Palazzo Massari Rooms

At breakfast, my boyfriend and I had our laptops out hoping to work, but the owner began telling us about her whole life: being single and having no children, visiting her parents every week, and how people in Lecce cheat on each other. She even described a woman at a nearby shop asking if she wanted to sleep with the woman’s husband. It was exhausting; we just wanted some peace to eat and work. Maybe she meant to be friendly and chatty, but it was too much. She’d already told us right after we arrived that she was a psychologist. Later, when my friends and I discussed a broken piece of furniture with her, her tone changed completely. She shouted and was rude and offensive. Palazzo Massari isn’t suitable for anyone wanting to relax without dealing with an insistent, unpredictable host.

The bench broke by accident on our first day, and that turned into a string of problems. The host wanted 100 euro to fix what we felt was an average-quality piece of furniture, and said we should have told her straight away, adding that conflicts can be sorted out by talking. But while saying that, she was shouting and insisting we pay. I was sorry the plywood bench broke, but shouting and emotional blackmail don’t seem professional ways to resolve things. Our last conversation was really unpleasant. At first, the stay had been okay: she welcomed us warmly, though she could be very chatty.

My time in Lecce turned into a nightmare because of this horrible, aggressive host. She was rude and offensive, and threatened me when we argued. I didn’t call the police only because I was in southern Italy and didn’t really trust they would help. I regret every minute I spent at this awful person’s B&B.

A really good place to stay while visiting beautiful Lecce.