This one’s for design devotees. Set in Salento’s southernmost
region, the edgy Palazzo Daniele is a collaboration between owner
and art collector Francesco Petrucci and his friend Gabriele
Salini, the man responsible for the off-beat interiors at Rome’s
boutique hotel G-Rough. This Apulgian stay revisits the style of the
capital pad, but pares back to the max. Ten spare suites feel
coventual – you won’t find much more than a bed, stylish lamps and
some head-scratching modern art in each room (although we’d say the
original tiling and swooping fresco ceilings are features in
themselves). It’s all very modern-monastic, including the horarium
of slow-paced activities on offer to guests in the local village of
Gagliano del Capo. Spend your days wine tasting, fishing and
ricotta making, before flitting back through the fresco-filled
walls of the palace to find your sleeping quarters.

Head away from the stacked heel of the Italian boot, towards the
coastal city of Bari and you’ll encounter Puglia’s best-kept
secret: its flat, fertile agricultural lands fringed by durum
wheat-hued beaches. Check out Masseria Calderisi, just outside
Fasano, for an intimate encounter with typical Apulian farm life.
Tucked behind lime-washed walls, this 17th-century farmhouse offers
a low-fi agricultural adventure in situ. Think: cooking lessons,
olive oil tasting, bike tours through the surrounding groves, and
ample petting of the property’s two adopted donkeys. The names of
the 24 linen- and oak-clad rooms evoke the spaces’ former roles. On
our visit, we bedded down in the light-filled stable suite. Dinners
are served over white linen on the low-lit La Corte restaurant
terrace, with a menu plucked from the property’s rambunctious
kitchen garden. Before bed, head upstairs to the hurricane
lantern-lit roof-top bar for a negroni nightcap accompanied by a
celestial show.

After six years – and a bill of £13 million – this
biscotti-coloured 17th-century castle in Puglia’s far south has
been transformed into a meticulously furnished nine-key hotel.
Rooms are styled with clean-cut Italian elegance, all mid-century
furnishings, striking art and splashes of unexpected colour.
There’s nods to the property’s aristocratic character all around;
note the celebration of the high vaulted ceilings (of the same
pietra leccese stone as the exterior) and touches like pale
fleur-de-lis cushion covers on the beds. You’ll spend days drifting
between the verdant gardens and cobbled courtyards, lapping up a
taste of southern Italian high life from the world-class cooking
school downstairs. Once you’ve mastered the pans, dawdle down to
the hotel’s sister property, Masseria Le Mandorle, to cool off from
the kitchen heat in the outdoor pool. Don’t miss the chance to ogle
the elaborate frescos in the museum wing of the property –
restoration experts were enlisted to restore them to their full
glory.

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With just 13 rooms, La Peschiera is an exclusive thalassic hotel
amidst the hypnotic Adriatic oceans. A former fish hatchery turned
boutique hotel, La Peschiera promises a slice of beachside
paradise. Positioned equidistant between Bari and Brindisi, and
close to the ancient archaeological ruins at Egnazia, personalised
tours allow guests a chance to discover the true soul of Puglian
life. Each room boasts minimalist decor, sea views and a shady
veranda. The rooms are naturally light, draped with white linens
and decorated antique furnishings; the Panorama Room is our top
choice, complete with tranquil hideaway and access to a private
pool via a little ladder.

Suspended between sky and sea at the peak of Ostuni, the 15
rooms and suites of this boutique bolthole occupy a 16th-century
palazzo hewn from Apulia stone. Aromatic lavender plants and potted
citrus trees dot a sun-drenched terrace outside, while the
Michelin-starred restaurant Cielo overlooks the winding alleys and
whitewashed houses of Ostuni below. With a nod to local cuisine,
chef Lombardi whips up a selection of innovative plates:
hare-stuffed pasta, cold spaghetti served with raw burrata, duck
breast beside a strawberry chutney. Finish off the evening with a
crisp glass of white wine, taken straight from one of three on-site
ancient cisterns, now home to an impressive wine collection.

Masseria Cervarolo is a family-run farm with trulli set on the
outskirts of Ostuni. Owner Teo and his wife are diligent recyclers
– you’ll soon spot farm doors that have been transformed and
remodelled as headboards, or plant pots refashioned into stylish
toiletry holders. The farm also generates solar power on site .
Brush up on your bruschetta-making skills at one of Masseria
Cervarolo’s cooking classes or master the art of olive-soap making
for a souvenir that beats the typical fridge magnet. Breakfast and
dinner are served al fresco from the open kitchen. Although the
property offers an extensive local wine list, we’d recommend
ditching your usual tipple in favour of the home-grown wild-fennel
liqueur.

Behind the unassuming, honey-coloured exterior of Don Totu,
you’ll find six rustic rooms decorated in neutral hues with dreamy,
canopy beds, spacious bathrooms and easy access to an intimate
subterranean hammam. The 18th century palazzo – named after the
legendary landowner Don Titu – sits in the sleepy village of San
Cassiano surrounded by silver-leaved olive trees and sky-tickling
cypress trees. Seek solace in the underground hammam, lounge by the
twinkling infinity pool framed by a Matisse-inspired mural or
borrow a hotel Vespa to explore the town of Salento beyond the
thick stone walls.

Named in tribute to artist’s muse Antonia Fiermonte, in Puglia’s
most-desirable town, Lecce, La Fiermontina has a propensity for
Parisian interiors (the owners spend their time between the French
capital and Puglia). Rooms are cocooned in almond-coloured Leccese
stone, and decked out with clean-lined furnishings in soft honey
hues. Book a suite for indulgent bathtubs with terrace views,
private dipping pools and access to the property’s fragrant rose
gardens. Hazy summer days here are spent lounging by the
orange-tree lined pool and venturing into storied Lecce for
sweet-toothed feasts of creamy pistachio gelato, and vanilla and
chocolate pasticciotto from Natale
Pasticceria.

Built into the fortified walls of Monopoli, this fortress on the
reef is made up of whitewashed, stone-hewn rooms, pretty patios and
a rooftop terrace that provides sparkling Adriatic Coast views. The
hotel’s main draw? The split-level rooftop, where guests can take a
dip in the infinity pool framed by towering cacti and indulge in
freshly caught feast octopus and homemade orecchiette. Not to be
missed is the old town’s Basilica of the Madonna della Madia which
is, alongside the floor-to-ceiling marble mosaic tiling, shrouded
in myth and legend after a miraculous sea-washed raft carrying an
icon of Madonna helped finish the construction. Historic sites
ticked off, Don Ferrante’s in-the-know staff will direct you to
untouched, private sandy coves perfect for picnics and sea swimming
nearby.

The star of the show at this rustic, 19th-century farmhouse are
the property’s traditional trullis – the conical grey rooftops that
act as a cornerstone of the region’s identity. At Masseria
Fumarola, the tiled peaks now serve as sleek hideaways for
relaxation. The high ceilings – some with skylights – conceal
secluded hot tubs, and spacious, airy bedrooms. Tranquil dinners
can be spent on your personal patio or, you can follow the maze of
oak tree-lined paths to the relaxed in-house dining room. This is a
slice of Italian rural life as tempting as the restaurant’s
excellent ricotta cheesecake.

Family-run for several generations, this former salt warehouse
is nestled among sprawling lemon trees and ancient olive groves.
The recently renovated rooms are housed in old farm shelters with
simple interiors consisting of exposed beams, limestone brickwork
and antique family furniture. Masseria Salinola’s restaurant dishes
up a mouth-watering feast of southern Italian cuisine, including
regional delicacies. Don’t miss the rabbit with mashed broad beans
cooked in a pignatta (terracotta pot). Wash down your dinner with a
glass of rosali (a rose-petal liqueur) made of herbs, fruit and
berries picked from the picturesque grounds. The Italian
hospitality extends to the bicycles that are available to peddle
off those extra Puglian pounds in an exploration through the olive
groves.

Tucked into the ancient olive groves of the Itria valley, Borgo
Egnazia is a place of nonpareil beauty. Where nature is powerful,
architecture is archaic and the water is blissfully calm, Borgo
Egnazia exudes the rural romance of Puglian charm. With four
options for bathing, an on-site golf course, two beach clubs with
private beaches and a killer spa, this is the perfect option for
families wanting serenity and activity. The hotel is pretty much
self-sufficient, so anything that isn’t picked on site is locally
sourced and delivered to your dining table. If you like a rustic
room, Borgo Casetta Bella is our favourite. For those who like a
generous terrace, private garden and outdoor plunge pool (who
wouldn’t?), the Egnazia Suite part of the La Courte series is
perfect for privacy seekers.

Masseria San Domenico is a stunning 14th-century fortified
farmhouse composed of stark white stone buildings, lush tropical
gardens and vista points of both the ocean and the mountains to the
north. Previously used by the Knights of Malta as a watchtower,
today it is a five-star hotel comprising 40 rooms, each with a
unique character. Located amidst mature olive groves, the hotel is
only 500 metres from the Adriatic coast, offering guests access to
a private beach via an avenue of olive trees. Dinner is served
beneath the vaulted ceilings of Ristorante San Domenico, with a
selection of Puglian cuisine and fresh seafood.