Paradiso del boschetto — Restaurant in Matera

The best restaurant experience! What a hidden gem! The lady owner was super nice and very welcoming explaining that many of the ingredients in their dishes are homegrown and the taste was amazing! I had lasagna which was delicious and also a bit different from lasagnas I'm used to. This one had small local mushrooms, sausage and tomato sauce - truly the best lasagna I've ever had. My partner had burata filled ravioli in tomato sauce, which was also very creamy and yummy. When we first ordered drinks, we also received olives and some bread local to Matera - both homemade. Also the lady was so nice to explain she also created and pattented the restaurant's dessert, which was kind of a lemon cake, creamy inside and topped with ice cream - sooo yummy, and the presentation was also great! To finish everything off, we received the home made limoncello shots - sweet and very tasty. This was the best restaurant experience we could have hoped for! We also received some advice and a small map on where to go to see the best views of Sassi which was very helpful to our sightseeing plan. The restaurant is magical in the middle of the trees surrounded by plants like a secret garden - absolutely amazing...

The scene here was nothing short of absurd. The woman working at this place actually raised her voice at us over the use of the restroom — as if a group of people ordering food and drinks could somehow coordinate a military-style operation to place all orders in the same second. We weren’t trying to get away with anything; we were literally standing there reading the menu.

Her hostile remarks instantly ruined the mood, and some of us decided she didn’t deserve a cent of our money. Imagine chasing customers away because of a bathroom — truly impressive business strategy.

To make it even clearer: the place was completely empty. Not a single customer inside. Perhaps that explains why she has so much time to reply to every Google review — often in a rude, defensive tone, and even bending the truth to make herself look better.

She claims it’s “the rule in Italy,” but let’s be honest: this had nothing to do with rules, and certainly nothing to do with the warmth and courtesy one expects in southern hospitality. Around the corner, you’ll find plenty of other establishments that welcome guests instead of...

As soon as I found myself in Matera I parked my car near the Castello Park and unfortunately for me I was in a real urgent situation . I needed to go to the bathroom immediately and thank god that place popped out in front of me . I got in, bearing in mind of course that I'll have to get something to drink or eat and not just ask for the bathroom. But my situation was so urgent that I first kindly asked if I could use the toilet. The lady there, although she seemed nice, told me that the place wasn't a public toilet. I felt really ashamed and disappointed but I couldn't do otherwise. It was only when I said I'd buy something that she agreed to let me use the bathroom but even after that she deliberately kept me waiting. That for me was the rudest behavior I've ever encountered. She owns a place in a very popular tourist attraction but still she doesn't have any manners. I'm not surprised though because it seems that maybe only we the Greeks know the real meaning of the words "hospitality"...