Masseria Pezza

Essence of the 18th Century Preserved for Posterity

An 18th-century agricultural compound that is now a getaway for alfresco living, this elegant country home features a pool at its heart, and two renovated rural structures with arching entries and windows, vaulted ceilings, exposed stone, and soothing plasters in hues of sand.

A 20-acre agricultural estate of fruit and nut trees, vineyards, and arable land with an organic picking garden, this renovation has created a country home that’s more elegant escape than rural work horse. Peaceful and soothing, with a noble bearing, the home reveals barrel-vaulted rooms offset by private terraces, original stone walls, exposed wooden beams, and chianche stone and cementine floors. Former stables are now refined bedrooms with gently arching doorways, and a breezy farmhouse kitchen, with a generous central island, awaits home cooks. 

Private chef services and cooking classes are part of an experiences package on offer (for an extra charge). It also includes art excursions, cycling tours, wine tastings, spa & massage treatments, yoga instructor, and bicycle hire.

AROUND

Once an agricultural estate where wheat, tobacco and olives were cultivated, this rural outpost is a 10-minute drive from the town of Salice Salentino. The Ionian beaches of Punta Prosciutto and Porto Cesareo are both less than 30 kilometers from the home, and the inland area of Italy’s heel offers timeless Puglian vistas. The Salento region is known for its lyrical landscape that includes menhirs and karst caves as well as natural parks and woodlands. The home is a great base for exploring regional charms, from cave churches to villages with varied architectural legacies including the Romanesque, Baroque and Norman. The Adriatic coast, with its dramatic, cliff-backed beaches, is also easily accessible. Ionian Sea charmers nearby include the towns of Nardo and the historic island town of Gallipoli, accessible by a 16th-century bridge, and the Costa Otranto National Park. Of course, charming trulli homes are abundant in Puglia, poking their conical tops out from hillsides in the area and concentrated around Alberobero and the white village of Ostuni. The larger, art-filled town of Lecce, known as the Florence of the South, offers a cityscape of Baroque churches and monuments only a 20-minute drive away.

LOCATION

Salice Salentino, Lecce, Puglia, Italy. Nearest airport: Brindisi (30km)

BEST TIME TO VISIT: April to October