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This is the first of a series of articles on some of the best places to visit in Italy during summer – watch out for Almanak organised Tours to these locations for summer 2024.
Hidden away 12 minutes from the historic Italian city of Lecce (often referred to as the Florence of the South) you find an oasis. Trapanà is a hotel that exceeds all my expectations (and that comes after a life of visiting some magnificent hotels large and small all over the world).
Lecce is 570 kms from Rome and that will take you about 6 hours to drive if you are game on the roads, alternatively you can fly to Brindisi Aiport and either rent a car or get a taxi. Our recommendation would be to rent a car as there are many more options available in the area if you have your own transport.
Puglia is in the South of Italy, if you think of Italy being shaped a bit like a boot then Puglia is the heal. For many years it has been a location missed by travellers as they rush to visit Tuscany, Milan and Venice but there is so much to see and do in the region and as you are about to learn there is an exceptional place to stay, that you will not want to leave.
The villa built in the late 16 century it has a small chapel and the original buildings housed animals and workers. When Australian Rob Potter Sanders took on the restoration if was a mess, by his own admission the challenge was a bit crazy, especially as at that time he spoke limited Italian and had no knowledge of how to go about restoring a historic villa in rural Italy. However in spite of many challenges thrown up along the way and with his careful eye for detail, he constructed what is today a majestic small luxury hotel, full of delightful and special details that charm you from the moment you arrive.
Passing the walled garden and its ancient weathered doors open into the large courtyard, you immediately feel you have arrived somewhere special. The chapel has fresco’s that originate back to the 16th century when the building was first constructed, you might notice there is a large eucalyptus tree as you enter (which was on site when Rob was originally looking at the site and something he considered to be a good omen for taking on the challenge of restoring Masseria Trapaná way beyond its former glory.
There are 10 suites to choose from and while none of them are modest (they are all exceptional), some are more opulent than the others, the Trapanà South Suite (for instance) with its outside bath and huge terrace its stunning. With a large living room and huge king bedroom there is masses of space to lose yourself. We stayed in the Santa Barbara Suite on the ground floor with a beautifully furnished living room with a large fireplace (not required on our stay as the temperature stayed in the mid 30’s). The rooms all feature the natural sandstone walls, which keep the rooms lovely and cool, without needing the air conditioning (which is excellent) to be switched on.
Thoughtful touches include quality waffle robes, flip flops for the pool and Aesop body products, as Lucia takes us on a tour we visit the hat room, where guests are encouraged to borrow a hat that suits them for their stay and through to the six different gardens full of fruit trees. Meals are served outside under the shade of large lemon and lime trees which were covered in fruit, further down past the fire pit are the lazy hammocks which sit under a shady sicilian pine tree.
Continuing on there is a Bocce court and a croquet lawn set up for an impromptu game (mallets are in the hat room), beyond the croquet court is the pool which is ideal as there is both sun and shade beds on each side. The shady side beneath delicious yellow plums (we ate quite a few) and the sunny side close to the ancient stone wall. There is a drink and snack service at the pool for the perfect cocktail, we fell in love with the house made limoncello spritz (they also do a mandarin one too), which is perfect on a hot afternoon by the pool.
The gardens continue around and there are more hammocks and plenty of quiet places for a moment of solitude if that is what you are looking for, though with only 10 rooms, there are normally only 18 to 20 guests at any point in time so it is easy to feel you have the whole place to yourself.
Down in what was once the olive oil press is now home to the spa which has facilities for massage as well as a huge magnesium spa pool.
Breakfast is served each morning, a generous spread of cereals, breads and pastries, with eggs available to order and for the Australians there is also Vegemite! Dinner is served each night and the food is traditional Puglian cuisine, its excellent with the menu changing daily.
SIGHTS & TOURING
Having a car means you can easily explore the area around Masseria Trapanà, the first stop for most will be Lecce a city often referred to as the Florence of the South, with its beautiful piazza’s, narrow streets and stunning architecture you immediately feel the appeal. There are also numerous fine restaurants and wine bars and some great shopping with products created by local designers.
Beyond Lecce the towns of Ortuna and Gallipolli each on the coast are both worth visiting, smaller with less of commercial tourist vibe, you feel that this is where the locals come to go to the beach and have a drink. Gallipoli has a the main fish market and there is a sandy beach near the marina that fills up on hot days. An umbrella and recliner chair will only cost about 12 euro for the day to hire but you will have to find your own place and erect it yourself.
There are also numerous wineries in the region and visits can be arranged, you will find a range of grapes some you might not be familiar with, white grape varieties grown in Puglia including Chardonnay, Fiano, Greco, Impigno, Trebbiano, Verdeca. And red varieties including Negroamaro, Malvasia, Primitivo as well as Merlot, Sangiovese (and many others). You will find an excellent selection of reasonably priced local wines at Trapanà to get you started on the local varieties.
BEACHES
There are numerous beach clubs up and down each side of the coast (yes you can swim in the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas) and the staff at Trapanà will help you pick the best place depending on the weather and other factors. The crystal clear topaz blue of the water and beaches some that are stones, others with sand. While there are public beach areas, there are lots of ‘beach clubs’ where you rent an umbrella and lounge chairs for the day, with waiters to bring you drinks and snacks and a restaurant to eat lunch (life is hard huh?). Prices to these beach clubs do vary, Togo Bay for instance charged 75 euro for an umbrella and two chairs for the day, where as at Crystal Beach it was only 30 euro but each beach is different and has its own charms. Again you do need a car to get to these places but they are all about 40 minutes from Trapanà – it feels like everything is a fairly easy 40 minute drive.
We spent a fantastic 5 nights and were very sorry to leave, making friends with fellow guests and learning of their travel stories was part of evening drinks and getting together on the Wednesday night to make pizza gave us an opportunity to swap stories and laugh (a lot). Rooms at Trapanà start at 495 euro per night so start saving now!
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