We’ve just got back from our first Club Avandra adventure! And it was such a hit we are already running it again. You may not have heard of the hidden Italian jewel that is Matera but James Bond has! The UNESCO-listed caved city features in the dramatic opening sequence of No Time To Die, when Daniel Craig does impossible things with a motorbike and an Aston Martin. We enjoyed just as much action and slightly more wine…
The world’s oldest continually inhabited city (it’s more than 9,000 years old, people!) was the dramatic destination for our inaugural Club Avandra trip.
Known as the ‘city of caves’, ancient Matera, in Basilicata, Southern Italy, is one of the country’s most extraordinary yet undiscovered UNESCO-listed landmarks, dating back to the Palaeolithic era.
We may not have matched the Aston Martin high-speed entrance made by James Bond in the opening sequence of No Time to Die, filmed in the city, but we still (literally) rocked our three-night trip in style.
The historic Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita hotel, the base for our stay, was other-wordly – a stunning candlelit grotto carved into a limestone canyon – in the Sassi cave area of town. After drinks in its ancient weaving room (we all need one of these!), we walked along winding goat paths, taking in the surreal and dramatic views of a cityscape carved in stone.
We packed in the culture. Naturally the Tower Art museum was opened just for us, we visited a spectacular sculpture park, and marvelled at the ceramics and artworks of Casa Orgeta, the former home of Spanish artist Jose Orgeta, a pupil of Picasso..
We visited a restaurant that served the best pizza any of us had ever tasted and made focaccia and traditional orecchiette pasta (harder than it looks, especially the more wine we drank) in a bespoke cookery class.
R&R was served up with a visit to Aquazio Spa, a subterranean wellness haven nestled within ancient cisterns with heated pools and sauna.
Debbie Flynn, chair of Club Avandra’s advisory board and host for the trip said: ‘Our first adventure was a triumph! The women came from Britain, America and Italy and the energy was incredible. I’ve been in the travel industry for most of my life and so have been lucky enough to visit plenty of beautiful cities around the world, but, when I saw Matera for the first time a few years ago my jaw dropped – and that’s why I knew we had to organise a trip to this tiny, undiscovered, ancient jewel of a city for our members.
‘Our guide Dora’s grandfather was born in one of the caves and everything: the bars, the museums, the restaurants are in caves. It is hard to describe the wow factor. If it’s not on your bucket list, it should be!’
In fact Matera was such a hit that we are heading back on 26th September – to coincide with the entire city being bathed in candlelight. It will be unmissable. If you want to join us, keep your eye on our website as you’ll need to be quick.
Meanwhile, discover all of our luxury female-only adventures and experiences here.