Masseria Palombara Resort & Spa

Masseria Palombara is the story of the restoration of an authentic Apulian ‘masseria’, a limestone farmhouse originally built between the 17th and the 19th century in Oria, in the heart of Salento. Not too far from the sea, surrounded by 100 hectares of unspoilt nature, olive, almond and palm groves, where we host lovers of relax, wellness, real food and excellent wines.

There are 18 rooms and 2 suites, a restaurant serving fresh produce from our farm, a wine bar, 2 swimming pools, a gym, an outdoor cinema, an archeologic site, a shop and a small boutique SPA where both your body and mind can be helped to relax with organic olive oil based spa treatments.

All around us you will find the best Puglia has to offer: amazing sandy beaches, the handmade colorful ceramics of Grottaglie, Lecce and its unique baroque style, the caves of Matera, Alberobello and its ‘trulli’, the patron saint celebrations, the pizzica dance, the wine cellars full of Primitivo wine in the nearby Manduria.

Masseria Palombara is a luxury resort, but in its own unique and unconventional style, the perfect place to lose and then rediscover yourself, listening to the rooster singing in the morning, picking a fig straight from the tree, watching expert hands making pasta… That’s why there no are televisions in our rooms and we are an adult-only resort.

ROOMS & SUITES
We have 18 rooms and 2 suites spread throughout about 100 hectares of olive, almond and palm groves where everything is strictly organic and sustainable. Built between the 17th and 19th, we have authentically restored it respecting the spirit of local rural architecture.

All the rooms have a star or barrel vault in limestone, white-washed walls and vintage furniture, with hot water and electricity produced with the power of the sun. In this part of the Masseria there are 9 rooms, the Classic, the Deluxe, the Junior Suite and the Palombara Pool Suite with its secret garden and a small waterfall Jacuzzi outdoor pool.

In the old part of the Masseria, besides the rooms you will also find the Reception, the Clubhouse, a wine bar, a shop, the Restaurant, the Spa and a salt-water swimming pool. The Annex area is located about 300 meters away from the Masseria, surrounded by lush greenery for more privacy and quiet. The Annex can be easily reached with a nice walk, by bike or by car.

The Annex rooms are the Smart, the Privilege, the Funny Room and the Wine Suite Pool with secret garden and private pool. Here you will find a second swimming pool for exclusive use of Annex guests, a gym, gazebos and hammocks for sunbathing and chill out time.

GRAND SUITE DELUXE 
Grand Suite Deluxe with Terrace, Pool and Hammam, 90sqm, located on the first floor of the Masseria. It has a spacious living room of 45sqm with fireplace, dining table with amazing views over the Palombara Tower and the big farmyard, a guest bathroom, a sofa bed for 2 people, a walk-in closet and an hammam room.

The master bedroom is 33 sqm large, with a master bathroom with bathtub and shower. Guests can also enjoy a big terrace with patio furniture and a mini Jacuzzi pool for their own exclusive use.

SUITE DELUXE 
Suite Deluxe with Terrace and Pool, 50sqm, located on the first floor of the Masseria, with an amazing view over the Palombara Tower and the farmyard. It has a living area with fireplace and sofa bed, bedroom, bathroom with bathtub; guests can also enjoy a 60sqm terrace with patio furniture and mini Jacuzzi pool for exclusive use.

PALOMBARA POOL SUITE
Our exclusive time capsule Suite, with its star shaped vaulted ceilings and typical white washed walls, will remind you the traditional home of rural Apulian towns. The history of Masseria Palombara starts right here, in the exact same spot where the first two rooms of the farmhouse were built in 1650.

Suite Palombara has a double bedroom, a separated living area (no doors) with sofa bed for one person, en-suite bathroom with shower, two stone fireplaces, a wine corner with a selection of prestigious bottles, a secret secluded garden and an exclusive small pool with waterfall Jacuzzi.

Complimentary wifi in the room, use of bicycles and sun umbrellas, deck- chairs and towels in the saltwater swimming pool area. Last but not least, you will also find a boutique Spa, a gym, an outdoor cinema and a cooking school. No television in the rooms, for a real no-stress experience.

JUNIOR SUITE WITH HAMMAM
36 sqm, Junior Suite with private Hammam, at ground floor of Masseria with secret garden and wood, handmade forniture, bedroom with fireplace, living area with armchairs, bathroom with shower and private large Hammam in a separated room.

DELUXE ROOM
A higher category than Classic rooms, our Deluxe rooms are located in the main historical building of the farmhouse, built between the 16th and 18th century. Their white-washed walls and typical star-shaped vaulted ceilings will make you experience a true traditional Apulian atmosphere.

Carefully renovated in the spirit of the local rural architecture and furnished with a mix of vintage and retro style. With independent entrance on the ground floor and private furnished patio, to best enjoy the blue skies and amazing sunsets of the south.

All Deluxe rooms have a double bed, a desk, relaxing sofa area with coffee table, minibar, safe and en-suite bathroom with shower and hairdryer. Each room benefits from complimentary wi-fi access, use of vintage bycicles and mountain bikes, Tecnogym, saltwater pool (no chlorine) with gazebo, deck-chairs and towels.

Our gourmet breakfast, with produce coming directly from our garden, is served in the Masseria Clubhouse. Last but not least, you will also find a boutique Spa, an outdoor cinema and a cooking school. No television in the rooms, for a real no-stress experience.

WINE POOL SUITE DEPENDANCE
The Wine Pool Suite Dependance is located in the Annex area of the Masseria, about 300 mts away from the main historical building. The Suite has a double bedroom, a separated living area with sofa bed for one person, en-suite bathroom with shower, two stone fireplaces, a wine corner with a selection of prestigious bottles, a secret secluded garden and an exclusive small pool with waterfall Jacuzzi.

We can provide you with vintage bycicles and mountain bikes, perfect to enjoy relaxing walks under the shade of centuries-old pine and olive trees, or you can work out in our Tecnogym or sunbathe by our Annex swimming pool (exclusive use for Annex guests only) where complimentary sun umbrellas, deck-chairs and towels are provided.

Our gourmet breakfast, with produce coming directly from our garden, is served in the Masseria Clubhouse. Last but not least, you will also find a boutique Spa, an outdoor cinema and a cooking school. No television in the rooms, for a real no-stress experience.

BIO-RESTAURANT
Hospitality at Masseria Palombara starts in the garden and continues at the kitchen table. Our dishes originate from our passions, from our family’s tales and traditions, from the gifts of our land. Our cuisine is about tradition and evolution, tireless selection of the best local produce and carefully matching it with the excellent wines that our territory has to offer.

The Restaurant at Masseria Palombara is authentic, cozy, and informal – the perfect place for eating, drinking but first of all ‘stay and enjoy’: either in front of the fireplace in the cold winter nights, or in the shade of our portico when the sun is strong. Our menu changes seasonally. We cater to all diets, vegan and celiac included.

WINE SHOP
Masseria Palombara is surrounded by hectares and hectares of ‘Primitivo di Manduria’ vineyards. Wine flows through our veins: Nero di Troia, Primitivo di Gioia del Colle, Primitivo di Manduria and lesser-known wines.

You will find a huge selection of top awarded wines but also small independent labels, wines so rare and special that only 1000 bottles per year are produced. Plenty of natural and organic wines as well, produced with biodiversity and sustainability always in mind.

Let us be your guide in an emotional journey through the wines of Puglia. Here at the Masseria, we host wine tasting experiences and meetings with the best producers and we organize wine itineraries in the nearby Primitivo cooperatives.

VEGETABLE GARDEN
All the food we serve comes straight from our vegetable garden. We tend to it with care and respect. No fertilizers, no pesticides, just seeds, water and sun. We have been an organic farm for the last 15 years. Those tomatoes we serve coated in olive oil and oregano on top of our ‘frise’? We grow them.

Also peppers, courgettes, squash, fennel, peas and broccoli, all destined to be cooked in excellent pasta dishes. Our aubergines almost ‘literally’ walk from our garden to the kitchen every morning.

The vegetables we don’t manage to use during the day become food for our chickens, who in exchange give us the eggs we serve for breakfast. The real author of our seasonal menu is the garden, the chef is the executor.

COOKING LESSONS
Tailor-made group cooking classes for up to 8 people. Every morning, from 11am to 3pm, you can join a cooking class and learn how to make ‘orecchiette pasta’, stuffed aubergines, baked potatoes with rice and mussels, almond cookies, the kind of dishes Apulian grandmothers cook every day.

You will use fresh produce straight from our garden, have a few glasses of wine and then enjoy the food you will have cooked with the chef. A full immersion into Apulian cuisine, with all its traditions, rituals and contaminations.

WEDDINGS IN PUGLIA
To host a perfect dream wedding is not an easy task, it takes effort and energy. For this reason, we host only a few per year because we want to make sure it will be an unforgettable experience for the happy couple and their guests. With the help of a wedding planner, we listen carefully to the bride and groom’s wishes and vision and try to make it our own.

A wedding celebration at Masseria Palombara is a 3 days experience full of emotions: the ceremony at the chapel, cocktails at the Tower, appetizers in the farmyard, dinner in the court, the cutting of the cake and party all night under the moonlight. Pizza or panzerotti for a goodnight snack.

THE SPA
We have a boutique spa located under the vaulted ceilings of the historical part of the Masseria: an Hammam that will make you feel as if you were in Istanbul, a Finnish sauna, a relax room and a massage room to experience all the benefits of our olive oil treatments. The Spa is for your exclusive use only, all yours for two hours for maximum 2 people.

But wellness at Masseria Palombara is much more: let yourself go, forget city life and walk barefoot on the grass, follow the rooster’s crow, pick a fig from the tree, go explore the olive grove, ride a bike, go for a run along the palm grove, practice some yoga by the pool. There are no children around. This is real wellness for the body and the soul.

THE POOLS
There are two swimming pools, a salt-water one in the historical part of the Masseria and another one surrounded by lush greenery for Annex guests exclusive use.

ORIA
Oria is a medieval town on top of a hill, offering visitors a unique view: The Swebian Castle of Federico II, the Medieval Towers, the Domes, Parco Montalbano, small houses perched on narrow streets, a city centre full of restaurants, bars and old pastry shops serving delicious artisanal ice cream, traditional cookies and almond milk.

SURROUNDINGS
Manduria, on the other hand, is the city of wine, surrounded by hectares of vineyards. Almost every family here owns a small piece of land, with vines trained as traditional ‘Alberello’ or grown tall with a trellis system, and everyone at the end of summer makes their own wine.

Manduria also offers an evocative medieval Jewish ghetto, several romanesque and baroque churches, and the ancient Messapic walls, one of the biggest archeological sites in Puglia.

BEACHES & NATURAL RESERVES
The amazing beaches of San Pietro in Bevagna, Punto Prosciutto and the dunes of Campomarino are just 20 minutes away from the Masseria. Only 30 minutes to visit the natural parks of Torre Colimena on the Ionian side and Torre Guaceto on the Adriatic side, both protected areas of mediterranean landscape, an unspoilt habitat populated by reptiles, amphibians and pink flamingos.

LECCE AND HIS BAROQUE
Lecce, also known as the Florence of the south, is a triumph of stone beauty decorated by expert hands over the course of centuries. Golden limestone is everywhere; facades, churches, columns, balconies, and windows.

The city centre is a labyrinth of narrow streets, pathways, roman theaters and secret passages and archways that will take you to Piazza Duomo and Piazza Sant’Oronzo and Basilica di Santa Croce. Do not miss a stop at Caffè Alvino for the best ‘rustico’ and ‘pasticciotto leccese’, and right after Gelateria Natale for pistachio and chocolate ice-cream to die for.

THE CAVE OF POETRY 
Along the coastline between Lecce and Otranto there is Roca Vecchia and its natural caves. Here the water has the deepest blue colour, cliffs are high and diving is only for those brave enough.

Bring flip flops and towels: Grotta della Poesia is a huge natural pool, filled with saltwater arriving through a small channel which connects it to the sea. It is going to be the most amazing swim of your life.

OTRANTO
Keep driving and you will reach Otranto. If you are feeling tired from too much swimming, the best way to visit Otranto is by an Apecar Taxi, which will take you to explore the charming city centre, the fortified castle and its walls, the cathedral whose floor is entirely covered by a medieval mosaic representing the Tree of Life.

Just outside town, the bauxite quarry with its blue waters and red rocks; the promontory of the Palascìa Lighthouse, where you can see the coastline of Greece and Albania. Otranto is full of magic, history, legends and art.

TARANTO AND HIS FISH MARKET 
Taranto is called the City of the two Seas, divided by a swing bridge, famous for its fishing traditions. This is an ancient city with roots dating back thousands of years; its history today visible in its city centre, San Cataldo Cathedral and the Aragonese castle, a masterpiece of Renaissance military architecture.

Taranto hosts the MARTA, a renowned National Archeology Museum with over 20,0000 relics and artifacts from Prehistoric times to the Middle Age. And to end your day in Taranto, why not join one of the daily boat excursions leaving from Molo Sant’Eligio? You will likely meet the dolphins who have been swimming around the Gulf of Taranto for the last 4000 years.

THE CERAMICS OF GROTTAGLIE
All our guests tell us ‘I love your ceramics, where can I buy them?’. The answer is Grottaglie, the city of Ceramic, 20 minutes away from Masseria Palombara. A city center bursting with shops and laboratories where local crafters create pottery in vibrant colors: serving ware, jugs, plates, lamps you will fall in love with.

We will be happy to organize a trip to Grottaglie for you, for a hands-on pottery workshop experience. Believe us, it is going to be difficult to leave Puglia without having some local ceramics shipped home after you!

THE TRULLI OF ALBEROBELLO 
Just a 50 minute drive, and a fairytale landscape will open in front of your eyes. Green valleys and hills, red earth and olive groves, stone walls but especially ‘trulli’, the typical local conical shaped houses. The bigger centre is Alberobello, a town featured in the Unesco World Heritage List.

But don’t miss some of the other most beautiful italian villages: the picturesque Locorotondo, Cisternino and its excellent meat, the elegant Martina Franca with its baroque buildings. Last but not least, Ostuni, the White City, with its beautiful whitewashed, sun-kissed walls and homes.

THE STONES OF MATERA
One of the most beautiful places in Italy, Matera is not in Puglia, but only 90 minutes away from us by car. This city of caves and stones is considered a National Heritage site and is the European Capital of Culture 2019.

Our excellent tour guide will help you explore its beauty, will take you inside one of the old houses built in the mountain, its museums, grotto churches, its Gravina valley, its restaurants and their ‘peperoni cruschi’-based recipes. You can leave at around 10 in the morning, after a hearty breakfast, and be back with us at the Masseria by sunset.

TYPICAL PRODUCTS
Puglia is the region of mozzarella, burrata and stracciatella cheeses. It is dotted with dairy farms producing cow and sheep cheeses. All dairy products served in our restaurants are supplied by two small traditional producers just 10 minutes away.

If you are a cheese lover, you can’t miss the chance of visit a cheese factory. You will learn how mozzarella is made but most importantly you will get to taste a freshly-made delicious and warm mozzarella. Believe us, it is an experience you will never forget.

PRIMITIVO OF MANDURIA & OLIVE OIL TASTING 
Just a few minutes away there is Manduria, famous all over the world for its famous red wine, Primitivo. Every family here produces wine, there are big wine cooperatives and small family-run ones, boutique wineries and wine bars serving only selected bottles.

We are proud to admit we are wine connoisseurs and we love to talk about it and drink it in good company. If you love wine, you are in the right place. Masseria Palombara produces Extravirgin Olive Oil. Our olive oil is used in all our dishes, we make handmade natural soap and moisturize your skin in the spa with it. For an olive oil tasting, just ask!

Rooms: 20

Price: from 165 EUR per night

Source: www.masseriapalombararesort.com