The northern of the two Sassi ravines, and the one that has been most thoroughly restored. Sasso Barisano is where most of the boutique hotels, cave restaurants, and galleries have taken root — an underground economy of a very literal kind. The streets climb and descend in unpredictable ways; what appears to be a ground-floor entrance may open into a room three storeys above the cave below it. At night, lit by small lanterns set into rock walls, it is genuinely atmospheric.
Wandering without a map is the best approach here. The tourist office provides a basic map if you want one, but the Sassi reward getting slightly lost. Streets sometimes end at cliff edges with views across to the Murgia plateau and the ravine below.