Masseria Il Frantoio Agriturismo

This beautiful 17th-century house was built over a sixth-century oil press and is filled with interesting things. A series of beautiful rooms, ranging from fairytale (a froth of lace and toile) to endearingly simple (madras bedcovers and old desks) to formal (antique armoires and gilt frames)… a gloriously eclectic mix.

Breakfasts are organic with homemade cake every day and there are ‘surprise’ dinners cooked by the chef, who specialises in Puglian dishes accompanied by good local wines. You eat either in the arched dining room or outside in the candle-lit courtyard. It will linger in your memory – as will other details: an exterior white stone stairway climbing to a bedroom, an arched doorway swathed in wisteria.

You are looked after by a large, very friendly team and surrounded by lush countryside. Walk among olive trees which are more than a thousand years old, or head to sandy beaches – the hotel can give you a lunch box.