位於意大利高跟鞋的鞋弓處 (在Basilicata 區)，Matera舊城區的石頭洞穴叫Sassi, 在舊石器時代，這裡火山爆發，噴出的火山灰形成丘陵地，然後人們便開始挖洞建房子。
到1950年代，當地政府為左改善居民生活，迫令居民遷往新城區，至1993年，Sassi就被正式納入為世界文化遺產之一。
要真正感受到世界文化遺產的魅力，住進由世遺改建而成的酒店絕對會是一個好選擇。今次到Matera,專登挑選了由史前穴居遺址改建的Sextantio le Grotte della Civita，為了保留石窟的特色，以及盡顯古代居民的原始生活特色，酒店花了數年時間改建、修繕，盡量不破壞石窟本質，甚至仍然保留了一些當時所用的家具，如桌子、椅子等。但由於石窟的溫差大，酒店將石窟內的大石頭地下拆起，全部鋪上發熱管，再將原有石頭鋪回原位，令到不用改變石窟原有的面貌，同時卻能為住客提供舒適的住宿環境，因此整過改建過程便用上了數年時間才完成。
每間「房間」除了加了一些浴缸等衛生設施外，酒店特意沒有放些非不必要的設備，讓住進去的客人能感受到古時居民原始生活的體驗。
另一特色是酒店將石窟教堂改建為用餐的地方，內裡的椅子、桌子、櫃子等更是採用原有的家具，享用早餐時更能感受到原有的特色。
能夠感受古時居民的生活體驗，不得不歸功於酒店的主人翁，Daniele Kihlgren 和他的拍檔 Margaret Berg，其實Grotte della Civita就是一項保育本土古蹟的項目，以保育和活化的理念，把古蹟活代變為整有品味的酒店，讓客人旅遊時也能思考保育的重要。
Matera is one of the popular cities of Basilicata province in Southern Italy. It is famous for its ancient town - "Sassi". "Sassi" are houses dug into the calcarenitic rock, where people started settling themselves during the ancient times. Some suspected that these people are the first human settlements in Italy.
In the 1950s, the government forced the people to relocate to the new town so as to improve their standards of living, and in 1993, Sassi was considered by the UNESCO World Heritage.
To truly experience the charm of the city, living in the "caves" should be the best choice. I stayed at the Sextantio le Crotte della Civita, a luxury hotel reformed from these caves. To protect and restore the historical uniqness, the owners have spent a few year to restore, renovate the caves with the aim to keep the original form of the caves and grottoes, as such, some of the furnitures, such as desks, chairs, etc. were kept. The temperature in the cave varies a lot and in order to provide the guests with proper standards of luxury, all the caves were entirely wired and piped and finally, reassembled with each stone replaced in its original location.
Besides the basic necessities such as toilets, bathtubes, etc, there are no televisions or minibars, and this is how it promises to offer a truly unique experience in a very special historic place.
Another highlight of this hotel is the dining area where it was also converted from the cave churches. The tables, chairs, cupboards are also originated from where they belonged to in order to keep with the atmosphere of the rustic setting.
All these above should be credited to the hotel's owner, Daniele Kihlgren and his partner Margaret Berg. Grotte della Civita is indeed a heritage restoration project with the aim to preserve and restore the heritage into a luxury hotel, spreading an important message to their guests -- the importance of preserving the heritage.
酒店的「正門」，平常有個守衛看住，因為SASSI四處八達，怕遊客唔知係酒店亂闖
The front gate of the hotel
酒店的RECEPTION都是由另一個原本用來養豬的洞窟改建而成
This reception was also reformed from the cave which was used to raise pigs in the past
我們同另一間共用一個門口 The front door of our Room - "Cave 14"
我們全住的房間比較隱蔽，屬於較大的一間
We were living in a bigger room
每間"房間"的設計也是根據洞窟原有格局而改建，推開厚厚的實木大門，就如走進另一世紀，讓客人在最原始的居所中感受保育古蹟的重要
酒店既早餐十分豐富
酒店的其他房間，部份有「窗」Some of the other "caves" with windows
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