The 23 dwellings at the Sant'Angelo are spread over a relatively large area on the hillside at various levels and are accessed by the city's typical small paths and quaint staircases. This concept of not having rooms all within one building has become to be known as an 'albergo diffuso', or ?scattered hotel'. Each one is unique as of course no two of the caves they are housed in are the same. Although the stones have clearly been cleaned and treated and perhaps cut in some cases, they have been kept bare to remind guests of the singularity of the hotel they are staying in. Almost exclusively appointed in white to give a fresh, modern feel, the guestrooms feature king size beds whose mattresses are placed in a stone cavity replacing the traditional base and are wrapped in a fine netting hanging from overhead. Many of the rooms have a seating area in the form of a cushioned stone bench which could also be used as a second bed. Amenities include flatscreen television, air conditioning, safe, minibar and telephone. In most cases the rooms' bathrooms are open plan and form part of the room itself. Some have stand alone bathtubs while others have sunken tubs in the stone and/or a separate bathroom with a monsoon shower. You should be aware, however, that some of the bathrooms have glass walls and doors so if you are seeking privacy you should avoid these rooms. Out in front of some of the guestrooms at the Sant'Angelo are shared terraces complete with furniture where you can contemplate the spectacle that is Matera under lights in the evening.

The hotel is on a hillside with narrow staircases and cobbled paths leading from one part of the hotel to another. It is made up of several buildings which house the accommodation, while the main entrance and reception is found at the bottom of the hill just in front of a ravine at the bottom of which is La Gravina, the small stream which carved out the valley. The lobby sets the tone for the rest of the hotel in that the shell is thousands of years old yet what lies inside is highly contemporary with designer seating, Apple computers and other sleek Italian décor. The staff is professional and polite, however, being Italian, can be slow and seemingly unfussed regarding matters! In terms of common areas of the hotel, well, there are very few outside the restaurant and bar (see 'Food and Drink') due to the setup of the property. For example, what would be the corridors are the paths linking the various rooms. There are several terraces in front of some of the accommodations which, although technically attached to specific rooms, are open for anyone in the town to walk past so intimacy is by no means guaranteed. The area occupied by the hotel is clean and tranquil and the passages well lit.

The hotel's restaurant, Regia Corte, is, you will not be surprised to hear, located in a grand cave at the heart of the hotel. With a totally white upholstery, including the tablecloths and the chair coverings, the eatery offers an exquisite, local and fresh cuisine using organic ingredients. The presentation of the dishes is top notch while the service is efficient and discreet. And it is not just hotel guests that come here; the restaurant is renowned within Matera and locals are to be found here too, enjoying the best of their own regional cooking at lunch time or in the evening. Either before or after your meal you should stop for a drink at the bar or on the terrace from where you can see the Piazza San Pietro Caveoso. Breakfast, which comprises a continental buffet including fresh fruit and some delicious pastries, is served each morning in a separate part of the cave.

Right up until the 1950s the town's sassi were still inhabited, although the living conditions were dire and as such the government forced most of the population into the more modern areas of the city as they considered the situation as bringing shame on the country. However, several decades later and the area became trendy again and there are now quite a few sassi that have been converted into design hotels. You can read accounts of life here during the 1930s in Carlo Levi's book Christ Stopped at Eboli, while several films have been shot here including Pasolini's The Gospel According to Matthew and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ.