Le Grotte della Civita places well-being at the centre of its operations. All employees receive annual medical examinations, annual health and safety training, and participate in regular safety checks covering fire prevention, electrical systems, water hygiene, and legionella control. Periodic evacuation drills further reinforce a culture of prevention and preparedness.

During each working shift, meals are provided to all employees, supporting physical well-being and fair working conditions. The hotel has also installed a public drinking water fountain, available to guests, staff, and passers-by, helping reduce single-use plastic while promoting access to safe drinking water.

Beyond Italy, Sextantio’s commitment to health extends through Sextantio Onlus. Since 2008, the organisation has provided basic healthcare insurance in Rwanda to people unable to afford treatment for common but potentially fatal diseases. By 2011, the programme had reached 161,000 beneficiaries, covering approximately 30% of the indigent population lacking access to health insurance—demonstrating a long-term, measurable impact on community health.

Gender equality at Le Grotte della Civita is applied in concrete, measurable ways. The organisation guarantees equal pay for equal roles, regardless of gender, across all departments. Inclusivity is treated as a foundational ethical principle rather than a formal policy requirement.

Women hold the majority of executive and leadership positions within the organisation, including Chief Executive Officer, Executive Chef, Front Office Manager, Event Manager, and Accounting Manager. This representation reflects a leadership culture where authority and responsibility are distributed on the basis of competence rather than gender norms.

Combined with a multicultural workforce drawn from different countries and cultural backgrounds, the project demonstrates how hospitality can normalise equality and diversity at every operational level—setting a practical example rather than relying on symbolic commitments.

The Matera project is guided by a clear ethical stance: tourism should strengthen communities, not distort them. Sextantio cooperates with a regional social cooperative active throughout Basilicata, supporting initiatives for elderly people, minors, migrants, and individuals with disabilities. These partnerships embed social inclusion directly into hospitality operations rather than treating it as a parallel activity.

The wider Sextantio cultural project explicitly rejects tourism models that reduce local populations to service roles or commodified “heritage sellers.” Instead, it prioritises maintaining the native social and cultural balance, protecting communities from dependency and loss of dignity.

This approach is particularly significant in Matera’s Sassi, historically marked by poverty, disease, and displacement. By restoring cave dwellings with restraint and respect, the project transforms spaces once labelled the “shame of Italy” into living cultural environments—without erasing their history or excluding those who belong to it.