The only Michelin eatery in Matera, Chef Vitantonio Lombardo’s restaurant welcomes guests in a scenic cave in the center of the city and delights them with a cuisine crafted with passion, a deep love for local products, and an international vibe.

Vitantonio Lombardo was born in Savoia di Lucania, a small village 720 meters above sea level, where he fell in love with good food, thanks to his grandmother and mother, both excellent cooks, and with the land’s riches, thanks to his family’s farming activities.

Vitantonio then traveled the world, at some of the finest Italian and international gastronomic courts with masters such as Paolo Teverini, Gianfranco Vissani, and Fabio Barbaglini before returning “home,” or rather, creating his own Lucanian home.

Heart, mind, and gut—these three words define my cuisine, in that order, fueled by an enormous love for my homeland, Lucania.

After earning a Michelin star in 2011 with his first restaurant, Locanda Severino in Caggiano, in 2018 he arrived in Matera, where, in a cave in the Sassi district overlooking the Murgia’s natural park, he created his new “home”, immediately renewing his Michelin star.

This location, thanks to the synergy with architect Alessandro Tortorelli, perfectly combines the Matera spirit with an international one. The materiality of the typical tuff cave is combined with the design of large windows that divide the two dining rooms from the entrance, the cellar, and the large open kitchen, the theater of the chef and his team’s daily work.

A touch of red is the chef’s signature in the restaurant, from the red marble line on the floor, that from the tables leads to the back of the restaurant, to the portrait of Laura Zeni.

The “Heart, Head, Gut” tasting menu includes dishes that have shaped the chef’s life to date, alongside new creations, with signatures such as Pizza in Black, a tribute to the famous “Black is Black” dish by chef Davide Scabin, a great friend of Vitantonio, Cappuccino Materano alla Moda di Ducasse with mixed pasta in Crapiata soup, mussels and coffee foam, and Spoon-style pork cheek in Amaro Lucano sauce
with pumpkin, Cruschi peppers, and pistachios.

Passion and theatricality are the common thread running through every dish, as is evident in the dessert “L’ultimo Bacio” (The Last Kiss), made with lemon, capers, almonds, and pomegranate, which is served with headphones to listen to a special song (we won’t reveal anything else, so you can enjoy the surprise).

Maître Sommelier Donato Addesso, a great friend of the chef, ensures even more excitement. He contributes greatly to the spirit of passion and conviviality that permeates the restaurant from the moment you enter, with his pairings inspired by the spectacular open-view cellar, which houses over 400 labels from around the world.

To conclude, a heartfelt greeting from the chef, a generous host, will seal his love for a city, Matera, which, despite becoming one of Europe’s most beloved tourist destinations, has remained incredibly authentic, rugged, and passionate, just like its cuisine.

The Secret

Some of the restaurant’s walls are decorated with plants that reflect the colors and scents of the Murgia Materana. The Murgia Materana is a regional archaeological, historical, and natural park surrounding the city of Matera, in Basilicata. Its landscape of ravines (canyons), cliffs, and caves carved into the soft rock testify to a millennia-long human presence from the Paleolithic to the Early Middle Ages. It features cave settlements, Neolithic villages, and approximately 150 unique rock-hewn churches, as well as a rich biodiversity.

Useful Info

Vitantonio Lombardo
Via Madonna delle Virtù 13/14
75100 Matera
Tel. +39 0835 335475

Tasting menu: from €150, wine pairing from €70