Masseria Cricelli

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I was looking for somewhere peaceful outside Lecce for a short, full-on trip to Salento, and found Masseria Cricelli. It's less than ten minutes from the city center. After the city lights, you turn onto a dirt road to reach the farmhouse, but it's easy to get to. Mrs. Anna promptly explained the room and restaurant. Our triple room was spacious, warm, and had comfortable mattresses with a topper. It had a French window with a mosquito screen, but no other windows. The bathroom was long, with a large shower; no window there either, though it was comfortable. The evenings get noticeably cooler, so the soft, warm duvet was welcome. We booked dinner ahead because there were only a few places. Three of us shared one portion of frittini, meatballs, arancini, and fritters, and the pizza was excellent and very light. Breakfast was Italian style: homemade cakes, croissants, parcels, juice, coffee, cappuccino, and jams. I'll be back.

The food quality isn't what I'm complaining about, it was the service during dinner with our group of friends. We waited two hours with nothing on the table but a bottle of water, then were told there was no longer any guarantee we'd get pizza. The offered alternative was a plate of fries, which didn't suit us. After talking it through, we settled for fried food and some meat just so we could eat something. If they can't serve pizza within a reasonable time, they shouldn't leave customers waiting for hours without an update or a useful solution. They should cut the number of seats or add staff so they can handle orders in good time.

The setting is nice, which made the rest all the more disappointing. We ordered around dinner time and didn't get our food until 12:30 at night. Several times, waiters came back to ask what we had ordered, which made the disorganization and lack of customer care pretty clear. With service that chaotic and waits that long, the experience was unsatisfactory.