Italy | Puglia Lecce & Puglia Puglia, on Italy’s heel, has ‘Le Murge’ and in the south the Gargano Promontory coastlines along the Adriatic dry Salentine peninsula. Barletta Trani Molfetta PUGLIA and Ionian Seas. The landscape Steeped in myths and legends, Puglia’s Bari Polignano a Mare Andria Egnazia history dates back to the civilisation of the Alberobello Fasano varies dramatically from scenic Brindisi Magna Grecia. The region has many splendid Locorotondo Ostuni Cerrate Taranto Lecce mountains, oak and beech BASILICATA Martano cathedrals and ancient sites including the Porto Cesareo Otranto Castel del Monte in Andria – the most Giurdignano forests and unspoilt beaches Gallipoli extraordinary of all Puglia’s castles; The Greek in the north to the fertile and Roman ruins of Egnasia; The Norman Tavoliere plain. The centre gives Cathedral in Trani and the Baroque buildings and Roman amphitheatre of Lecce, dubbed way to an undulating plateau ‘Florence of the South’. 1 2 3 4 Molfetta Alberobello Castel del Monte Otranto Molfetta, Trani This UNESCO World Heritage site is Located in Andria, this 13th Visit the 11th century Cathedral and Barletta home to a dense concentration of century citadel and castle was with its mosaic floor of the ‘tree of Molfetta, the first of a trio of port trulli cottages with cone-shaped roofs constructed for Emperor Frederick life’, intertwining Norman, Greek and towns north of Bari, has a walled (dating from 15th-18th centuries) and II although no-one actually lived Byzantine ideas of fate. The Chapel medieval centre; Trani is dominated one of the best preserved urban areas in it. This fascinating hexagonal- of the Dead displays skulls and by a grand Romanesque cathedral; of its type in Europe. shaped castle is protected as a bones of local martyrs. and Barletta has a third-century UNESCO World Heritage site. bronze colossus. 34 | Sunvil 020 8758 4722 www.sunvil.co.uk Main image: Ostuni Italy | Puglia Pugliese Cuisine Puglia has an excellent cuisine and is an important producer of olive oil, olives and almonds. Bread comes in hundreds of varieties including taralli - a kind of Italian pretzel, softened with olive oil and sprinkled with chopped tomatoes. Marè Resort, Trani This charming hotel is set in the historic Accommodation: 13 rooms including centre of Trani just opposite the port classic rooms and junior suites. with its colourful fishing boats and • Airports: 42km Bari / 180km Brindisi seaside promenade. The Marè Resort, • 4-star hotel housed within the Palazzo Telesio - a • Bed & Breakfast grand 18th century building, has a • Coastal town location rooftop terrace with panoramic views • Complimentary WiFi where guests can dine on the local • Restaurant cuisine at the Terrazza restaurant. The hotel also has a fascinating collection of Guide price from £979 per person* coaches belonging to the Telesio family since 1956. Guests can walk or cycle to the nearby beaches. Borgo San Marco, Fasano Borgo San Marco, a fortified masseria Accommodation: 19 air-conditioned set within 450 acres of cultivated land rooms including standard rooms, and olive groves, is the family home of a junior suite and suites. Alessandro Amati, a major producer • Airports: 60km Bari / 50km Brindisi of extra virgin olive oil. The owner has • Agriturismo retained many of the features of the • Bed & Breakfast original buildings, including vaulted • Complimentary WiFi ceilings, arches and the original, local • Restaurant stone ‘Pietra di Lecce’ flooring. This • Rural location charming property offers intimate • Swimming pool guestrooms, simply furnished and • Spa decorated with antique pieces, in quiet and refined surroundings. The sandy Guide price from £1,057 per person* beaches are within a 2km drive. Covo dei Saraceni Hotel, Polignano a Mare The Covo dei Saraceni occupies Accommodation: 32 air-conditioned a dramatic, cliff-top location on a rooms, in the main hotel, including promontory above a sandy cove across classic rooms, superior rooms and suites. which on another rocky promontory is • Airports: 55km Bari / 79km Brindisi the whitewashed town of Polignano a • 4-star hotel Mare. The historical centre of Polignano • Bed & Breakfast Suite spans the period from the Middle Ages • Complimentary WiFi to the Baroque. Views from terraces and • Restaurant the restaurant are spectacular. This is a • Sea front location very friendly hotel in an ideal location from which to visit the baroque town of Guide price from £905 per person* Lecce, the trulli of Alberobello and Matera and the Castellana caves. * Guide prices based on 2-sharing a leading room type (7 nights), flights from London Gatwick to Bari (other airports on request) and car hire. Note: We cannot guarantee that any of our featured properties are suitable for all levels of disability so please ask if you have specific issues. Please visit our website for further information on these and other featured properties. 020 8758 4722 www.sunvil.co.uk Italy | 35 Italy | Puglia Ostuni Ostuni is a melee of white-washed buildings perched strategically on top of a hillside with panoramic views of endless olive trees in the Valle d’Itria countryside. Ostuni Palace Hotel, Ostuni The Ostuni Palace, a recently Accommodation: 34 air-conditioned, renovated building, is set in a quiet traditionally furnished, elegant rooms location but only a 10 minute walk including standard rooms, romantic from the historic centre of the town. rooms and junior suites. This is a very friendly, comfortable and • Airport: 44km Brindisi / 100km Bari traditional hotel and a perfect base • 4-star hotel from which to view the many palaces, • Bed & Breakfast and churches within the town and to • Complimentary WiFi relax in the cafes and eat in the many • City location restaurants. At 207 metres above sea • Restaurant (Bistro) level and 8km from the coast, Ostuni • Spa commands a dominant position over the surrounding countryside and sea. Guide price from £1,046 per person* Deluxe Room Naturalis Bio Resort & Spa, Martano Naturalis Bio Resort & Spa is situated Accommodation: 8 air-conditioned in the Salento peninsula between rooms including deluxe rooms, junior Lecce (25-minutes drive) and Otranto suites and a junior suite superior. (20-minutes). This fabulous organic • Airports: 75km Brindisi / 195km Bari farmstead has an old Masseria that has • Agriturismo been beautifully restored to provide • Bed & Breakfast a high standard of accommodation. • Complimentary WiFi The rooms are large and impeccably • Restaurant decorated with a distinct country • Rural location feel. It is surrounded by several citrus • Swimming pool orchards (oranges, clementines and • Spa lemons), olive groves, herb gardens, wheat fields and a small vineyard Guide price from £1,063 per person* where they produce their own Negroamaro wine. Tenuta Monacelli & Masseria Giampaolo, Cerrate Set within 835 acres of ancient, for relaxing, hiking, walking and timeless olive groves, bordering the horseback riding along Natural Park of Bosco e Paludi di sandy beaches. Rauccio and 2.5km from the white Accommodation: 24 air-conditioned sand beaches of Casalabate and rooms including standard rooms, Torre Rinalda (8km), are the twin, superior rooms, junior suites and suites. 15th century, fortified farmhouses of Monacelli and Giampaolo. Separated • Airports: 29km Brindisi / 145km Bari by a three minute walk and set in • Agriturismo pretty gardens, the farmhouses • Bed & Breakfast feature high vaulted ceilings, ancient • Complimentary WiFi artefacts, comfortable rooms and an • Rural location excellent restaurant. Personally and • Swimming pool passionately run by its owners, this Guide price from £1,142 per person* is a wonderful setting and perfect Junior Suite * Guide prices based on 2-sharing a leading room type (7 nights), flights from London Gatwick to Brindisi (other airports on request) and car hire. Note: We cannot guarantee that any of our featured properties are suitable for all levels of disability so please ask if you have specific issues. Please visit our website for further information on these and other featured properties. 1036 | Sunvil 020 8758 4722 www.sunvil.co.uk Italy | Puglia Glorious Beaches Some of the finest stretches of beach curl around the southernmost tip of Puglia between the charming towns of Otranto and Gallipoli. Il Palmento Hotel, Locorotondo Located in the heart of Valle d’Itria, Accommodation: 26 rooms including Il Palmento is surrounded by a a standard room (in the Masseria), trullo picturesque, rural landscape brimming classico suites and trullo storico suites. with colourful wild flowers, weathered • Airport: 75km Brindisi / 80km Bari olive trees and rolling hills covered • 5-star superior hotel with impressive vineyards. The • Bed & Breakfast property is made up of traditional • Complimentary WiFi trulli houses with thick, white stone • Restaurant walls and characterful conical roofs. • Rural location Each unit is tastefully furnished with • Swimming pool modern facilities and offers a high • Spa standard of accommodation. Guests can explore the area with its many Guide price from £1,156 per person* interesting historic towns or sunbathe on golden sandy beaches. Trullo Classico Patria Palace Hotel, Lecce The Patria Palace is a prestigious Accommodation: 67 air-conditioned hotel housed in a fabulous 17th rooms including standard rooms, century palazzo in the heart of deluxe rooms, a superior room and Lecce. This historical building, junior suites. overlooking the fabulously ornate • Airports: 45km Brindisi / 163km