca is the result of a meticulous and great teamwork, attended by many professionals, who have tried their hand at the study of the concept, and local artisans, who have made the furnishings of the palace, drawing on the experience of most typical workers in Matera.

The headboards, for example, were made by upholsterers from the tradition of padded furniture in Matera, as many elements of the structure were entrusted to the skilled hands of the local ‘tufaroli’.

Moreover, the two suites with private pools are beauties perhaps unique in the world, considering the intrinsic value of the cisterns in which they are inserted and the tufaceous rock that surrounds them. In short, a great craft machine that, with the contribution of many professionals, has brought to light a small jewel set in the Sassi.

SUITE DEL DUCA
The room recalls the history of the building. Its pointed vault, the white stone, the architectural decorations, the refined cementine tiled floors and the Art Nouveau tub offer an atmosphere full of charm.

This room is the perfect solution for those who desire to plunge into the beauty of Sassi, thanks to the private terrace where it’s possible to enjoy the amazing panorama of the Sasso Caveoso and the mystic Gravina.

The Suite del Duca is chosen by those who love to sleep in a historical residence, where the magic of the past blends with the luxury accomodation: the environment preserve all the charm of an ancient place reinterpreted with elegance and maximum comfort. The room has an independent first floor entrance.

SUITE GROTTAPIGNATA
Set in the white rock, this suite is one of the most characteristic rooms of the structure. Choose to stay in “Grottapignata” means to dip yourself in an original as well as suggestive atmosphere.

The heated pool with hydromassage and waterfall surrounded by a rock face, the perfect lighting, the simple and minimalist furniture, the bathroom with double shower and masonry, the king size bed, give the suite a romantic refinement.

SUITE SANTA CANDIDA
Located on the ground floor of our hotel in Matera, the luxurious Suite Santa Candida overlooks the majestic and evocative landscape of Sassi. The suite houses a grand brickwork bath with colored lights and a chaise-longue, both with hydromassage.

With a sober and refined style, this room has an elegant open space finely furnished, a comfortable king size bed located under the vault of natural rock, a marble bathroom with double sinks and a spacious shower.

The natural cave dominating the room, together with the refined decorations and furnishing details, give life, shape and color to a welcoming and romantic atmosphere.

WEDDINGS IN BASILICATA
In the suggestive scenography of Sassi, Palazzo del Duca welcomes guests in a XV century building, the ideal setting to host, celebrate or remember the most important moments.Palazzo del Duca is the perfect setting for those who want to celebrate their wedding in the romantic city of Matera. The structure, with its history, adds beauty to the magic of Sassi.

Spacious and elegant rooms, panoramic terraces, extra-luxurious rooms and services, and a high-level culinary offer based on local products: everything here combines with bride and groom’s desire for perfection. To complete the offer, wedding planners and consultants available to organize the wedding reception.

The charm of an ancient city, the beauty of its landscape, the scents and flavors of an enchanting land, in a dream setting, between relax, wellness and many experiences not to be missed.

THE SPA
Palazzo del Duca offer services for the relaxation and well-being of its guests. Some suites have in-room pool with hydromassage tubs and private spas. It’s also possible to benefit of specific treatments, such as Reiki treatment, energetic massage, relaxation massage and candle massage.

THE TOURS
A customized tour; the handcraft shops discover, from the processing of tuff and clay to the artisan production of eyewear and handtailored suits. If you are curious or you have any desire of characteristic products and made in Italy , we will guide you in a satisfying shopping tour.

Tradition, passion, history, quality: you will discover all this in the streets of workshops and local artisan laboratories that open the doors to those who want to know and admire our know-how.

THE NATURE
Palazzo del Duca offers its guests the opportunity to experience a holiday in deep contact with nature, with tours through the Sassi, guided tours through the villages of Valle d’Itria, excursions on the Lucanic Dolomites and the Murgia of Matera and cycle walks for two wheels fans.

THE TRADITIONAL FLAVORS
Flavors are the most authentic soul of a place. For this reason, Palazzo del Duca organizes real enogastronomic tours, guided tastings and cooking lessons to taste and discover the secrets of regional typical products, such as mozzarella, cheese, bread, focaccia, wines and cured meats.

THE HANDCRAFT SHOPS
From the processing of tuff and clay to the artisan production of eyewear and handtailored suits. If you are curious or you have any desire of characteristic products and made in Italy , we will guide you in a satisfying shopping tour.

Tradition, passion, history, quality: you will discover all this in the streets of workshops and local artisan laboratories that open the doors to those who want to know and admire our know-how

MATERA SASSI TOUR
An itinerary to discover the ancient quartier of Sassi. Walking through the labyrinth of alleys and the “vicinati”,characteristic court structures, in a succession of evocative views and breathtaking views, accompanied by the explanation about the ancestral history of the city of a qualified tour guide.

You can visit the complex of rock churches, cellars for the production of wine and a cave-house, the typical farm house of Sassi, furnished and equipped with original work tools. Duration: 2/3 hours. Entry fees are not included

An entire day in the Sassi, in the heart of Matera. From Piazza Vittorio Veneto you reach the Romanesque Church of S. Giovanni Battista (1233).

Continue to the Sasso Barisano to visit Casa Cava, an example of a contemporary reconversion of an ancient cave in the heart of the Sassi, and then, in a typically furnished cave-house, an example of an old farmhouse.

After a break in the sixteenth century Piazza del Sedile, the cultural heart of the city, the tour move on to reach the Romanesque Cathedral (1270), surrounded by sumptuous noble palaces. Following, the visit of Casa Noha, FAI headquarters.

Inside, the showing of about 20 minutes film projected on the walls of the seventeenth-century house, tells through evocative images, the history of the city, from the origins to the displacement of the Sassi. The original scenes from the 1950s are very emotional, taken from the archives of the Luce Institute.

Then the tour continues with the walk towards the Sasso Caveoso, where cave houses becomes more than tuff builded houses. Following, a visit to a rupestrian church with medieval frescoes.

The walk ends in Piazza Pascoli, baroque street “al piano” where there are the Medieval and Modern Art and the Archaeological Museum “D. Ridola” and the Museum of Palazzo Lanfranchi. Duration: 5 hours max. . Entry fees are not included.

LA COLLINA MATERANA
The tour begins with the visit of Montascaglioso with its majestic Abbey and the ancient testimonies of the Norman dominion. After admiring the Crypt of the Original Sin, a 9th-century rock church, called the “Sistine Chapel of the Rupestrian”, the tour includes a tasting of “Primitivo di Matera” wine in a nearby farm.

Finally, walk to Miglionico, a small town where stands the medieval castle, called “Castello del Malconsiglio”, where in 1685 the “Congiura dei Baroni” took place, ordered to kill the King of Naples, Ferdinando I of Aragon.

At the end of the visit, stop at a local bakery, to taste the typical almond biscuits and dried figs. Duration: 5 hours max. Transfers not included, entry fees included.

LA VIA DEI CALANCHI AND THE CRYPT OF ORIGINAL SIN
An itinerary trough the enchanting lunar landscape of the heart of Basilicata, the valley of the “Calanchi”. The tour includes a visit to Craco, the “ghost town”, located on top of a cliff on which stands the square tower of the old Norman fortress. A village abandoned in the 1960s following a landslide.

On the way back, the tour continues with the visit to the Crypt of the Original Sin, called “Sistine Chapel of rock art”, considered the oldest of the rock churches in the area, within which you can admire an extraordinary cycle of frescoes of the ninth century. Duration: 5 hours max. Transfers not included, entry fees included.

TRULLI DI ALBEROBELLO, UNESCO SITE
A pleasant and relaxing promenade in Puglia, Alberobello, a World Heritage Site and the capital of the “Trulli”. Here you can admire the unique white circular houses, with their characteristic cone shape roof made of dry-stones.

The tour will continue in the ancient districts of “Aia piccola” and “Monti”, where there is a concentration of over 1000 trulli. Duration: 5 hours max. Transfers and entry fees not included.

CASTEL DEL MONTE, UNESCO SITE
Considered one of the symbols of Puglia in the world, Castel del Monte is an extraordinary example of medieval military architecture.

The tour includes the visit of the ancient manor,result of the fusion of cultural elements of the classical age, the Islamic East and the Cistercian Gothic of Northern Europe, elected in 1996 UNESCO World Heritage and immersed in the picturesque landscape of Alta Murgia.

Duration: 5 hours max. Transfers and entry fees not included.

ITINERARY OF HISTORICAL BUILDINGS AND CONTEMPORARY ART IN MATERA
Matera is not only Sassi, but also Palaces and historic houses. From the top of the medieval Civita,today like in the past, around the cathedral, the majestic residences that dominated the humble houses of the people, scattered in the Sassi, still stand out.

Today, some of these houses host luxurious hotels and spectacular contemporary art exhibitions. The tour includes a visit to three noble palaces, to discover the stories and treasures they preserve, as well as the legends about kings, counts and princes of the past.

During the walk, you will not miss a tasty stop,a traditional aperitif with local products, served on a panoramic terrace. Duration: 3 hours max. Entry to Musma (Museum of Contemporary Sculpture) and aperitif included.

BREAD & MOZZARELLA
A visit to a typical Materan bakery with tasting of some local products (bread, focaccia, biscuits), listening to the history of the baker.

The tour continues with the transfer to a local dairy, to watch the hand-made mozzarella, caciocavallo and the famous “burrata” with tasting of freshly prepared dairy products. Duration: 3 hours max. Tasting included. Not available on public holidays.

TOUR OF MATERA GASTRONOMIC WORKSHOP
An original itinerary in the historic center of Matera, which includes 6 different stops to taste 6 local gastronomic specialties, listening to the history, the origins and characteristics of each.

A gastronomic tour designed for lovers of tradition and good food, with a particular preference for products such as wine, cheese, liqueurs, bakery products, “cruschi” peppers and desserts. Duration: 3 hours max. 6 tasting included.

WINE TOUR
A “tasteful” tour, among the Sassi of Matera, along beautiful paths, to discover the typical “vicinati”,courtyards surrounded by cave-houses.

Breathtaking views will be the enchanting setting of the fascinating tale about the history of one of the oldest cities in the world, following a scenic route leads through stairs and alleys, often running over the roofs of the houses.

The tour also includes a visit to a large complex that includes two rock churches, a monastery and a cellar, carved into the rock. You will discover how the wine was worked in the caves until the end of the nineteenth century, and you can taste an excellent selection of wines from Basilicata.

Duration: 3 hours max. Entry fees not included. Tasting included.

COOKING LESSON AND VISIT OF THE MATERA MARKET
A lesson of traditional cooking to learn how to prepare traditional dishes, using seasonal products. The activity begins with a visit to the market where you can choose fresh ingredients to prepare the lunch.

Following, the transfer to a local restaurant, where the cooking class will be held, which will be based on the preparation of some dishes, such as meat sauce, lamb with potatoes and many other recipes, as well as the participants will try the pasta made in home.

Duration: 3 hours max. Lunch included. Start: 10.00 am Not available on weekends and public holidays

ALTAMURA: THE LIONESS OF PUGLIA
A tour in the Apulian town of Altamura, founded by the emperor Federico II. The tour includes a visit to the Romanesque Cathedral, with its portal considered the most beautiful of all Puglia, and continues with a pleasant stop in a local bakery, to watch the preparation of the typical Altamura bread, accompanied by a tasting.

The tour continue to the discovery of the monastery of Santa Chiara followed by a second gastronomic break, with the tasting of the so-called “nuns’ breasts, delicious desserts prepared with the original recipes of the cloistered nuns.

Duration: 3 hours max. Tasting included. Transfer feesnot included. Not available on public holidays.

LATERZA: TRADITIONAL CERAMICS & ZAMPINA SAUSAGE
A promenade in the historic center of Laterza, a town located just 20 km from Matera ,in Puglia, with a visit to the Marchesale Palace and the majolica museum, the MUMA, where rare and ancient pieces are exhibited. The tour continues with a stop in a traditional bakery to attend the bread production process.

Finally, dinner in a traditional local butcher shop, to taste the typical “zampina”, the grilled sausage rolled up on itself, accompanied by good local wine. Duration: 5 hours. Transfer and entry fees not included. Tasting included.

CASTEL DEL MONTE AND THE GREEN GOLD OF PUGLIA
Visit of the mysterious and legendary Castel del Monte of Federico II, one of the symbols of Puglia. The castle rises majestically over a hill overlooking the Alta Murgia Park. The tour is also an opportunity to visit a local oil mill and admire all the steps in the production of extra virgin olive oil, called the gold of Puglia.

Following, a tasting of quality oils. Duration: 5 hours. Oil tasting included. Transfer not included.

WALK IN THE PARK OF THE RUPESTRIAN CHURCHES
An easy excursion through the Murgia of Matera to discover the ancient ruins of the rupestrian civilization and its botanical and faunistic heritage. Visit to Jazzo Gattini (ancient sheepfold), to the rock sanctuary of the “Madonna delle Tre Porte”, to the churches of “San Falcione” and “S. Vito alla Murgia “.

Regenarating stop on the panoramic point of Murgia Timone, with a breathtaking view of the Sassi districts. Duration: 3 hours max. Transfer from Matera included. Difficulty: Easy.

EXCURSION FROM THE SASSI TO THE CHURCH OF MADONNA DELLE CROCI
Panoramic walking tour from Sassi to Parco delle Chiese Rupestri, around the area of ​​Murgia Timone, following the pathway of grazing animals.

Continue to the rock church of “Madonna delle Tre Porte”, a 12th century sanctuary, until you reach the Madonna delle Croci “, where you can admire the wonderful fresco on the apse. Packed lunch in a cave and, later, a visit to Jazzo Gattini (ancient sheepfold and today visitor center). Return in van.

Duration: 4 hours max. Transfer excluded. Difficulty: medium

A DAY IN THE WONDERFUL BASILICATA
One day trip on the wonderful Lucanian Dolomites. The green heart of Basilicata, the mountains covered by forests stand out on the Basento river valley. The villages look like sandstone jewelry, shaped by wind erosion.

You will walk among the paths that run along the ridges, encountering breathtaking views and ancient villages. Stories of Knights Templars, Arab domination and bandits will animate the excursion. You will not miss a coffee break before leaving this heavenly place.

Duration: 7 hours max. Transfer fees not included. Not recommended in winter. Difficulty: medium to high

BIKE TOURS
For those who love biking and want to immerse themselves in the beauty of an uncontaminated place, Palazzo Del Duca offers a series of cycle walks in the most enchanting places of Basilicata.

An opportunity to experience more closely a territory that is still unexplored, able to offer, especially to lovers of two wheels,views and experiences truly unique.

SWEET HILLS ( NO GUIDE)
A bike ride along the wonderful desert road that surrounds the San Giuliano Lake, a peaceful natural oasis, paradise of many migratory birds coming from Africa. Possibility of visiting the Crypt of the Original Sin. Included: hybrid bike rental for the whole day + road book.

Duration: 3 hours. Return or Matera in Van. Entry fees not included. Difficulty: easy, 30 km.

BRADANO VALLEY (NO GUIDE)
From Matera to Montescaglioso by bike, along a path dotted with fruit and olive trees. The tour is enriched with the visit of the Benedictine Abbey of Montescaglioso with a break in a farmhouse for a picnic and a dip in the pool. Included: hybrid bike rental for the whole day + road book and maps + pic-nic in the farmhouse and use of the swimming pool.

Duration: 5 hours. Return or Matera in Van. Entry fees not included. Difficulty: easy, 25/40 km

MURGIA TIMONE: CAVES AND GRAVINE (NO GUIDE)
A cycle along Lucanian canyons and gravine,surrounded by the scent of thyme and the bright color of the high ferule, to admire the city of Matera from another point of view and enjoy breathtaking scenery.

Included: full day bicycle rental + road book and maps. Duration: 3 hours. Difficulty: moderate, 32 km

Website: www.palazzodelducamatera.com

Rooms: 9

Price: from 114 EUR per night

Source: www.palazzodelducamatera.com