The world’s first inhabited (and luxury) museum, a hotel where you can experience history and savor millennium-old rituals linked to classical Greece in the heart of Matera, Italy’s oldest city.

Moyseion, opened at the end of 2024, is a unique project in the world, the first “inhabited” museum—Moyseion, in fact, means “museum” in ancient Greek—born from a bold and visionary dream.

It is that of lawyer Antonio Panetta, a passionate hospitality entrepreneur—so much in love with his native Matera that he was the first to open a hotel in the famous caves—to create a new way to enjoy the city’s cultural heritage, creating a museum to be experienced, where guests feel at home in the Classical Greece of 2,000 years ago.

Moyseion was born from a dream: a museum that isn’t visited, but rather inhabited and enjoyed.

Matera was strongly influenced by Hellenistic culture, and Classical Greece inspired the experimental archaeology project that gave rise to Moyseion. Thanks to a team of archaeologists, art historians, and researchers from various universities, everything within the hotel, from the furnishings to the rituals, is philologically respectful of that period.

This is the true luxury offered by Moyseion: experiencing the Sassi of Matera firsthand and immersing yourself in the classical beauty that inspired the world’s greatest artists. Another original feature makes this experience unique: the service staff does not come from the hotel industry, but rather have degrees in archaeology, art history, and other humanities.

They introduce guests to the various rituals offered by the hotel throughout the day, primarily the
Xenia, the hospitality ritual, which takes place upon arrival before check-in. Inspired by the Greek principle of sacred hospitality, it involves cleansing the hands with water and Aleppo soap.

Every afternoon at 5:30 pm, the Ritual of the Sanctuary of the Waters takes place, one of the most spectacular locations in Matera. Housed in a two-level cave, it is a splendid wellness center with pools and whirlpools created from ancient water cisterns, decorated with mosaics and statues of Demeter, Persephone, and nymphs.

During the rite, open to all guests without reservation, a narrative is given by performers and musicians in Greek attire who lead guests on an immersive mythological journey.

At 7:00 pm, it’s the turn of the Symposium, inspired by the famous banquets of ancient Greece, during which wine, dried fruit, cheeses, and olives are served on copper trays, accompanied by live music performed on period instruments and in traditional costumes.

Of course, breakfast is also part of the experience, drawing on the eating habits of the ancient Greek world with a menu based on historical and archaeological sources: barley bread, spiced focaccia, ricotta and fig desserts, goat and sheep cheeses, quail eggs, ancient cured meats, and à la carte dishes. Waking up is like a journey through time (and incredibly healthy).

For the night, you can choose from 16 “homes” carved from calcarenite (tuff) with furnishings inspired by the Magna Graecia aesthetic and natural materials, yet equipped with all modern comforts.

Moyseion is an incredible cultural project in which music, dance, theater, cuisine, and archaeology intertwine. It also regularly hosts thematic symposia with scholars, performers, archaeologists, musicians, chefs, and artists, aimed at rediscovering and reviving ancient cultural practices.

The Secret

All the furniture was crafted using techniques used in Classical Greece, and the artworks inside the hotel are copies of artifacts held in museums in Basilicata, such as the beautiful statue of Demeter at the entrance, a stone work inspired by the terracotta ones found in the Archaeological Museum of Metaponto in the province of Matera.

Useful Info

Moyseion Matera
Gradelle S. Nicola del Sole 3
75100 Matera
Tel. +39 0835 1971880

Rooms: from €149, rituals and breakfast included