Trulli Cantalanotte

A Converted Cluster of Trulli in the Valle d’Itria, Outside Cisternino

There’s something about the shape of the trullo that lends itself to interior design, and this converted cluster of 17th-century coned farm dwellings, just outside Cisternino in Puglia, is a fine example. Curved walls and domed ceilings allow for soft lines, dramatic arches and delightful nooks.

The complex of trulli and lamia takes these ancient structures and turns them into contemporary spaces, with arched windows that answer the delicate brickwork of the domes above them, and nooks that hold shelves and trinkets, lighting and fireplaces, stairways and showers.

The main living and dining room opens through large windows onto the garden and the Valle d’Itria beyond, with a well-equipped kitchen, a long dining table, and a door out to the stone patio and its second table.

The suites take their names and their colors from spices, Pepe, Salvia, Tabasco and Papavero, warm notes set against the white local stone, with fireplaces in their own alcoves and showers tucked into the curve of the wall.

Outside, the gardens run away from the trulli in every direction, with an infinity pool that spills over a cascade, a panoramic solarium set among the olive trees, a stone patio, a Finnish sauna with a view of the valley, and a Weber barbecue and a wood-fired oven.

Layout

This vacation home for rent in Cisternino sleeps up to 11 guests. The four suites are set around the garden and pool, across the trulli cones and a lamia. Two of the doubles open onto private courtyards, one of them shaded by an olive tree, and one adds a single bed for a third guest. The family suite, Papavero, runs through five cones with a double and a bunk-bed sofa, a kitchenette, a living area and a fireplace. Every suite has its own bathroom, and two further bathrooms serve the living area and the spa.

• Bedroom 1: Double plus single, en suite, fireplace, private courtyard

• Bedroom 2: Double, en suite, private courtyard

• Bedroom 3: Double, en suite

• Bedroom 4: Double plus bunk-bed sofa, en suite, kitchenette, living area, fireplace (five-cone family suite)

• 1 bathroom (living area)

• 1 bathroom (spa)

Experiences

A private chef for dinners at the villa, in-villa massage, a chauffeur service, and bicycles for the lanes of the Valle d’Itria. A 24-hour concierge is available.

Good to know

A car is recommended as the trulli sit in open countryside outside Cisternino. Check-in is handled with the concierge, who registers every guest with the local police and asks for passport copies before arrival, as Italian law requires. Midweek maid service is included. Smoking is not permitted indoors, and the villa does not host events or photo and film shoots. Pets and children are welcome.

Amenities & services

Included: fully equipped kitchen, dishwasher, refrigerator, oven, wood-fired oven, coffee and tea maker, kitchen supplies, tableware, washer, dryer, iron and ironing board, linens, towels, beach and pool towels, hairdryers, Wi-Fi, smart TV with Netflix in each suite, air conditioning with self-controlled heating and cooling, fireplaces, infinity pool with cascade, panoramic solarium, sun loungers, Finnish sauna, wellness room, garden, alfresco dining area, equipped 50-square-meter patio, Weber barbecue, bicycles, private parking, electric car charger, baby cot, high chair, Essentia Puglia bathroom amenities, midweek maid service, 24-hour concierge.

Available on request: private chef, in-villa massage, chauffeur service.

Around

Famed for its villages such as Cisternino, Ostuni, Locorotondo and Alberobello, the Valle d’Itria occupies southern Italy’s Puglia region at the top of the country’s boot heel, close to both the Adriatic and Mediterranean seas.

The region’s sought-after, whitewashed trulli, once agricultural storerooms, pop out of the landscape in every direction, and stone villages rise from the rugged, tree-dotted hills. Besides their beauty, trulli stand as remarkable examples of dry-stone, or mortarless, construction. The nearby town of Alberobello claims some 1,500 of them grouped together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Beyond the trulli themselves, Puglia has olive-grove-covered hills and valleys, vineyards scattered across the rolling landscape, and even fertile plains where the ancient Greeks once farmed. Markets, vineyards, oil tastings and rural trattoria are abundant, and the Adriatic beaches, with their lively seaside cafes and colorful ports, are a quick drive away.