The dwelling illustrates the 'cohabitation' practice where families shared a single room with their donkey, mule, or pigs to provide heating and security for the animals.
The floor is carved with a specific channel system designed to direct rainwater into a shared underground cistern.
The structure features a 'culla,' a traditional hanging cradle used to keep infants off the cold, damp floor.
The beds were constructed with wooden boards and straw mattresses to maximize sleeping space for large families in cramped quarters.
The walls display original dark soot stains resulting from years of oil lamps and small indoor cooking fires.
This specific location was one of the many dwellings restored after the 'Legge De Gasperi' triggered the mass displacement of Sassi inhabitants in the 1950s.
The Cave House in the Sassi of Matera, known locally as Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario, is a restored historical dwelling carved directly into the calcarenite rock of the Sasso Caveoso. It offers a authentic reconstruction of peasant life as it existed in Matera until the 1950s, when authorities mandated the evacuation of the Sassi due to extreme poverty and poor sanitation. The interior displays original period furnishings, agricultural tools, and domestic objects used by families who lived in these confined spaces alongside their livestock. The house demonstrates the traditional subterranean architecture where the living area, stable, and cistern were shared in a single, multi-functional environment. It serves as an ethnographic museum intended to preserve the memory of a lifestyle defined by severe material scarcity and communal social structures. The space is maintained to reflect the specific layout typical of the pre-evacuation era of the city's ancient quarters.
The main doorway entrance offers the best perspective of the interior depth and the vaulted rock ceiling.
Wear footwear with high-traction soles, as the interior stone floors are worn smooth and can be slippery.
Visit during the shoulder seasons to avoid the heat and humidity trapped within the rock-hewn walls during mid-summer.
Use the provided audio-visual materials to understand the social context, as the physical space alone provides little written documentation.
Do not attempt to walk through the Sassi with wheeled luggage, as the stairs and uneven stone paths are impassable for strollers or suitcases.
Open daily throughout the year; occasionally closes for brief periods during extreme weather alerts.
Maintain a quiet tone out of respect for the historical gravity of the site; touching the artifacts is strictly prohibited.
