At Villa San Martino You can experience a timeless atmosphere. This Masseria from the ‘800, located in the heart of the Itria Valley, is characterized by the unique traits of the panorama of Murgia mixed together with elegance.

An accurate care for the details is evident in every spot of the Resort, where comfort and a keen sense of aesthetic blend together in order to gift our Guests with a vacation characterized by beauty, wellness, culture and by the wide variety of quality food and wine from Apulia.

Being inside a completely natural frame, in this location style and refinement predominate. The charm of tradition and the modernity of our services donate a high-class hospitality to anyone who decides to live moments of well-being, unforgettable receptions, meeting and events of different kind, according to each individual exigence.

Villa San Martino is the essence of luxury, a charming dwelling, which is only a few kilometers far from Martina Franca, a renowned baroque town, where it is possible to admire the magical historical center and to be surprised by its exquisite traditional food and wine.

Fine and clean air enshroud the Villa and give a sense of stillness. Villa San Martino is a charming, recently-renovated location, which arose out of the historical stones of a Masseria from the ‘800 and is now recognized as one of the most beautiful among the hotel facilities of the Itria Valley.

Walking along its enchanting walls, it is possible to notice a refined and exclusive location, in which the charm of the past is in direct contact with the comfort of modernity. Surrounded by the florid and quite Apulian countryside, rich of secular trees and heady scents, Villa San Martino welcomes its Guests by awakening Their senses.

The hotel’s decor and the precious textiles will rouse the enthusiasm of touch; the perfumes and sounds of nature will stimulate olfaction and hearing; furthermore, the colors of the landscape and the flavors of our cuisine will strengthen sight and taste.

ROOMS & SUITES
This mixture of past and present, old and new, has always had a strong appeal, to the point that an ancient nineteenth-century Masseria has been transformed into a romantic contemporary residence. The peculiar style of Villa San Martino is the result of an accurate choice of colors and natural materials of the proper Apulian tradition.

An old-fashioned Villa redefined for the modern age, a place where immense outdoors have been set up with a gazebo and curtains and where the beauty of the location is in harmony with the surrounding landscape.

To spend the night at Villa San Martino means to enjoy the greatest privacy and comfort desirable in luxury rooms and suites. The 21 rooms provided by Villa San Martino are a continuous mixture of antique and modern, perfectly blended together.

Rooms are divided into: 11 Double Deluxe Rooms, 2 Triple Deluxe Rooms, 8 Junior Suites, all set up exclusively with high-quality materials. Two of our rooms are thought to meet the exigencies of people with disabilities.

Inside the rooms everything was studied and designed aiming at raising the pleasure of Your stay. In each room, alongside the vintage decor, the damask curtains from the best silk factories of Caserta, and marbled bathrooms, You can find design furniture, comfort and a Jacuzzi bathtub.

The flagship of the Villa is the swimming pool and its surrounding area, ideal for sunbathing and to donate moments of wellness for both body and mind.

SUITE
This exclusive suite is the largest and most comfortable room in the Villa with its 28 square meters in size and a wonderful furnished terrace with a central view of the entire park with swimming pool.

Refined taste and classy furnishings among decorated ceramics, antique furniture and fine textiles characterized the San Martino suite. Located in the central Maison on the second floor with elevator, it has a sitting area and double bathroom with jacuzzi tub and with shower

EXECUTIVE SUITE
Executive Suites are designed to meet the need for larger spaces by having two bathrooms and a living area with sofa. Ideal for families, these refined rooms can become quadruple. They are then equipped with handicap accessibility. The large furnished terrace they benefit from is an opportunity for relaxation and privacy surrounded by nature.

JUNIOR SUITE
Junior Suites represent a break from the frenetic and noisy everyday life, offering a breathtaking view that anticipates the local sights. Fine taste, prestigious furniture with decored ceramics and precious textiles.

With their 24 sqm, these rooms are completed by a living area and an intimate private terrace overlooking the garden. They are located on the first floor with elevator.

DELUXE
Deluxe Rooms offer our Guests the pleasure of enjoying sophisticated and overly-refined settings. Provided with every comfort and with hydro massage tub, these rooms extend over a surface of 18 sqm, and are located on the first floor with elevator. Cozy rooms are designed to let our Guests enjoy the tranquility of a relaxing context.

DINING
The park, the stars, our culinary high-class proposals all together make Villa San Martino’s dining services a reason of pride for both the Italian and the foreign Guests we host.

The cuisine offered by the restaurant of Villa San Martino is typical of our tradition but marked by the fine and personal intervention of the Chef, made possible every day thanks to the use of fresh and genuine ingredients.

THE DUCA DI MARTINA RESTAURANT
The “Duca Di Martina” is considered among the best typical Apulian restaurants. A large room constitutes the Restaurant, decorated with an elegant and classical style, which is in harmony with the surrounding spaces. It provides a capacity of maximum 100 covers.

The intimate room provided by the restaurant is instead ideal for a romantic stay, as the suffuse lighting will generate a romantic and warm atmosphere, where You will enjoy several Apulian delicacies.

The “Duca Di Martina” presents itself as a gourmet restaurant, the right place to experience the great variety of Apulian Cuisine. Exquisite specialties, appetizing tasters, great wine and seasonal produces are served with passion to please even the most exigent palates.

BAR
Villa San Martino’s Lounge Bar, with its exclusive atmosphere, is located in proximity to the open-air lobby. A meeting point, a place to take a break during the day, chatting friendly and sharing memories.

Hospitality in the charming ambience of the Itria Valley will be guaranteed, thanks to a service, which is always attentive and caring. During summer Villa San Martino enriches its services with the Kiosk by the swimming pool: here our guests may taste refreshing cocktails, thus enjoying a totally relaxing atmosphere.

BREAKFAST
At breakfast, the “Duca Di Martina” loves to take care of its Guests with genuine ingredients that will awake the five senses and will create the right alchemy to welcome a day reserved to harmony and wellness.

The typical breakfast served at Villa San Martino is rich of perfumes and colors recognizable on our buffet of “Buon Risveglio” (the “Good wake up” buffet). Delicacies prepared by the pastry Chef are part of the breakfast ritual: homemade brioches, cakes, tartes, muffins, biscuits and other small culinary delights.

The “cafeteria” proposes a prime quality selection, able to meet any kind of exigence: from the Italian Espresso made with grains of various provenances to the America coffee, high-quality milk, soy milk and a rich assortment of tea and precious infusions.

Anyone desiring to have a Healthy breakfast, can taste fresh seasonal fruit and fruit compotes, extracts, cereals of any kind and a wide variety of jams and yoghurts. For those who love English Breakfast, we provide a selection of savory foods, vegetables, cheese, cold cuts, together with a menu with egg-based receipts, prepared according to the English tradition.

DINNER
Villa San Martino hosts the “Duca Di Martina” restaurant, where You can taste the typical Apulian Cuisine, with revisited flavors. The Chef carefully selects seasonal produces, with a strong commitment to meeting the exigencies of our Guests, who can benefit from various proposals of typical dishes, that cover a wide selection of the rich culinary Apulian heritage.

Every receipt is elaborated with local high-quality produces. The aim is to engage our Guests and to surprise them with the typical flavors of the Apulian Cuisine, offering an opportunity to enrich Their experience with a Culture of Food and Wine, which has many stories to tell.

A menu of both tradition and novelty, that keeps a strong relation with the local territory with a bit of innovation, to create unique and original meals.

NINÒ – IL TRULLO DI SAN MARTINO
The deepest roots of Puglia told through the rural and homely dimension of Ninò, the trullo of Villa San Martino. The Apulian trulli are the backdrop for a research into the excellent raw materials of the area, in a sensory journey where the colours of the Mediterranean converge with the strong flavours of the local cuisine.

From highly selected cold cuts and cheeses to locally bred meats, legumes and vegetables from our garden. The ancient recipes of the peasant cuisine – both heritage and tradition – are revived and enhanced by an exclusively Apulian wine list.

WEDDINGS IN APULIA
Welcome at Villa San Martino, in Apulia, in the heart of the Itria Valley, not far from the seaside and immersed in a green, typically Mediterranean landscape. Surrounded by a 10.000 square meters park, the Villa embraces luxuriant gardens, a swimming pool, six different locations and an organization of the highest level.

In every season, both in the wintertime and in the summertime, the interiors and outdoors of Villa San Martino lend themselves well to planning daytime or evening weddings, or weddings in the magical Christmas time, to make your best dreams come true.

The Villa offers the possibility to host not only wedding receptions, but also the characteristic civil ceremony and the stay of the wedding’s guests. Expert wedding assistants are available to guide the bride and groom in the choice and care of every detail.

Classic, fun or elegant? At Villa San Martino every event is unique. Our spaces are shaped according to your desires. This is the best way to leave an unforgettable memory in your guests’ hearts.

CONFERENCES & MEETINGS
The capacity of our locations allows Villa San Martino to offer the possibility of planning meetings and professional events of any kind. The two Conference Halls can receive a vast public: they are respectively provided with 160 sittings in the main Hall and other 130 sittings in the second one.

Furthermore, we can provide You with the needed audio-visual equipment, a paper-board and a screen; for any further necessity in terms of equipment and technical assistance feel free to ask.

To make any event special and detail-cared, Villa San Martino disposes of catering services, such as coffee break, light lunch, welcoming appetizer, “business breakfast”, social dinner, gala dinner, typical dinner or theme dinner.

EXPERIENCE PUGLIA
Each tour includes food tastings directly from the producers, relaxing walks around the most popular cities of Puglia and “off-the-beaten-path” itineraries to visit hidden historical treasures, beautiful piazzas and awe-inspiring landscapes that you otherwise would miss.

Apulia is famous for its pristine nature, rich of olive trees, coasts and dry-stone walls. Choose to discover it riding your bike, exploring the Trulli of the Itria Valley and stopping in a Masseria to taste zero-mile products, such as Capocollo of Martina Franca and Caciocavallo cheese.

During the summer, let the sea breeze of the Adriatic coast caress you, cities like Polignano a Mare, Torre Canne and Savelletri, or choose to have a cruise to relax and discrover the two seas of Taranto.

COOKING CLASS
Explore the typical Apulian cuisine with our Chef! Our Chef will teach you how to prepare the real Apulian orecchiette pasta and focaccia. At the end you will be taste what you will realize; during lunch there will be the Buvette of drinks (water, wine and juices).

All participants will be provided with kitchen utensils (rolling pin, pastry board, bowl etc) and at the end of the course the Certificate of participation will be issued. Classes will have at least 2 participants up to a maximum of 8.

CHEESE MAKING CLASS
The guest will discover all the secrets of dairy products, visiting the cheese factory, the farm, the maturing cells and the Family Chapel. After the “Mozzarella Show” during which the dairyman will show the production processes, the guests will take part into the production process, too. Lunch, tasting traditional food of Puglia.

UNESCO TOUR
Visit a cave-house entirely and typically furnished to understand the customs and traditions of the inhabitants of the ancient Sassi districts, before their abandonment. Also, visit to a Cave Church, dating back to the 8th Century, the most important in the history of Matera.

At the end of the walk, visit to a bakery and tasting of Matera bread, which has become an IGP product thanks to its historical and organoleptic qualities. Alberobello: Visit to the amazing Church of Sant’Antonio, the only trullo-shaped church in the world.

*The experience ends with the tasting of unique and unequivocal products of Puglia, surrounded by an incredible scenery that only a sea view location can offer. The appetizer consists of crunchy taralli and slices of bread seasoned with tomato and olive oil, appetizing local olives, crudités and salty croissants stuffed with local salami along with an indispensable glass of local wine.

MARTINA FRANCA
Martina Franca rises up on the east low hills of the Murgia, at equal from both the Adriatic and the Ionic seas; indeed, it benefits from a privileged position, as it is central to the most important cultural sites and landscapes of Apulia. Martina Franca is a melting pot of history and art. For more than 40 years it has been hosting the Festival of the Itria Valley, among the most important opera festivals in Italy.

Its historical center with dominant white tones is made precious by the magnificent portals and balconies of the old elegant mansions in Rococo style, among which it’s worth mentioning the sumptuous Palazzo Ducale, but also Palazzo Martucci, Palazzo dell’Università, Palazzo Motolese, Palazzo Maggi, Palazzo Ancona and, still within the medieval city walls, the imposing Basilica of San Martino, which preserves sculptures by Stefano da Putignano and by Giuseppe Sammartino.

If you wish to discover the rural soul of this territory, you should explore the countryside, where characteristic Trulli, beautiful masserie and plantations framed by dry stone walls and by wild scents stand out.

Various products from the agri-food and wine industry are noteworthy: among them the Capocollo of Martina Franca (Slow Food product), the podolic caciocavallo cheese, and wines of two local varieties, Verdeca and Bianca d’Alessano.

On the 11th of November the inhabitants of Martina Franca celebrate their patron saint, San Martino, to whom the city partly owes its name, as he saved Martina’s residents from the Saracen invasions.

ALBEROBELLO
City if the Itria Valley and of the Murgia area of the Trulli. This city is renowned for its characteristic dwellings called “Trulli”, that from the 5th of December 1996 are part of the UNESCO Heritage and within the World Heritage List, with the following reasons: “exceptional typology, continuity of housing, survival of a prehistoric building culture…”

In particular, the Rione Monti and the Aia Piccola represent the most suggestive and ancient districts of the town. Today the area of Rione Monti is dedicated to business activities, whereas the Rione Aia Piccola has preserved its traditional residences: here it is possible to completely immerse oneself in the history and ancient traditions of this town.

Do not miss the “Trulli Siamesi” and the “Trullo Sovrano”, the last one representing the greatest design capacity reached in a Trullo and, at the same time, it introduces a new a new building phase that includes the use of mortar.

OSTUNI
The urbanistic identity of Ostuni lies in its old village, named by its inhabitants “La Terra”. A unique built-up area stands out on the highest hill of the urban area: all painted in white and characterized by a multiplicity of levels, alleys and stairs made of stone, little streets that intersect arches and squares, cubicle houses, often dug into the rock.

The houses coated with lime and the peculiar topography gifted the city with fairy-tale epithets, such as “Città Bianca” (‘The White city’), “Regina degli Ulivi” (‘Queen of the olive trees’) and “Città Presepe” (‘Nativity scene city’). Once reached the highest point of the city, it is possible to admire the beauties of the Cathedral and of Palazzo Vescovile (the Bishop’s Palace).

CISTERNINO
Cisternino is adorned with the Orange Flag, brand of high quality tourism and environment, conferred by Touring Club Italiano and dedicated to the small towns of the hinterland that stand out for their excellent offer and for their quality hospitality.

Cisternino is characterized by good accessibility and by an efficient management of the local mobility. The most important entrance to the heart of the old city is Porta Grande.

The urban fabric with its medieval imprint remained almost intact and it is possible to lose oneself in the authentic atmospheres of the four districts “Bère Vécchie”, “Scheledd”, “U Pantène”, “L’ìsule”, that together with the outermost one, named “u Bùrie”, compose a small maze of alleys and widenings, where white houses, streets adorned with geraniums, stairs, lodges and arches alternate.

LOCOROTONDO
Its name already indicates the characteristic circular shape of the historical center of this town, risen around the year thousand and constituted by a series of huts that the local agricultures build on the top of the hill, among which we mention the typical “cummerse”, little houses with pitched roof.

Among the dwellings of the historical center stand out the steeples of the many churches of the town, such as Chiesa dell’Addolorata, Chiesa dello Spirito Santo, the San Nicola Church, the San Rocco Church and the Church dedicated to Madonna della Catena.

Inside the Church of Santa Maria della Greca, a Renaissance polyptych dedicated to the Madonna delle Rose and the sculpture group of St. George on horse are preserved.

From Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, where two imposing pillars identify Porta Napoli, a path stretches from the little municipal palace, today municipal library (end of the ‘700), through the baroque Palazzo Morelli, with its splendid gate and the balconies with railings in a particular wrought iron (named “goose breast”), to the Chiesa Madre.

Locorotondo is awarded with the Orange Flag, brand of high quality tourism and environment, conferred by Touring Club Italiano and dedicated to the small towns of the hinterland that stand out for their excellent offer and for their quality hospitality.

TARANTO
Taranto, named “the city of the two seas”, overlooks Mar Grande and Mar Piccolo, benefiting from a strategic position, which made it protagonist of well-known historical events.

Precious ancient evidences are preserved at Marta, the national archeological museum, where it is possible to admire the famous “Ori di Taranto” (Taranto’s Golden Treasure), refined productions of local goldsmith’s art between the IV and the II century BC, together with the immense collection of archeological findings from all over the Ionic province.

The history of Taranto is outlined by the two bridges that connect the old city with the new one. Alongside the stone bridge build after the flood of the year 1883, a swing bridge was introduced in 1887, manifesting the charm that the great mechanic engineering works have, and it leads to the maze of the alleys in proximity to the central Via Cava, where it is possible to find various artisan shops.

In this isthmus of land stand out noble architectures and churches of different times and styles, like the Cathedral dedicated to St. Catald, a mixture of Romanic and Baroque style, or the Church of St. Domenico, with gothic elements.

FASANO
The historical center is characterized by alleys, white walls, arches and small squares. The ancient walls still preserve the Torrione delle Fogge, once one of the entrances to the city.

In the neighboring areas you will not want to miss the archeological excavations of Egnazia and the Zoosafari, the biggest faunistic park of Italy. Also, don’t miss the dolmen of Montalbano, which dates back to the Bronze Age, around the 2000-1500 BC, and which is still intact.

Along the highway 16, close to a “lama” (a groove which is typical of the karstic territory) and nearby a masseria, rises Tempietto di Seppanibbale, dating back IX century and realized with big blocks of local stone. In the inside it preserves a notable series of frescoes of Langobard age.

MATERA
Matera is the city of Sassi (ancient habitations) and from 1993 it is part of the UNESCO Heritage. It is one of the oldest cities of the world, and its territory preserves evidences of human settlements from the Paleolithic.

The original urban nucleus developed out of the natural caves dug into the rock and afterwards shaped into more and more complex structures, placed inside two large natural amphitheaters, known as the Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano.

The unique architecture of the Sassi evokes the human capability to perfectly adapt to its natural environment and context, making masterful use of simple elements, such as the constant temperature of the excavated spaces, the calcarenite of the rock itself for the construction of “out of ground” housings, and the use of slopes to control the waters and the meteoric phenomena.
The architectonical structure is constituted by two systems: the former being immediately visible, and realized through the stratification of housings, courtyards, balconies, palaces, churches, streets, gardens; the latter less visible at first sight, and constituted by tanks, icehouses, caves, tunnels and water monitoring systems, essentials for the wellbeing of the community.

The landscape of the Sassi extends through the ravines typical of the near Gravina di Puglia, with a landscape that is in continuity with Matera and its characteristics.

VISIT LECCE
Italian city of art, Lecce is also known as “the Baroque Woman”: the ancient Messapian origins and the archeological findings of Roman origin blend together with the richness and extravagance of the Baroque from the XVII century of the churches and the palaces of the city center, made of local stone, a particularly malleable limestone that lends itself well to working with the scalpel.

Richly decorated buildings, elegant streets and surprising squares characterize the city. Charming square of the historical center is the splendid Piazza Sant’Oronzo, with its Roman amphitheater, the colonnade of the Saint and the Sedile palace, today tourism information point. Not far away are the Teatini Convent and the Sant’Irene Church, a Baroque masterpiece.

POLIGNANO
Polignano a Mare, known as the “Adriatic Pearl” is only 33km far from the city of Bari. The oldest nucleus of the city rises on a rocky spur overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Native city of the singer Domenico Modugno, who became famous thanks to his “Nel blu dipinto di blu”, Polignano fascinates with its historical center, rich of traces of different origins (Arabian, Byzantine, Spanish, Norman), like the remains of the four imposing defense towers that used to enclose the old village.

Worth mentioning is the bridge of the Via Traiana, still accessible today, which crosses Lama Monachile. From “Arco della Porta”, once the only entrance to the city, it is possible to walk through this magical hamlet, which is enriched by the the XIII century Chiesa Matrice dedicated to the Assumption.

Don’t miss to visit the Museum “Pino Pascali” Foundation, set up in the former municipal slaughterhouse and dedicated to the work of the great Apulian sculptor and artist. The Polignano coast, which stretches from Grotta Palazzese to Lama Monachile, is one of the most beautiful in Apulia, thanks to its hidden coves and to the lovely sandy inlets.

TORRE CANNE
Immersed in the “Parco naturale Dune Costiere” (the coastal dunes natural park), from Torre Canne to Torre San Leonardo, this city overlooks the Adriatic Sea and is 8 km far from Fasano. Symbol of this thermal locality is the lighthouse, which lights up the coast, the sea and the long cliffs.

From the ‘80s, it started to grow, becoming a lively seaside area that benefits from crystal sea waters and fine white sand beaches. Torre Canne is renowned for its thermal center, a place to benefit from the therapeutic virtues of the spring waters.

In the adjacent areas you can visit fortified masserias immersed in olive tree fields or the faunistic site of the Zoosafari in Fasano. Torre Canne is also the homeland of the Slow Food “Regina” Tomato, arranged in vermillion “ramasole” that embellish the local dwellings.

SAVELLETRI
The fascinating Savvelletri is a suggestive Adriatic spot surrounded by cliffs, about 5 km far from Fasano. Mostly known for its sea and for its amazing equipped beaches, Savelletri is a popular tourist destination.

The beaches in sand and cliffs are not excessively crowded and offer either free access or private areas, that offer their best during good weather. Savvelletri is ideal for a vacation of exclusive relax.

The Archeological Park of Egnazia is a real treasure of findings, whereas the near golf field is one of the best in Apulia, counting 18 holes. The right occasion to taste some quality swordfish is the Patron Saint’s celebration (in august) dedicated to San Francesco da Paola and celebrated with a charming procession by the sea and a traditional festival.

MONOPOLI
The beautiful Monopoli overlooks the Adriatic Sea and is introduced by the castle and its ancient walls. The city is known for its 99 districts, called “contrada”, which extend on a flat area, embraced by the splendid Loggia del Pilato’s “belvedere”, a natural terrace to admire an authentic landscape made of fortified masserie, churches, rocky settlements and villas.

Symbol of the city is the monumental Castel dedicated to Carlo V, which hosts expositions, conferences and today is site of the municipal Archeological Museum. The fortified masserie are well preserved or they were restored with care; they are located in the heart of the marine landscape, in the area of the low hills and in the flat hinterland.

Monopoli is also a hamlet for fishermen; it was founded on the seaside and presents a 15km coastline which is low and indented, characterize by numerous coves and long sandy beaches. Special celebrations for the city are dedicated to St. Cosma and Damiano, and to the memory of the landing of the raft with the icon of Madonna della Madia.

GROTTAGLIE
Grottaglie finds its origins in the surrounding spectacular green canyons, a territory marked by the presence of ravines, where many caves were excavated.

The city of Grottaglie was made famous worldwide by the art of working ceramics: around its historical center, characterized by winding streets and by low-vault houses, extends the “ceramics district”: here the creativity of the artisans gives birth to refined terracotta works.

In more than 50 workshops artisans still use the traditional lathes to create plates, vases, holy water fonts, ladies and knights and the famous “pomo” in enamelled ceramic, symbol or the ceramicist art of Grottaglie, an art that has been handed down from father to son.

In the moat of a castle of the 1400 for centuries artisans have been shaping and decorating clay: a scenery that is unique in the world. Artisan works also celebrate the patron St. Cyrus and the occasion of the lighting of the pyre on the 31st of august, a bonfire that burns in memory of the martyrdom of Grottaglie’s patron saint.

Rooms: 23

Price: from 165 EUR per night

Source: www.relaisvillasanmartino.it

Masseria San Giovanni is located in the heart of Apulia, into the immense expanses of ancient olive trees of the Itria Valley, very close to the Regional Parc of Dune Costiere and to the Adriatic beaches of Savelletri and Torre Canne.

It has been built in the second half of the nineteenth century with the name of Ottava Piccola, it is an example of a typical fortified Masseria. That one at Masseria San Giovanni is an unforgettable, totalizing, sheer experience.

Absorbed from the enchanting Salento landscape, in the middle of the secular olive trees, orangeries, vegetable gardens and luxuriant rosemary shrubs, it stands out with its pure and attractive volumes in the deep light of the Apulian sun.

The architectural plant dated 1600, which represents the typical features of the fortified farms, has been restored totally respecting the materials and the original details, to valorise a construction unique in the world which includes even a small church of the 700 titled to the “Madonna della Madia”.

The cosy atmosphere reinterprets the elapsed multiple functions, as the agricultural one, in a contemporary lifestyle, to become place of wellness: the powerful nature turns into an antidote to the citizen stress, the cuisine based on vegetable garden products is genuine and delicious.

The environment is accomplice, charming and full of hospitality sense, symbol of borderline between orient and occident, Masseria San Giovanni is a multisensorial route in which cinema, art and design meet, it becomes a favorite destination for people who wants to live an authentic and elegant holiday like the intensity of a deep quiet.

The interiors are welcoming and cared in all details, furnished with simple elegance to give to every single room its own originality, under the ancient tunnel vault, brought back to the light to enjoy the magic of the honey-coloured tuff coming from Lecce, where pieces of design and fine textile details come alive.

A swimming pool perfectly incorporated into the landscape, invites guests to luxuriate in the garden, accompanying them in a deep path of reconnection with nature.

Located in “Montalbano di Fasano”, where the “Contrada Ottava” is, Masseria San Giovanni is part of the via Traiana, the old roman route which connected Rome to Apulia. In days gone by, Masseria Ottava Piccola and Masseria Ottava Grande were part of the same property of the Italian ecclesiastical assets of Monopoly city.

Around the XV century, these Masserias have been given as trade-in to Nicola Indelli, representative of a noble family from Monopoli in exchange for lands situated by the Canale di Pirro area.  The lands of Ottava Grande have been passed down from generation to generation, following the male descent of the Indelli family.

It was around the middle of the XVII century, with the two Francesco Indelli’s sons Antonio e Giuseppe, when the property has been shared: the first one received the Masseria with the tower and some lands, the other one received lands where he built a Masseria which was named Ottava Piccola.

Nowadays the Masseria, which is again part of the Curia property, is a complex which has been recently restored, keeps its own authenticity, with an ancient oil mill where there is still the millstone, the presses and the tanks to collect the olive oil.

The Masseria holds a small church of the early 700s, a nice citrus grove, a farmyard where there are seven barns, the place of shelter of the livestock, there are secular olive trees all around.

All of it, is not so far from the Montalbano Dolmen and from the wonderful landslides and ravines of karst origin (erosive furrows not so deep created from the runoff of the water, today are very important ecologic paths for the survival of a lot of animals species). The Traiana route, where the Masseria is located, is part of the Adriatic bike lane, itinerary n.6 of BicItalia.

ROOMS
The rooms are located inside the central body of the Masseria, in the farmyard and where the external court was, which overlooks the beautiful citrus grove. There are three types of rooms available to guests: Double Classic rooms, the Deluxe room and the Junior Suites with a private terrace and Jacuzzi.

The furnishings combine the Apulian tradition with a contemporary design. Each room, all of them renovated, has got a double bed and some of them two single beds, air conditioning, safe, tv, bathroom, window.

DINING
At the Masseria we fall in love with the products, we believe in the search for local specialties, in the kilometer zero and in following the seasons with the fruits of the earth. We are working to have in 2020 a vast assortment of excellences of typical local products to be tasted within the ancient mill.

EVENTS
Every event, at the Masseria San Giovanni, has an unforgettable emotional imprint thanks to the magical atmosphere that pervades all spaces. A dream wedding in a unique place. To realize a special and exclusive reception or wedding, the Masseria San Giovanni can satisfy your every need.

A catering service of the highest level will make every event unforgettable and incomparable, an organizational staff attentive to the needs and desires of the client will ensure that everything is easier and smoother.

ACTIVITIES
The staff of Masseria San Giovanni will do all the best to make perfect your stay. They will organise tours, events, restaurant reservations, chauffeur and taxi. They will be able to advise you about the best activities and attractions in the area to make your stay unique and unforgettable.

BOAT EXCURSION
The Apulian coastal landscape offers coves and beaches with very fine sand, overlooking the clear and transparent sea. Just sailing you can live and discover uncontaminated corners. The boat trip makes possible the discovery of this suggestive places in the different moments of the day.

HORSE RIDE
Cross country activities, obstacle course, dressage. The little ones can become familiar with the environment thanks to the pony school. The environment with its fantastic scenarios will be the setting for both saddle and carriage rides.

BIKE TOUR
Bike excursions all over the area to discover the landscape, the history and the typical Apulian food and wine. Big groups or families can follow the tourist cycle itineraries which shows in the best way the history, the farms and the points of greatest interest.

Bike tours take place at slow pace and allow participation to anyone who wants to discover the real essence of Apulia by bike.

WINE TOUR
Significant experience for wine enthusiasts, from the neophyte to the expert…. The offer consists of wine tasting presented from experts who will explain and relates about the different stages of the wine-making production: from the importance of the territory to the technics of production and refining, from the harvesting of grapes and the aging in barrel to the bottling.

Rooms: 5

Price: from 207 EUR per night

Source: www.masseriasangiovanni.it

Masseria Le Carrube is a typical masseria (farmhouse) with a traditional tile roof, whose walls have the inner side with the stones in view and the external side whitewashed.

Only 6 km away from Ostuni downtown, it is situated at the feet of the hill on which “The White Town” rises up as a background, in a secluded and exclusive area characterised by the colours and the flavours of the Maquis shrubland, the typical vegetation of the Mediterranean region.

After little renovation carried out under the attentive eye of the owners, 14 rooms have been obtained that are very warm and cosy. They have the rustic appearance typical of the buildings of that area, but they are elegant and offer all of the comforts: air conditioning, mini-bar, LED tv and Wi-Fi. In the courtyard, once used as a sheepfold, there are 2 swimming pools, one of which is heated.

SUITE
All our Suite rooms have a double bedroom, a separated living area with sofa bed and an external area with table, chairs and sunbeds. This is the ideal solution for couples or families.

JUNIOR SUITE
All our Junior Suite have double bed and a living area with sofa bed. This is a perfect solution for couples or families with a child.

LE CARRUBE RESTAURANT
Le Carrube is the vegetarian restaurant at Masseria Le Carrube. An ideal restaurant for those who love eating healthy while respecting traditions. It arose from the desire to propose a healthy cuisine and be careful to eating problems such as celiac disease and intolerances.

Le Carrube combines the raw materials of the territory in a modern way, with a particular attention for seasonal and biological food. Every evening, our chef Massimo Santoro proposes a different tasting menu for our guests with typical vegetarian dishes from Puglia.

EVENTS & WEDDINGS
All the spaces at Masseria Le Carrube, both interiors and exteriors, are perfect for different kind of events & weddings. The wonderful mediterranean garden with its peculiar pergola, the open space in front of the masseria and the two orange groves are evocative settings for events and wedding celebrations.

The large inside spaces, including the ancient oil mill containing an olive press with millstones, are ideal for banquets, while the peculiar Trullo inside the olive grove is perfect for weddings.

PUGLIA
Discovering Puglia is the beginning of a true experience of love. Moreover, regardless of the season, it’s possible to enjoy the natural landscapes and human settlements: always breath taking to watch.

During the relatively mild fall and winter seasons, a vast choice of produce from the ground, beautiful colours, unique village festivals and ancient traditions is guaranteed, while spring and summer literally make Puglia bloom and burst with events, beach parties and shows.

Rooms: 14

Price: from 140 EUR per night

Source: www.masserialecarrubeostuni.it

The Relais “La Sommità”, one of the few 5 star hotels in Puglia, is a historic 16th century residence, which represents a jewel in the crown of this old town of Ostuni, a renowned tourist resort in Puglia and noted as the “White city”. For a holiday steeped in luxury and exclusivity, making your holiday in Puglia an unforgettable one.

Within this luxury hotel, the Relais “La Sommità” in Puglia, our Guests rediscover the five senses: the furnishings, the fabrics and ornaments develop the emotion of touch, fragrances and music stimulate the sense of smell and hearing whilst lights and flavours rouse sight and taste, enabling guests to sustain their day-to-day rituals and everyday life in comfort and relaxation without giving up a decisive and total design…

ROOMS
15 rooms and suites all different but with the same welcoming and intimate atmosphere to make your stay truly exclusive. The barrel or star vaults and high ceilings, typical of Apulia’s historical buildings, provide a sense of suspension and intimacy. Here you can enjoy the wellness and feeling of freedom that this region provides.

Our refined rooms stand out for the muted colours that hint at the town’s architecture, the prestigious materials used, such as wood and Apulia stone, and essential furniture. Some of the rooms have large windows, others have skylights.

Some of them overlook unique views, such as the plain of olive trees (Piana degli Ulivi) or Ostuni’s sea. This is the right place for a relaxing and peaceful holiday.

Every room is provided with every amenity: flat screen TV, air conditioning, complimentary toiletries, hair drier, and a minibar. During the booking stage, you can indicate your favourite room, which we will be happy to assign you, if available.

SUITES
The elegant and exclusive open spaces are distributed over two levels and are provided with all the amenities to make you feel at home. If you are looking for a spacious and comfortable hotel room, La Sommità’s suites are perfect for you.

Elegant open spaces distributed over two levels with a living room and a large stone bathroom with a bathtub or shower on the ground floor and a cosy bedroom with a king-size bed on the first floor.

Those who care about privacy will appreciate the independent entrance of some of the suites. Small design details embellish the atmosphere of the living room, which features a wooden sideboard, a table with chairs, and a comfortable double sofa bed.

Some of the suites (which measure up to 70 sq.m) can sleep up to 4 people and are provided with a safe, air conditioning, hair drier, bathrobe, toiletries, slippers, and Bulgari amenities. During the booking stage, you can indicate your favourite suite. La Sommità Relais will be happy to assign you that room, if available.

THE MASTER SUITE
A luxury suite with amazing vaulted ceilings. It features a room with stone walls, a king-size bed, and a bathroom with a circular tuff Jacuzzi in the centre. The external patio features a panoramic window. The bathrobe, slippers, and Bulgari amenities provided enhance the sophisticated and elegant yet modern and casual style of La Sommità.

CIELO RESTAURANT
The 5-star Relais La Sommità will make your stay an enchanted one with stylish menus featuring seasonal offerings in our elegant Cielo restaurant. The past symbolises tradition, the future innovation: this is the philosophy embraced by our Chef whose cuisine evokes distant memories, while at the same time guiding palates into unexplored terrain.

His stylishly combined dishes promise a journey through the senses of the past and present, with projection into the future where the comforting flavours of the earth will reign strong.

An expert selection of local and Italian wines accompany our dishes and during the summer season, dinner is served in the ancient Spanish garden where orange and olive trees provide a charming backdrop.

A staircase dug out of the rock leads us to three ancient cisterns, used in the past to collect oil, and now dedicated to wine tasting: our unique Winery.

The restaurant at Relais La Sommità, located in the highest part of Ostuni, offers a charming view of the alleyways and whitewashed walls of the town which form the backdrop to clear and limpid skies.

The restaurant’s magical atmosphere is synonymous with elegance and sobriety and the background music can become a pleasant moment of personal silence. While seated on the Belvedere, enjoying the sunset and sipping a glass of ice-cold, fine-quality white wine, Relais La Sommità would like to propose its Appetizers: “CaleidoTapas”.

The old-world lounges and loggias of the building housing the 5-star Relais La Sommità in Ostuni are used as reading and breakfast areas. The relaxing atmosphere is improved on during the afternoon where tea, herbal tea, hot chocolate and freshly-baked cakes and biscuits are served.

Relais La Sommità’s restaurant also organises Tasting and Apulian Cookery Courses, Theme Dinners, Wine and Oil Tasting, Sunday and Corporate lunches, as well as the Lunch and Cocktail bar service with finger food for your social events and Pre-Dinner or After-Dinner drinks.

WELLNESS
Modern living with its intensive pace asks a lot of our physical and mental equilibrium; the Spa at Relais La Sommità is the place for allowing ourselves some well-deserved pleasure and relaxation.

The Spa at Relais La Sommità offers its guests personalised treatment programmes aimed at relaxation and physical and psycho-physical reinvigoration during a wellness weekend or holiday.

After careful assessment, our staff will be able to recommend the most suitable treatments. Our treatments benefit from the positive energy contained in the products’ ingredients and natural essences that, combined with our therapists’ manual skills, provide a highly regenerating and revitalising effect.

All the wellness treatments offered at the Spa at Relais La Sommità avail themselves of SPA Gerard’s methods and products. Massages, Turkish baths and various body treatments at our exclusive Spa-Wellness Centre in Puglia help to achieve perfect psycho-physical wellbeing.

Inside our Wellness Centre at the luxury Relais La Sommità in Ostuni, lights and sounds arouse sensations that project us into a dimension where water is the key theme for relaxation. All the treatments offered at the stylish Spa at Relais La Sommità in Puglia avail themselves of of highly qualified operators.

WEDDINGS & EVENTS
La Sommità Relais, with its large halls, terraces and gardens, is the perfect venue for your private and corporate events. La Sommità Relais provides an exclusive and unforgettable setting for your events and ceremonies.

From the ancient halls to the Camino Room, from the panoramic terraces to the Spanish garden, every corner of the Relais is perfect for a private or corporate event or even for a stylish wedding.

The halls can house up to 70 people, whereas, the outdoor areas, including the terraces and garden, up to 100 people. We will provide you with a beamer, TV, and all the technical equipment to support any type of event.

Our versatile spaces and services make La Sommità the ideal venue for special occasions and events. Celebrate your graduation in our large terraces or your child’s christening in the Spanish Garden or Camino Room. Your birthday parties or any other event will be just as unforgettable.

Rooms: 15

Price: from 258 EUR per night

Source: www.lasommita.it

Located between the countryside and the sea, the Masseria Borgo San Marco in Fasano is an enchanting fortified village, situated amidst 160 acres of ancient olive trees.

Here you can relax if you’re looking for an estate in Puglia near the sea or if you’d like to breath the authenticity of a region rich in culture, tradition and good food, in a relaxing setting, where red of the terrain gives way to the green of the olive trees.

This is good too: join us in this authentic Puglian estate, called a “masseria” in Italian. Near the sea, amidst this masterpiece of red land and green olive trees, come and experience the great culture and rich culinary traditions of the region or simply sit back and relax.

Borgo San Marco is situated in between Fasano and Ostuni, 4 km from the Adriatic Sea, right around the corner from the Valle d’Itria, the quintessential Salento. Thirteen thousand olive trees line the white fortified walls of the Masseria in Fasano framing the gorgeous swimming pool, while stately carob trees one finds interspersed like ancient sculptures of nature.

Puglia is a journey, an experience that awakens wonder because few others are the land where beauty moves in procession with religious feasts of saints and madonnas.

In Puglia, masserias are like maidens in white dresses, singing songs of love for the Sun. The historical centers in Fasano and surrounding areas are like sugar nuggets filled with the sweetness of Barocco.

Come to a place where colors are like ingredients to create with, like a good bread where the sunshine is the leavening that makes everything build, grow and glow. Come to a place where monumental olive trees endured centuries as inspiration to kings and popes.

Come to a place where the sky is defied by the bold Romanesque-Puglian cathedrals, instead where deep in the limestone the darkness calls out thousands of brilliant, ancient frescoes of the extraordinary Medieval stone.

Puglia carries the magic of the stone, the wind, the sea, and the salt in the air. These are the invisible roads to seek out, to smell, because following these paths the magic, the surprise, the awe, will take form, becoming substance for the eyes and poetry to the rest of the senses.

Situated between Fasano and Ostuni, in a forest of ancient olive trees which in and of themselves already make the trip worthwhile, Borgo San Marco is a masseria in Puglia near the sea, authentic, fascinating and rich in culture, at the end of a dusty road that slithers like a snake on the ‘chianca’ stones and red earth, like the countless sunrises that so quickly light up the Adriatic.

A MILLENARY HISTORIC HOUSE
Borgo San Marco is situated south of Bari, towards Brindisi. It is enclosed by an enormous set of olive trees, which themselves are worth visiting. Borgo San Marco is a charming, authentic and culturally rich Masseria that faces the Adriatic Sea, which can be reached by following a snake shaped red gravel path.

All around the masseria is a stone wall, that casts our thoughts to one of Tommaso Fiore’s most famous texts: “.. How did these people dig and align all this stone. I believe that this must have frightened a population of giants. This is the stoniest Murgia; to remodel it to make balconies (…) it wouldn’t need anything less than the labour of a population of ants…”

White, bold, ancient, very ancient walls, that encounters history from the XII century when the architecture was born around a settlement of the Byzantine monks, a location for defence for Malta’s Knights in the fifteenth century, and a “masseria” from the eighteenth century as it is today.

Once you arrive, take a moment and stop in the courtyard and observe everything around you. You’ll see how the pastel colours of the Borgo, always bright and full of life, will narrate the love that the historical Amati family has been developing for this place since the XVIII century, from generation to generation.

OUTSIDE SPACES
Ancient, very ancient bold white walls which challenge the compass rose of the 12th century when the architecture was born around a settlement of Byzantine monks which became, in the 18th century, the Knights of San Giovanni’s defense base and later, in 700 A.D., the farmhouse estate with swimming pool as it is today.

INTERIOR
Mr. Alessandro Amati, together with his wife Mrs. Virginia, decided to restore the Masseria 15 years ago, preserving the atmosphere and the appeal of the past, creating an elegant, sustainably-minded and traditional country house, where you can find the beauty of the colours and the lights of the surrounding countryside.

Eighteen suites simply but stylishly furnished, respecting Apulian traditions. Each suite with its own view, its own light and, each one, with a different game of “chiaroscuro” which livens up the fantasy of a very rural take where, undisputed protagonist are centenary, even thousand-years old olive trees and ancient carob trees.

It is among those “patriarchs” that Mr. Alessandro will guide you into his estate, just like a modern Omero he will tell you moving stories about 13000 trees.

And, just like in the Odyssey, your journey in Borgo San Marco will take you to different places: a pool, an elegant Mediterranean garden, a citrus grove among ancient pillars, a little church with frescoes dating back to the XVIII century, a terrace where you could sip local, fresh and home-made drinks, a coffee-reading room in the ancient oil-mill with the stone oil press and a traditional restaurant with excellent, refined yet rustic food.

Last but not least, the little movie room reveals Mr. Amati’s strong passion for acting. Actors and directors meet the guests of the Borgo to tell them about tourists and travellers going through magical Apulia to live enchanting stories about timeless olive trees and dancing between Valle d’ Itria and the Mediterranean sea.

THE PAINTED WONDERS OF BORGO SAN MARCO
New discovers emerged in the cave church of the masseria. In the cave church at the rear of Borgo San Marco (owned by Dr. Alessandro Amati and recently restored by Mrs Nori Meo Evoli) important and beautiful frescos, never seen before, were discovered.

The images of the Saints and medieval writings have been hidden for years, perhaps centuries, underneath a whitewash and plaster blanket. The information that our recent discovery has uncovered are extremely interesting.

A painted epigraph, recently discovered by academics, has reappeared to the side of Christ Pantocrator thrilled in the apse of the crypt, who blesses by raising an arm, in the middle of the Saints Medici Cosma and Damiano (after whom, the little carved temple was named after). On the right of Jesus on the throne, the text states: “MEME TO D(OMI)NE / FAMULA TUA/ DESPINA” (i.e. “Remember, Almighty God, your truly devoted Despina”).

Therefore, the person who dedicated and purchased the complex was a woman named Despina, who was wealthy enought to commission an extraordinary set of painted frescos (XII- XII cent.).

A “female purchaser” was unusual at the time and therefore points out the high economic power which belongs to this woman: something very unusual due to the role of the male as the primary authority figure, that was central to that kind of social organization (late middle Ages).

On the southern wall of the cave church of San Marco, other images were discovered (even if the lower part has been lost): there is a bearded saint Bishop with a crosier and a prelate headcloth and a female figure (perhaps coming from the East) with a gold diadem on her head and wrapped in a drapery.

You can clearly see the letters “NO” and “PE”: it is therefore supposed that they might be Saint Norbert (a saint coming from middle-northern Europe) and Saint Pelagia (coming from the middle east).

If this is the case, once again the nearby territory preserved traces of an Eastern and Western Christianity mixed together, as the Christian faith was united into the same Creed, in the same holy temple. There is still more…

In the same cave church, another text has been found: it’s a Greek name, Στέφανος, (STEFANOS) which clearly hints at Saint Stephen ‘s cult.

The rest of the fresco (placed to Saint Norbert’s left) has now re-emerged: the protomartyr of Christianity is kneeling while he’s stoned to death by a number of people, who are depicted while throwing stones at him.
Due to the conditions of the fresco, the condition is not great, but Saint Stephen’s figure is almost clear. Finally, this last Saint is strictly linked to the other two figures of Saints (the Saints Doctors, Cosmo and Damian) because he had a reputation as a healer of the sick too and is mentioned in many intercessory prayers in Byzantium.

SUPERIOR SUITES
Extremely comfortable and spacious suites, measuring up to 70 square meters, located inside of the walls of the masseria that, combine elegance and tradition ; located in the main tower, and ground floor.

Each suite has a jacuzzi or private terrace /garden overlooking the countryside of Fasano, with a view of the sea of Savelletri visible as far as the town of Ostuni, 24 km from Borgo san Marco.

JUNIOR SUITE DEPENDANCE
Comfortable renovated suites, not far from the main farmhouse (200 mt) equipped with every possible amenity (patio, private terrace, outdoor shower, refrigerator, tea or coffee machine), immersed in the relaxing green of the plains of centuries old olive trees, the ideal refuge for those seeking peace and quiet.

DOUBLE ROOM
Our double rooms, equipped with every possible amenity and embellished with stone arches, are elegantly furnished and renovated retaining the authenticity of the existing architecture. Come and discover one of the most beautiful farmhouses in Apulia, book a room for your stay with a view over the countryside of Fasano and the sea of Savelletri.

DINING
Our restaurant offers a journey through taste inviting you to discover traditional Apulian dishes. “Déspina”was the name of a wealthy heiress who lived in Fasano and its surrounding area in the 12th and 13 th century. She commissioned the rarely seen frescoes in our cave sites.

“Déspina” has become an icon of history, tradition and emancipation for us, elements that we like to enliven in our dishes, a sort of heritage to be handed down from one generation to the next.

Our Apulian specialities, from breakfast to dinner recall ancient traditions combined with the warmth and skill of our creative kitchen staff. During your stay at Borgo San Marco you will be able to taste typical recipes from the Apulian culinary tradition of meat and fish dishes, seasoned with our precious extra virgin olive oil.

Many of the typical Apulian products we use are of our very own or locally produced, always of high quality. You can choose between lunch outdoors, served under a large pergola, or in the comfortable indoor dining room, with our Snack Menù formula.

At dinner, Apulian specialities by our chef Giordano are served in the restaurant (150 sq m), in the dining room or in our magical 500 sq m outdoor courtyard. At Borgo San Marco, it is always possible to have dinner with guests in an intimate, magical and private atmosphere.

THE BREAKFAST
“The best breakfast is a beautiful smile in the morning” for breakfast, our buffet offers a selection of handmade Apulian fine foods including biscuits, cakes and homemade tarts as well as hot and cold drinks. Healthy breakfast goers will find fresh seasonal fruit, homemade jams, eggs, cheeses, cold meats and typical local products.

WEDDINGS IN SALENTO
When elegance and simplicity meet the uniqueness of the centuries old olive trees and the beauty of the Apulian stone of Masseria Relais Borgo San Marco, it is easy to imagine your self sitting at a table, in candlelight, under the stars or intoxicated by the warm rays of the sun, immersed in the magic of an incomparable, idyllic scene. Come and experience your own Apulian grandeur book your exclusive event.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL 
The cultivation of olive trees and the production of extra virgin olive oil goes back 5 centuries and is linked to the birth of the Amati family .

At the end of the 1980s, during the renovation of the ancient Abbey of S. Angelo de Graecis (near the borgo), a small olive oil museum was built in the 15 th century oil mill, recounting the story of olive oil by means of machinery dating from the 1500’s to the early 1900’s.

Borgo San Marco’s extra virgin olive oil is obtained from the cold pressing of olives from our estate. The olives are harvested by hand, while the milling is carried out within 48 hours of their harvest.

Our production follow strict specification to classify the product as a high grade, fine extra virgin olive oil. It is the result of a blend of cultivars: frantoiane, picholine and coratine. The result is fruity, has an aftertaste of bitter and sweet almonds and is suitable for all uses in the kitchen.

THE SWIMMING POOL 
For your holiday, choose our “agriturismo” (farmhouse) in Fasano with swimming pool and imagine that you are stopping time : a small natural paradise affording you peace and privacy. No chaos, no deadlines to meet, no stress. Just the warm sun, by the pool, with a cold drink and the smell of rosemary wafting through the air.

A backdrop of dry stone walls, accented with colors of the Mediterranean seaweed, forms the backdrop of our large in ground pool. The sand colored coating replicates the crystal clear sea, creating a natural scenic effect with rounded shapes and progressive depth.

The result is a pool with a sea view perfectly in tune with the surrounding landscape. A glimpse of blue in the green of centuries old olive trees that melts into nature, drawing a corner of beauty, wellbeing and comfort.

Choose pure relaxation in Masseria a Fasano: you can dedicate yourself to reading by choosing one of the many books available in our library, rediscover physical and mental well being thanks to the properties of water, and abandon yourself to the warmth of the sun under the hospitality of our staff.

THE SPA
Borgo Aquae is our wellness centre equipped with a massages-room, an indoor pool with jacuzzi and lounge area in the middle of our ancient lemon grove. Perfectly integrated in the rustic setting, the effect is that of being in harmony with the water, the sounds and the music coming from Nature.

Our masseuse proposes specific treatments, such as the Lymphatic Drainage Massage, Reflexogenic Massage, Energetic Massage, Firming Massage and Decontracturing Massage.

SPORT
The beauty of the Apulian terrain cannot be forgotten if you experience it at 360 degrees also through sport on the Masseria and in the surrounding area .

If you love active holidays, you can use our beach tennis and beach volleyball court, go running, work out in our outdoor gym, go horseback riding or use our mountain bikes on routes designed on the estate among the carob and thousand year old olive trees, getting lost on the country lanes leading down to the sea.

The beauty of our estate during your stay at borgo San Marco is the ideal setting to combine an unforgettable holiday with the practice of golf. You can take lessons, use the driving range or try your hand at a championship course at nearby courses just 7 km away.

Do you like kitesurfing, surfing, sup, windsurfing or diving? Northbound on the coast, 9 km away between Pilone and Torre Canne, you will find the beach of lido Bizzarro, popular site for kitesurfers and windsurfers for many years, and along the final stretch of the free beach north of lido Morelli, you can enjoy yourself in safety and tranquility.

Just 28 minutes away by car, you will find sports equipment area by the sea, close to the Torre Guaceto Nature Reserve, a succession of sandy dunes, both free and with equipped bathing establishments, cliffs at the water’s edge and sea beds rich in marine flora and fauna.

With the exception of a few areas that are not suitable for bathing, in order to preserve the marine reserve, the area that includes the beach of Punta Penna Grossa, and the area near the beach of Apani, are perfect for scuba diving and water sport such as catamaran sailing or windsurfing.

SEA & BEACHES
Amidst artistic treasure protected nature reserves, cliffs and golden sand dunes, Borgo San Marco is close to some of the most beautiful beaches in Puglia, offering you the ultimate in seaside relaxation. From Borgo San Marco you can see the sea stretching out over a large quarry planted with olive trees, feeling a rush of scents as you breathe in the brisk air.

The sea at Savelletri is less than 6 km away: you will find well equipped beaches offering comfort and excellence the option of hiring dinghies or booking scuba diving with a local diving center.

13 km south, between Fasano and Ostuni, you can easily reach the dune costiere regional park from Torre Canne to Torre san Leonardo, a coastal area of great natural and scenic interest. Here you will find a pet beach equipped to accommodate dogs, with all the essential creature comforts, comfortable cots, water bowls and tasty treats.

Nearby is also Monopoli with its many beaches and coves, including Porto Ghiacciolo (16 km) that will take your breath away with its crystal clear sea and striking cliffs.

On the stretch of coast south of Monopoli , “Il Capitolo” is synonymous with long, sandy beaches. There are discos and beach clubs overlooking the sea and countless bathing establishments open day and night.

29 km north is Polignano a Mare, a well know fishing village with the most photographed beach in Puglia (Cala Porto Beach), where white pebbles blend with the sea’s thousand green hues. It is worth going 37 km south to discover the natural paradise of Apulia’s Adriatic coast, the Torre Guaceto oasis.

A protected nature reserve, with equipped bathing establishment, characterized by a low sandy coastline, surrounded by dunes and rocks, Torre Guaceto was the first Italian beach to receive the prestigious Blue Park Award.

CYCLING
The experience of cycling tourism in Apulia allows you to slowly discover a wonderful and unexpected region. As you pedal from Bari to Brindisi, you will encounter the unique panorama of the Itria Valley.

The expanses of millenary olive trees mark this part of Apulia, the oil mills along the rural roads, the castle, the vineyards, the museum, the archeological site of Egnazia, and the colors and scents create a magical labyrinth of possibilities.

A countryside inhabited all year round, dotted with characteristic trullo buildings, with dry stone walls that divide the land between olive groves and vineyards and, without the addition of mortar or cement, allow water to penetrate. The art of dry stone walls is now recognized at a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

You will pass through villages such as Alberobello, with its characteristic trulli, Locorotondo with its cummerse (ancient residential settlements with a rectangular floor plan and sloping roof made of chianchette), and Cisternino, where it is worth stopping for food and wine.

The invitation is to get lost in the street of an Apulia that changes face with every season, all the way down to Salento. One of the most beautiful panoramas in Italy is offered by the coastal road along the Adriatic coast, because it crosses such different habitats: about eighty kilometers from the Oasi Protetta delle Cesine to Santa Maria di Leuca.

Overhanging cliffs, centuries old olive groves dotted with pajare, ancient stone shelters ; Aleppo pine forests and sand dunes covered with Mediterranean seaweed.

During the spring, Puglia is a triumph of scents and colors with asphodels, wild orchids and poppies almost flush with the cliffs. Sixteenth century watch towers are dotted all along the way, until you reach Otranto, the easternmost town in Italy.

DISCOVER PUGLIA
Puglia is a wonderful region, its extraordinary landscapes are full of discoveries and fascinating places, a hospitable land rich in history, culture and traditions, like a painter’s palette full of the most beautiful colors. A trip to Apulia is a multi-sensory experience where colors and scents create a magical maze of possibilities.

Go on a journey to discover the mythical “Land of Frederick’s Castles”, the Archeological Museum, Cathedrals and Basilicas, and the Gravine and majestic buildings which are full of symbolic suggestions.

These beautiful lands of oil and wine where you can visit wine cellars and stop in local trattorias to taste traditional food and wine dishes will be highlights among the many pleasant memories of your stay.

The enchanting Itria Valley with its Trulli, caves and crystal clear sea are yet another beautiful memory in the making. What to do near Masseria Borgo San Marco in Fasano? The sea is just a few kilometers from the Masseria, so it can be easily reached in a few minutes.

Not to be missed are ancient villages including nearby Alberobello, with over 1400 trulli; the Safari Zoo, (8.6 km) a biopark with various attractions, ideal for families; the museum and archeological park of the Egnazia excavatioins (10.3 km away); and the splendid Castellana caves.

Another 26 km away you can visit famous Ostuni, the White City, with its marvelous medieval village, full of narrow streets and whitewashed houses.

Monopoli (20 km) allows its tourists to visit undiscovered wonders such as the Castle of Charles V, the Basilica of Maria Santissima della Madia, the Church of San Francesco da Paola, the Itria Valley Ecomuseum and the Lama degli Ulivi Botanical Garden.

Rooms: 16

Price: from 171 EUR per night

Source: www.borgosanmarco.it

Don Ferrante is a boutique hotel ideally located in Monopoli old town. Once an ancient fortress on the reef, now, an enchanting atmosphere welcomes the guests waking them up with the morning sea-breeze and looking after their comfort all day long.

The stunning natural view of the Mediterranean Sea makes our Dimora and Suites, elegantly furnished and fully equipped, unique and exclusive. Located in the heart of Monopoli’s historical center just above the sea, the charming and ancient complex is set in a carefully restored building.

It boasts magnificent views of both the Adriatic sea on one side, and whitewashed houses on the other, surrounded by ancient churches, magnificent palaces, and narrow alleys that make up the historical town.

At sunset, you will be captured by the soft lights of the 14 chimneys that light up the beautiful terrace; a romantic view of the sea from the terrace can be enjoyed during the day while lying in the sun by the outdoor dinky pool.

Don Ferrante, or Ferdinando Loffredo, was a Neapolitan nobleman who enjoyed many titles; First Marquis of Trevico, Lord of San Sossio and Zingoli, Governor General of Bari and Otranto, Lord of Lecce and Dean of the Sacro Regio Consiglio.

When Don Ferrante became the Viceroy of Bari and Otranto new defensive city walls had just been built in Monopoli as well as parts of the castle, today known as Charles V Castle. A little fortress was also built close on the southern side of the walls: this is the building where Don Ferrante lies today.

DIMORE & SUITE
Fully restored respecting the original design, each room boasts travertine vaults typical of the Mediterranean style. Our rooms welcome the guests in a setting of absolute comfort and elegance, furnished with special care and attention to details and completed by glazed white handmade ceramics.

From sunrise to sunset, a breathtaking sea-view will make special every moment spent in our exclusive and unique Suite Don Ferrante. Travertine vaults, exclusive elegant furniture, king-size bed, living room with sofa and electronic fireplace, long balcony facing the Mediterranean Sea.

DON FERRANTE SUITE
The Suite offers breathtaking views from its balcony just above the water. You will appreciate the well-appointed surroundings with décor based on natural colors that blend beautifully with the honey-colored stone vaulted ceiling.

Superb lighting along with a fireplace have been used to magnificent effect and create a cozy atmosphere. A wonderful bedroom with a king size bed a large bathroom and a living room with a sofa bed ensure extreme comfort.

SUITE WITH JACUZZI “IMMACOLATA” 
A unique and impressive Suite based on two floors. Totally carved into local limestone and equipped with the latest design. The Suite is a marvellous example of how ancient and authentic elements can be combined with new.

Staying in the Immacolata Suite with its stone Jacuzzi tub with chromo therapy and cascade function its refined decor and perfect lighting means living a truly authentic, evocative and romantic experience.

THE RESTAURANT
The “Locanda Don Ferrante” is Don Ferrante’s restaurant, located on top of our stunning sea view terrace and open from June to the end of August. It is the perfect venue to dine or have your light lunch alfresco. Using regional recipes, the restaurant will tantalise with typical Apulian flavours mixed with Mediterranean essences and a varied choice of wine.

FOOD & WINES
Locanda Don Ferrante will showcase the very best of the sea with a menu that uses the freshest of ingredients and is a true reflection of culture and tradition. Using regional recipes, the restaurant will tantalize with typical Apulian flavors mixed with Mediterranean essences and a varied choice of local and international wine and drinks.

An engaging atmosphere, the mastery of our renowned chef using just the freshest ingredients and a special setting are the perfect combination to enjoy a memorable dining experience or your personal special occasion. Allow yourself to unwind with either a drink or a meal from our renowned restaurant and bar located between the sea and sky.

EVENTS
Whether you are visiting for business or pleasure, you will find that the attentive service the extensive menu and the exquisite surroundings along with a relaxed atmosphere will make Locanda Don Ferrante Restaurant, the perfect venue for a light lunch or dinner in style.

WEDDINGS
Let Don Ferrante be your private home on the Adriatic sea in which to host your very special event. The beauty of the surroundings, the discreet and attentive service along with the mouthwatering dishes on the menu will provide a sumptuous setting for your big day.

The Suite, the rooms, the terraces and the bar, are all available and are going to be the perfect backdrop of your very special day.

SPA & WELLNESS

• Stress releasing massage 45 min: A massage with essential oils that will re-establish psycho physical balance and harmony within the body thus reducing stress levels and helping to restore vitality and energy.
• Tension relieving reflexology massage 45 min: Every emotion that the body physically holds will leave a mark on our bodies under the form of tensions, muscular pain or stiffness. This is a relaxing massage with essential oils that will relax the muscles and release tensions trying to free the pattern where the unconscious feeling is being held while promoting free flow of energy.
• Food reflexology massage 15 min: Reflexology involves applying pressure to certain points on the foot that are corresponding to organs and systems in the body. Feet are the mirror of our general well being and this massage with essential oils will stimulate bodily functions in a natural way.
• Lymphatic draining massage 45 min: The gentle, slow and regular pressures are intended to encourage the natural drainage of the lymph, which will carry waste products away from the tissues.
• Connectivity Massage 45 min: A massage that focuses on realigning deeper layers of muscles and connective tissue. Especially helpful for chronic aches and pains and contracted areas such as stiff neck and upper back, low back pain, leg muscle tightness, and sore shoulders. The same strokes are used as classic massage therapy but the movement is slower and the pressure is deeper and concentrated on areas of tension and pain.
• Sports Massage 45 min: A massage that will stretch relax and re-activate tired or sore muscles after your sports section.

SERVICES
Our friendly and helpful staff will be pleased to offer assistance in any possible way to make sure that your stay will be an enjoyable and memorable one.

They are at your complete disposal for information or recommendations; also, they are ready to use their knowledge and passion to arrange daily trips through the picturesque old town of Monopoli or create tailor made itineraries to nearby cultural hot spots.

Guests who prefer a more relaxing approach can sun bathe on the hotel’s terrace, which offers sun loungers, or rejuvenate with either a soothing massage or cool down in the outdoor dinky pool. Enjoy your morning meal in a XVI century gunpowder store with a stone barrel vaulted ceiling.

Breakfast at Don Ferrante will help you start your day content and satisfied. From freshly baked pastries to our local cold cuts and cheese our buffet will offer you an array of tantalising delights for you to start your day.

LOCATION
Monopoli is ideally located halfway between Bari and Brindisi Aiports. From the northern Gargano Peninsula , passing by the olive trees and wine orchards, reaching the end of Italy’s land, Santa Maria di Leuca, Apulia offers a variety of emotionally impressing touristic experiences.

Alberobello, Locortondo and Itria Valley, the Fortified Castles along the Adriatic coast, Lecce Baroque Style and the Salento among Ionian and Adriatic Sea , are just some of the touristic Itineraries we can suggest.

MONOPOLI
The name of the city derives from the greek “monos polis” which means unique and singular. Definition that is quite valid even nowadays as Monopoli is truly unique and fascinating. Man’s first appearance is to be dated back to 20.000 years at least as testified by some archeological finds.

From the seventh century first with the Lombards and then with the Byzantines Monopoli becomes a flourishing commercial port located on the Trajan way connecting Benevento to Brindisi and soon it becomes a precious and desirable city to be conquered.

It hides above cliff walls in its dense labyrinth of houses, churches, monasteries and crypts spread around the port and the beautiful baroque cathedral, guarded by the stunning seafront Castle of Charles V.

The city nowadays rises to 9 meters above the sea level, located on the Adriatic coast, 45 km south of Bari and covers an area of 156 km with approximately 50.000 inhabitants.

The coastline is approximately 14 km long, short and jagged with over 25 stunning coves and sandy public beaches.  It’s neighboring cities are: Polignano a Mare , Conversano, Castellana Grotte, Alberobello and Fasano.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Situated in the heart of the Mediterranean. Apulia has been a bridge to the Orient since the dawn of time. Given this very central position, it was a crossroad among different cultures and civilizations, becoming a crucial spot for the Italians as well as the whole Mediterranean history.

Ideally located between Bari and Brindisi airports, both about 60 km away, Don Ferrante constitutes the perfect base to discover this rich and interesting Region.

Rooms: 10

Price: from 167 EUR per night

Source: www.donferrante.it

Masseria Cervarolo is a farm with trulli (typical Apulian rural houses) built in the XVI century. It stands on a 250 meters hillock that dominates a large and fertile plain, just 6 km away from the town of Ostuni. Throughout the centuries, several parts of the Masseria have changed their look and purpose in order to favour the different cultivations and activities that took place in the farm.

The toponym “Cervarolo” derives from the presence of deer in the area, once characterised by dense forests. A small church, dedicated to Our Lady Of Sorrow Virgin Mary (1798) is annexed to the Masseria. It is characterised by a wonderful polychromatic baroque altar and several frescos.

As the presence of numerous written prayers testifies, this church was a very important place of adoration. All the legends related to Masseria Cervarolo made this place a destination for those pilgrims who were looking for serenity and interior peace.

It is also said that, in the area of the Masseria, spring comes some weeks in advance and the farmers living in the surrounding area adapt their agricultural activity to this phenomenon. The restoration works, which lasted for 5 years, were carried out with the aim to respect and preserve the original building. We created an amazing and elegant countryside house where our family looks forward to hosting you.

THE RESTAURANT
The restaurant of the Masseria is located within a large Lamia, a typical Apulian construction. As in a theatre, you can observe our chef cooking our specialities through a vast glass wall. During Spring and Summer, dinner is served in an ancient orangery situated in one of the gardens. The restaurant is for the use of hotel guests only.

DINNER
Our restaurant offers numerous Apulian dishes which are sometimes revisited by our Chef, without ever ignoring the guidelines of the Mediterranean cuisine. Furthermore, you can taste our typical Km 0 products and combine your meal with the best wines of Puglia.

BREAKFAST
Breakfast is served in the restaurant. The buffet is enriched by our very own production of cakes and jams and by a great variety of fresh juices, seasonal fruits, salami and typical cheeses.

THE BAR
By the swimming pool, on the warm days and evenings of summer, the Boukolikos bar offers the ideal atmosphere for the degustation of fresh smoothies, healthy drinks, homemade “rosoli-liquors”, craft beers, Apulian wines and fresh organic beverages. In spring, there is a honesty bar available for you in the living room.

WINE TASTING
In recent years, our region stood out for its high quality wines; thanks to our vast wine list ,which includes more than a hundred different types of wine, you will be able to discover and taste some of these marvellous varieties.

OLIVE OIL TASTING
One of the symbols of Puglia is the Olive tree. Just a few kilometers away from our Masseria, there exists a rural park of 2000 years old monumental olive trees which has been recognized as one of the oldest in the world.

The park is located in the area of Masseria Brancati where you can visit an underground olive oil mill dating back to the Greek and Roman times. Here you will be able to taste and appreciate a great variety of organic olive oils.

LIVING ROOM
This splendid room with a XVII fireplace was used as a smokehouse for cheese and meat. Nowadays, this room has been converted into a relax/library hall where you can read books about Puglia or you can do bookcrossing and share your favorite readings with other costumers.

GARDENS
Masseria Cervarolo is located in a ten hectares estate, in the heart of the Apulian countryside. The gardens are characterised by the presence of native plants. While walking along the paths you will be enthralled by the typical fragrances of the Mediterranean landscape.

THE SWIMMING POOL
The swimming pool and the hydro-massage, located in a natural sinkhole, are surrounded by rocks and terraced gardens.

COOKING CLASSES
During the cooking classes, Francesca e Wally will take you on a culinary journey that will allow you to discover the recipes of our tradition.

WELLNESS
During certain times of the year, in a cozy “Lamia”, you will have the opportunity to choose between different types of massages making your stay even more relaxing.

TOURS
We will help you to discover Puglia, a millenary land of history, art, folklore, traditions and uncontaminated nature.

NATURAL PARK OF DUNE COSTIERE
This natural park of Dune Costiere is 15 minutes far by car from Masseria Cervarolo, it stretches over a flat and sandy coastal area characterised by wetlands located behind a dune belt. Dunes form a continuous string that is interrupted only by access ways to the sea.

Some stretches are home to the typical juniper vegetation. The dunes that are less affected by human activities have the typical sclerophyllous evergreen vegetation with a predominance of broad-leaved Phillyrea and Pistacia lentiscus. The wetlands behind the dunes consist of small brackish lagoons with halophyte vegetation.

The innermost areas, in the locality known as ‘Difesa di Malta’, are characterised by a low garrigue vegetation (to be precise the species Thymus capitatus) and large zones with very xerophilous and thermophilous sub-steppe vegetation. Volunteer orchidaceous plants thrive in this area and wastelands with Asphodelus ramosus are found due to overgrazing.

Overall, this reserve has a high natural value, as shown by the number and quality of its habitats (4 priority habitats and 4 habitats of Community interest) and its species (5 priority species of Reptiles and as many as 24 species of birds of Community interest), which are included in the lists of the Red Book of the Animals of Italy.

Consequently, this area is not only a breeding site, but also and especially a staging post for rare and endangered species of the avifauna, thus playing an important role in the conservation of migratory birds crossing the Adriatic Sea.

The reserve aims, among other things, to ease the high human pressure exerted on this ecosystem. For example, the numerous paths between dunes are enlarged to enable bathers to reach the sea and more and more sand dune surfaces are used as car parks in summer.

THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF EGNATIA
The archaeological site of Egnatia, placed 25 minutes away, in an amazing natural environment, is one of the most interesting sites of Puglia thanks to its history of 30 centuries. The city, cited by authors such as Pliny, Strabo and Horace ,had a great importance in the ancient world for its geographical position, thanks to the presence of the port and the Via Traiana, in fact, it was an active center of trade and commerce.

The history of the ancient Gnathia had different stages over the centuries. The first settlement, made up of a village of huts , was built in the fifteenth century. a. C. (Bronze Age ) . In the eleventh century. a.C. ( Iron Age ) an invasion of Iapigi,a population set in the Balkans , took place.

While during the eighth century. a. C. begins the messapica phase for Egnatia, as for all the Salento ,that will end with the Roman occupation in the third century . a. C. The city will join the first republic and then it will become part of Roman Empire with which it will decline.

Of the messapica phase of Egnatia remained the mighty defensive walls ( 7 m high . , 2 km long delimit an urban area of about 40 hectares ) and the necropolis, where in addition to graves and half-chamber , there are monumental tombs room decorated with fine frescoes.

Of the city, only partially excavated , preserved vestiges dating back to the Roman period . Considerable remains of the Via Traiana, the Civil Basilica with the class of the Three Graces, the Shrine of the Eastern gods , the amphitheater, the hole.

Excellently preserved cryptoporticus. There are also two early Christian basilicas , originally with floor to mosaico. The Archaeological Museum , recently renovated is of great interest.

OSTUNI
Being just 7 kilometres far from the Masseria , this town is undoubtedly a place to visit. Ostuni was built on the top of a hill by the Messapi around the VII BC although there are traces of hum an settlements which can place the origins of the city in the Palaeolithic period.

It can be confirmed by the discovery of a skeleton belonging to woman later named as “Delia, the Woman of Ostuni”. The skeleton that was found in the cave of Agnano was of a woman who was pregnant at the time of death, her body was later dated to be about 25,000 years old.

During the Middle Ages the white lime was a way to prevent the spread of the plague, this is how Ostuni gained its nick name “The White City”. Famous for its very narrow streets, the town has beautiful shapes and offers breathtaking views from the ancient walls which still surround the historical centre.

The Cathedral is situated on a hilltop surrounded and protected by the houses of the old quarter, it can be reached by walking along the only road that connects the Cathedral to Piazza Libertà , a narrow and winding road but very characteristic and full of little shops and boutiques.

CISTERNINO
Just 5 minutes driving away from Masseria Cervarolo, this town is part of the very prestigious club of the most beautiful boroughs in Italy. Because of its magical atmosphere, many tourists choose to visit this very ancient borough and dine in the typical narrow streets where many local butchers are situated and people can taste the exquisite “bombette”.

In just a 15 minutes walking it is simple to have a look of the beautiful churches like the church of S. Nicola or the several and beautiful buildings like “Porta Grande” and “Torre del Municipio”. Most of all do not miss the stunning panorama of the Itrian Valley from the Belvedere Balcony perhaps taking a bite of the delicious desserts that the Vignola Bar offers.

Rooms: 18

Price: from 172 EUR per night

Source: www.masseriacervarolo.com

Located in the historical centre of Polignano a Mare, the Grotta Palazzese Hotel, situated on a scenic cliff overlooking the sea, rests on the famous Grotta Palazzese, a cave that hosts the homonymous restaurant considered among the 10 most exclusive outdoor restaurants in the world.

Renovated with elegant refinement, it has 15 rooms hanging over the sea in a complete harmony with the most advanced technological systems.

SUITE 251
From its magnificent private terrace this Exclusive Suite of Grotta Palazzese Hotel, with its elegant refinement, will offer a unique and breath-taking view where the blue of the sea and of the sky blend to enchant, delight and amaze its privileged guests.

The suite includes, among its most valuable and luxury details, fine linen, bio fireplace, 77- inch Smart Sony TV Bravia and the most advanced home automation system.

The very luxury private bathroom, entirely with precious marble covered walls, offers a Turkish bath with sea view through a glass wall, taps with lapis lazuli and a Hermes courtesy kit. The furnishings of cabinetmaking and upholstery of the suite were cared exclusively for the Grotta Palazzese Hotel by the best craftsmen.

THE BEACH
A private beach, made of very fine sand and located in a wonderful cove in Polignano, is at the hotel Grotta Palazzese guests’ disposal. Behind the beach the nature shows a luxuriant pinewood and a spontaneous vegetation, set among rocks which embrace the cove and among the natural caves which characterise this wonderful Apulian site.

A place where to live unforgettable moments in a complete relaxation, surrounded by nature, on a beach awarded with the Blue Flag to certify the high quality of the sea-water, the environment and the tourist facilities.

The crystal clear sea, the pristine nature, the comfort of the sunbeds and of the private changing room allow to live the sea in complete relaxation, regenerating body and mind. The beach is located nearby Grotta Palazzese hotel and can be reached by a shuttle service.

THE RESTAURANT
The Grotta Palazzese restaurant is internationally renowned, as evidenced by the many reviews on the most important magazines and blogs around the world. Famous, to regard, it is the watercolor of Jean Louis Desprez of 1783.

It has an outdoor lounge, set in a unique place in the world. In fact, the terrace that welcomes guests has been created within a natural cave, the “Grotta Palazzese” (or “di Palazzo”, as it was once called), from which it takes its name, a place known and used for parties and banquets since 1700.

THE TERRACE
The terrace can accommodate up to 150 people, in a place that, although outdoors, is sheltered from the vault of the cave. On one side it overlooks the sea, with a splendid view of the coastal landscape and the marine horizon; on the other, towards the larger cave, the cave itself being composed of two caves of different sizes.

The entire terrace also includes an area with more reserved seats. The Grotta Palazzese Restaurant, famous all over the world, has been reviewed in many magazines and blogs by journalists and travelers who love good food, Puglia and exclusive places.

Thanks to the particularity of the place and to the refinement of the kitchen, the Grotta Palazzese restaurant is mentioned as one of the most beautiful places in the world, an unmissable stop for anyone who wants to experience unique and unforgettable emotions.

Rooms: 21

Price: from 921 EUR per night

Source: www.grottapalazzese.it

Masseria Cimino is a fortified farmhouse with tower dating back to the 18th century. The Masseria was built just meters from the sea, adjacent to the archeological site where the ruins of the Ancient Roman city of Egnatia, founded in the 6th century B.C., were discovered.

Masseria Cimino tells the Puglian stories through experiences based on the authenticity and the beauty of the local culture, wonderful tailor-made journeys to make guests live the region in a different way, through the eyes of local people. In collaboration with Indigenus.

THE HISTORY
In the 1700’s, blocks of stone originating from the perimeter wall of Egnatia were used in the construction of the farmhouse, on the walls of which markings dating back to the Ancient Roman period can still be clearly seen.

Masseria Cimino, surrounded by expanses of vegetable gardens and century old olive groves, stood at the center of an important agricultural estate, specialized in the cultivation and the preserving of fruit and vegetables.

Selection, pressing, packing, and storage were all carried out in the farm’s various outbuildings. Like great part of the Masseria in Puglia, part of the main farmhouse was used to lodge the workers and as occasional residence of the landowner.

In 2001, on the land surrounding the Masseria, the San Domenico Golf Club was built, with spectacular 18 hole professional golf course overlooking the sea. In 2005, Masseria Cimino was completely restored. Great care was taken to preserve the original architectural features, building materials, and colors of the old farmhouse.

THE ROOMS
The Masseria has 14 rooms, some of which are located in the ancient tower and others in the old farmhouse adjacent to the archaeological site, which has just recently been unearthed and which form part of the slave’ dwellings in the ancient city of Egnatia. The walls of this ancient city form part of the boundaries of this property.

STANDARD ROOM
The rooms have been furnished in a fresh Mediterranean style and are equipped with flat screen Tv, minibar, safe and all have individually controlled air conditioning and marble bathrooms. Some of the rooms have a beautiful fireplace and others have balconies with a little terrace overlooking the golf course and with a view of the nearby Adriatic sea.

SUITE MARE
Suite Mare is located on the ground floor and it is made of a double room and a living room. Both rooms have air conditioning, flat screen TV, mini bar, bathroom with shower. One has a little balcony overlooking the sea, the other has a little balcony looking the inner patio of the Masseria. The furniture is simple and the style is Mediterranean.

MASSARO SUITE
This lovely suite features a double bedroom, 2 toilets with shower, a charming sitting room with a fireplace and a private patio overlooking our San Domenico Golf Course. The suite is equipped with every modern convenience like air-conditioning, flat screen TV and mini bar.

SUITE DELLA TORRE
Suite della Torre is located on the first floor and it is made of a double room, a living room with fireplace, a bathroom with shower and a big private terrace with a scenic view of the sea. The suite is furnished in a fresh Mediterranean style and equipped with every modern convenience like air-conditioning, flat screen TV and mini bar.

PUGLIA
Discovering Puglia is the beginning of a true experience of love. During the relatively mild fall and winter seasons, a vast choice of produce from the ground, beautiful colours, unique village festivals and ancient traditions is guaranteed, while spring and summer literally make Puglia bloom and burst with events, beach parties and shows.

Moreover, regardless of the season, it’s possible to enjoy the natural landscapes and human settlements: always breath taking to watch.

EXPERIENCES
An array of experiences you can enjoy as if you were native, or in fact “indigenous”. We made customs, places and activities from everyday Puglian life uncommonable and unrepeatable.

Each experience is a journey and an emotion. The people, the architecture and the landscapes of this special region tell tales of its beauty. Bathed by two seas and facing the East, Puglia is a meeting place of people and cultures.

Our aim is to capture the most authentic aspects of this area in order to let our guests experience the most immersive aspects of this land through tailor made itineraries and activities, meeting all their needs. Accompanying them with our knowledge of this territory in a genuine and authentic manner.

SAN DOMENICO GOLF
Located not far from the rocky coastline of Savelletri, the Clubhouse of San Domenico Golf overlooks a landscape full of hidden wonders. The course is perfectly integrated in the natural Puglian context: enriched with olive trees of rare beauty and dotted with the colors and scents of the typical Mediterranean Maquis such as thyme, rosemary and sage.

Rooms: 14

Prices: from 210 EUR

Source: www.masseriacimino.it

In the historic center of Otranto, Hotel Palazzo Papaleo is the charming hotel that you’ve dreamed of for your vacation in Salento, a historic residence near the sea, carefully renovated with splendid rooms with every comfort.

With an intimate and welcoming wellness center, Hotel Palazzo Papaleo 5 stars in Otranto is in a perfect position between the ancient basilica and the sea, right in the historic center, and has a teamthat will make your stay in Puglia charming, romantic and unforgettable.

PAPALEO SUITE
Ancient bedroom of the Papaleo noble family with frescoed ceilings and antique pieces, balcony with lateral sea view, bathroom with shower and double sink, fresh Italian Prosecco on arrival, soft bathrobes and slippers. Room 35 sqm – Bathroom 6 sqm

CLASSIC ROOM
Equipped with every comfort, individually controlled air conditioning, direct dial telephone, satellite LCD TV, pay per view SKY TV, free high speed internet connection, mini-bar, safe-deposit box, hairdryer. Room 14 sqm – Bathroom 5 sqm

BASIC ROOM
The room is equipped with every comfort, individually controlled air conditioning, direct dial telephone, LCD satellite TV, pay per view SKY TV, free ADSL internet connection, minibar, safe , hair dryer. It differs from the Classic Room because of the long and narrow windows, placed at ceiling height. Room 14 sq.m – 4 square meters bathroom.

PAPALEO RESTAURANT
Dine in a romantic and charming atmosphere, perhaps on a lovely terrace with views of the ancient SS Basilica. Located on the Bay of Otranto, è this is what you can expect from the restaurant, the exclusive restaurant managed by the talented chef Michele.

For guests at Hotel Palazzo Papaleo, the restaurant has an intimate and discrete ambiance where you can taste the flavors of Salentine cuisine through a culinary journey of fragrances and top quality local ingredients , carefully selected Pugliese wines and Mediterranean culture.

WELLNESS
At the wellness center at Hotel Palazzo Papaleo in Otranto, an intimate and exclusive ambiance awaits, set to the rhythm of the Mediterranean with gentle lights that will awaken your senses and rejuvenate your spirit. Take some time for yourself and put yourself in the hands of our expert, professional staff.

In the hot tub on the terrace, among the perfumes of essential oils at the Turkish bath or during a revitalizing massage, discover a new world, alone or as a couple, full of those little pleasures and joys that drive away stress and give you a sense of wellbeing.

Herbal and fruit teas, tonifying showers and a complete line of special treatments round out the wellbeing center’s services, exclusively for guests at our hotel, fully reserved for them during their treatments, guaranteeing complete privacy.

Rooms: 9

Price: from 145 EUR per night

Source: www.hotelpalazzopapaleo.com