Puglia pulls off a brilliant dual act, balancing a sunny Tyrrhenian coastline with a tranquil countryside full of ancient olive groves. Shaped by its history as an agricultural powerhouse with a heavily fortified shore, the region has plenty of historic palaces and old farmsteads that have been masterfully transformed into boutique hotels. Most distinctive to the region are the masserias—white-walled, fortified farm complexes, dating from the 16th to 19th centuries, that once produced olive oil and wine and have since been revived as luxury stays. From one such masseria with free-roaming horses to a Polignano a Mare townhouse with 360-degree views, these are our 12 favorite stays across Puglia.

Masseria Prosperi

Location: Otranto

Price starts at: €220 x night in low season, €300 x night in high season

Staying at Masseria Prosperi feels like visiting your chicest friend’s country estate—if that friend had an impeccable eye for design, horses grazing by the pool, and a husband who cooks the best seafood in Puglia. Located north of Otranto near the Alimini lakes, this eight-room luxury boutique hotel and farm was opened in 2013 by owners Mercedes and Antonio to celebrate their love for horses and hospitality. The rural-chic interiors feature classic whitewashed walls layered with handmade wicker chairs, whimsical textiles, and antiques sourced from flea markets across Europe. Year-round, you can meet their bees, harvest the garden, pick wild herbs on countryside walks, and learn to weave wicker, shape terracotta pottery, and cook traditional Puglian dishes—or simply choose to lounge by one of the two pools with a glass of local wine. →

Borgo Gallana

Location: Oria

Price starts at: €328 x night

Deep in the Salento countryside, Borgo Gallana is both a passion project and a return home for owner Giuseppe De Vanna, who transformed two rural ruins into three minimalist guesthouses. Designed in collaboration with renowned architect Andrew Trotter, the casali utilize local tuff sandstone and vaulted ceilings to create airy interiors. Each house functions as a private oasis—complete with its own kitchen, outdoor BBQ, and garden shower—while a shared pool and courtyard of ancient olive trees sit in the center. The property is about 30 minutes from both the Ionian and Adriatic coasts, and here, days start with coffee under silvery trees and end with aperitivo to a backdrop of cicadas. →

Masseria Montelauro

Location: Otranto

Price starts at: €190 x night in low season, €245 x night in high season

Simple, elegant, and deeply Puglian, this 19th-century farmhouse turned 29-room villa near Otranto is the sister property to Masseria Prosperi. The estate leans into its regional identity, centered around a traditional courtyard that has been transformed into a tranquil garden and swimming pool. Restored by local master artisans using materials tied to the land, the property proudly holds the “La Fabbrica del Paesaggio” award for historical and environmental preservation. Inside, ancient stone walls open up to citrus orchards and olive groves, while the shaded, pergola-covered restaurant serves traditional land-and-sea dishes prepared by the on-site chef. →

Masseria Schiuma

Location: Monopoli

Price starts at: Full masseria rental starts at €25,000 x week

Masseria Schiuma is a home in every sense of the word. Danish owners Pernille and Lars live in this restored six-bedroom farmhouse for most of the year, opening its doors to guests exclusively during the summer for weekly rentals, and hosting curated yoga retreats in the shoulder seasons. Located in the countryside between Monopoli and Savelletri, the property balances design with eco-consciousness, and inside, the spaces are peppered with local art, including a dining room chandelier crafted from vintage gasoline pumps. Outside, a wood-burning pizza oven and a stargazing glamping tent share the grounds with a legendary Olympic-sized saltwater swimming pool and an outdoor shower carved directly into an olive tree.

Palazzo Penelope

Location: Polignano a Mare

Price starts at: Full palazzo rental is around €7,000 x week, depending on season

High atop a 20-meter-high limestone cliff, this four-bedroom townhouse offers a front-row seat to the dramatic coastline of Polignano a Mare. The property stands out for its vibrant, colorful personality, offering a rare alternative to the town’s standard holiday rentals. Its crown jewel is a private, 360-degree rooftop terrace, framing views of white houses on nearby cliffs, crashing waves, and sunsets over the Adriatic. From this perch, you can look directly down at the famous Grotta Palazzese sea cave and trade those crowds below for a peaceful, secluded aperitivo above the water.

Casa Olivetta

Location: Valle d’Itria

Price starts at: Full rental starts at €600 x night in low season, €2,000 x night in high season 

The lovechild of interior designer Collette Dinnigan and entrepreneur Bradley Cocks, this 500-year-old farmhouse was rescued from ruin and turned into a rustic estate that comprises a three-bedroom main house, a separate guest villa, and two shaded gazebos. The dry stone wall terracing and old finishes are all quintessential Puglia, while inside, Dinnigan has filled the rooms with antiques and artisan-crafted items. At mealtime, you can gather at a long wooden table under the kitchen’s vaulted ceiling, or sit outside while the scent of burning wood wafts from the property’s outdoor pizza oven. Their stone pool, surrounded by blooming Mediterranean flora, is particularly idyllic.

Masseria Lamacoppa

Location: Ostuni

Price starts at: Full masseria rental starts at €3,700 x night

Surrounded by woodland as far as the eye can see, Masseria Lamacoppa is built on a 73-hectare estate that’s five kilometers south of the beautiful city of Ostuni and a 15-minute drive from the Adriatic Sea. Leonardo Mondadori and his wife, an interior designer, 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—transforming the abandoned estate into a lavish family haven. The main house features six bedrooms with grass-green shutters that match the front lawn, while the interiors are filled with global antiques, rare books, and eclectic art. Outside, a dilapidated church anchors the historic grounds, which now include extensive flower and vegetable gardens used by the in-house chef, a few resident donkeys, and a pool with a connecting jacuzzi that’s so large it has been dubbed the “Lamacoppa Lake.”

Convento di Santa Maria di Costantinopoli

Location: Marittima di Diso

Price starts at: €350 x night

Located at the absolute tip of Italy’s heel, this extraordinary 15th-century Franciscan monastery is arguably the most eccentric and exclusive stay in Puglia. Reimagined by the late British billionaire Lord Alistair McAlpine and his wife, Athena, the eight-room retreat is like a highly curated, live-in museum. The towering stone cloisters and former monks’ cells are filled to the brim with McAlpine’s legendary, world-spanning collections—ranging from tribal African art and rare Australian Aboriginal paintings to vintage textiles and thousands of books. Outside, a swimming pool is tucked away within a lush botanical garden of rare cacti and citrus trees. With no formal reception or room keys, guests gather communally around a massive dining table for hyper-local Salentine meals.

Piccolo Mondo

Location: Castro Marina

Price starts at: €180 x night

Dramatically perched on a limestone cliff near the famous Grotta Zinzulusa, Hotel Piccolo Mondo is a family-run, unpretentious slice of old-school Salento. Originally built over 50 years ago by Don Antonio Ascalone, this 31-room hotel is now managed by the third generation of the family. While it skips the glossiness of five-star resorts, it offers something far more romantic: a striking open-air seawater swimming pool, a traditional dry-stone chapel on the grounds, and simple white bedrooms accented with vintage tiles. Guests can spend mornings over local pastries on the panoramic dining terrace before taking the private 193-step stone staircase down to the crystalline waters of the Adriatic.

Masseria Torre Coccaro

Location: Savelletri

Price starts at: €350 x night for a room, €1,155 x night for a villa

Long a pilgrimage point for fishermen from nearby Savelletri, this fortified 16th-century masseria has been run by the Muolo family for generations. The historical property has 44 elegant rooms and suites with a small courtyard chapel dating back to 1730, alongside a beach club, a subterranean cave spa, and the local-favorite boutique, TULSI. Ideal for families and off-season travelers seeking more on-site options, the resort features a private boat for coastal excursions and secluded suites with their own plunge pools. While open year-round, late spring and early summer are particularly magical, when the estate’s vegetable gardens are at their ripest and exploding bougainvillea turn the stone walls bright pink.

Palazzo Daniele

Location: Gagliano del Capo

Price starts at: €482 x night

Built in 1861—the year of Italy’s reunification—by the noble Daniele family, this aristocratic residence was eventually inherited by art collector Francesco Petrucci, who reimagined its soaring rooms into a striking design hotel. Here, Milanese designers Ludovica and Roberto Palomba stripped away centuries of clutter, leaving majestic, original frescoes and mosaic floors as a minimalist backdrop for a rotating collection of avant-garde art. The boutique property features nine stylized suites alongside quiet common spaces, including a fireplace room, a courtyard, a spa, and a chic black-bottomed pool. Guests can gather at the bar for a sunset aperitivo before heading to the open kitchen, where local cooks prepare traditional Salentino recipes.

Masseria Potenti

Location: Manduria

Price starts at: €250 x night

Sprawling across a 130-hectare estate of primitivo vineyards and olive groves, this 16th-century agricultural fortress once belonged to the powerful Imperiali family. Milanese transplant Maria Grazia Di Lauro and her family rescued the abandoned complex, transforming it into a 23-room bohemian agriturismo. The white-on-white rooms feature local Grottaglie ceramics, hand-woven linens collected over a lifetime, and bundles of dried herbs and red chilies hanging from the walls. A massive courtyard is central to the estate, where guests gather for shared, farm-to-table dinners sourced straight from the masseria’s organic gardens. Complete with a hidden 18th-century chapel, an indoor spa, and a pool framed by giant cacti, the masseria balances wild Mediterranean nature with the warm hospitality of an elegant country home.