MASSERIA PROSPERI

Staying at Masseria Prosperi is like staying at the house of your chic best friend… If your best friend has an impeccable sense of style, horses grazing next to the pool, and a husband who knows how to cook the best fish in Puglia. 

This luxury boutique hotel and farm, located north of Otranto between the Alimini lakes and the iconic stacks of Sant’Andrea, is the perfect year-round destination for anyone who wants to live by the rhythms of the land. In 2013, husband and wife team Mercedes and Antonio, who share a mutual love of hosting and of horses, opened the eight-room Masseria Prosperi’s doors. The rural chic farmhouse shines with classic Puglian white walls and thoughtfully-picked furniture; most of the beautiful items, from chicken-printed cushions to handmade wicker chairs, were found by Mercedes and Antonio on their travels around Europe, in flea markets, and from antique dealers around Italy. All year round, you can meet their bees, help harvest in the garden, pick wild herbs on countryside walks and learn to weave wicker, shape terracotta pottery, and cook traditional Puglian dishes–or just lounge by one of their two pools, as one is want to do on a Puglian vacation!

Masseria Prosperi is a member of the Italy Segreta Selection, and you can book a stay here!

MASSERIA MONTELAURO

Simple, elegant, and deeply Puglian. This 19th-century farmhouse turned 29-room villa near Otranto (and sister hotel to the aforementioned Masseria Prosperi) leans into its regional identity with local colors, ancient stone walls, copious citrus and olive trees, and a pergola-covered restaurant that serves traditional dishes from both land and sea, cooked by chef Marco. The central courtyard, a typical feature of the region’s architecture, is now a tranquil garden with a well-sized swimming pool.

The rooms’ materials and design pieces are all linked to Puglian land and tradition: the artisans and masters who participated in the farmhouse restoration project are locals who are deeply connected to the area, and Masseria Montelauro wears with pride the “La Fabbrica del Paesaggio” award, which celebrates projects that are respectful of Puglian landscape, aesthetic, history, and environment.

Masseria Montelauro is a member of the Italy Segreta Selection, and you can book a stay here!

MASSERIA SCHIUMA

Masseria Schiuma is a home in every sense of the word; the owners of this six-bedroom restored farmhouse, Danish couple Pernille and Lars, now live here for most of the year, opening their home to a few guests in the summer season (for a minimum stay of one week) when they travel back to Copenhagen. (In the spring and fall, Pernille also organizes yoga retreats.) Their motivation: sharing this slice of Puglia, in the countryside between Monopoli and Sevelletri, in a way that goes beyond the basic form of hospitality, instead educating and giving back to the region they now call home. Here, find a chandelier made of vintage gasoline pumps constructed by a local artist hanging in the dining room, fire up the wood-burning oven for a pizza night, stay in the glamping tent for expansive views of the starry skies, and, last but certainly not least, dive into the saltwater, Olympic-sized swimming pool and rinse off in the olive tree turned outdoor shower.

PALAZZO PENELOPE

This four-bedroom townhouse, perched atop a 20-meter-high limestone cliff overlooking the crystalline sea of Polignano a Mare, is worth it for the insane 360-degree terrace views alone. Here, the panorama includes the sea which disappears into the horizon and offers impossibly framed sunsets, waves crashing on the coast of Polignano, white houses hanging on for their dear lives, and one of Puglia’s most famous restaurants, Grotta Palazzese; a grotto turned restaurant which you no longer dream of eating at when sitting on your very own, and very private, terrace at the edge of the world. But we also love it for its personality, which stands out for being colorfully local in a part of Puglia that often falls prey to soulless in-and-out rentals.

CASA OLIVETTA

The lovechild of Collette Dinnigan and Bradley Cocks, an interior designer and entrepreneur respectively, this 500-year-old farmhouse surrounded by olive trees was lovingly nursed back from ruin by the couple. The dry stone walls, old finishes, and stone wall terracing the property are all quintessential Puglia, and Collette’s keen eye for antiques and artisan-crafted items make this one of the most aesthetic properties in Puglia; it really does embody the simple, rustic elegance that marks Italy’s heel. 

In the heart of the Itria Valley, Casa Olivetta is made up of one main building with three bedrooms, a guest villa, and two gazebos. There’s nothing more idyllic than floating in their pool, the bushes surrounding it in bloom, while the toasty scent of burning wood floats by from the outdoor pizza oven.

MASSERIA LAMACOPPA

Surrounded by woodland for as far as the eye can see, Masseria Lamacoppa is built on a 73-hectare estate, 5 km south of the beautiful white city of Ostuni and a short 15-minute drive from the jagged coves and sandy capes of the Adriatic Sea. An interior designer and her husband purchased the 17th-century fortified farmhouse in the early 90s as a holiday home for themselves and their two sons, who dreamed of a treehouse to house their collection of turtles and goldfish. 

Upon discovering the abandoned six-bedroom estate with overgrown woodland, ancient cork trees, and a dilapidated church and farmhouse, the family was enchanted by the potential to transform the land into a haven of outdoor living. Their careful renovation led to what you’ll find today: grass green shutters and doors that are tone-on-tone with the lawn out front; interiors full of antiques, rare books, and eclectic pieces from global travels; endless stretches of flower and vegetable gardens, from which in-house chef Latifa sources the produce you’ll eat throughout your stay. There are also a few roaming donkeys, and a pool with a connecting jacuzzi, so lavish and large it’s been dubbed the “Lamacoppa Lake”. 

PICCOLO MONDO

Perched on the edge of Puglia, Hotel Piccolo Mondo is a family-run, unpretentious stay. From the long pool to the simple white bedrooms, the hotel embodies the essence of understated luxury. While the service may not match that of a five-star hotel, its cliffside location, picturesque sea views, and vintage tiles certainly do. This intimate retreat captures the spirit of the region and is the kind of authentic haven we seek not only in Puglia, but throughout Italy.

MASSERIA TORRE COCCARO

If you’re traveling with kids, visiting in the off-season, or seeking a stay with a bit more on-site options, we have the place for you. This old masseria has been run by the same family, who have lived on the property, for generations, and the spot has long been a pilgrimage point for fishermen from the nearby coastal village of Savelletri. The historical property features a small courtyard chapel dating back to 1730 along with more modern amenities like a beach club, restaurants, a spa, secluded suites with their own pool, a private boat, and even a local-favorite shop, TULSI. Though the property is open year-round, a special time to come is spring when vegetables from the garden are ripest and the bougainvillea turns the masseria the brightest pink.