Tenuta di Santa Lucia

The place can be easy to miss: it's down a small road, so watch for the little sign. Google has the location marked at the turnoff. When I stayed a couple of years ago, the family-run inn felt like a peaceful spot to unwind for a few days or longer. It used to be a working silkworm farm. I remember parking beneath a lovely grape arbor, heavy with grapes. The grounds, inn, rooms, pools, and restaurant food were all excellent. The hostesses and chef were friendly, helpful, and enjoyable to chat with. These days the stay feels like a dream from a long time ago.

Great!

Even with the place fully booked, it stayed peaceful and quiet. After a disastrous week in Salento, we came here for the weekend and quickly felt in a good mood again. The rooms are spacious and charming, with all the comforts, and the lawns, fountains, pools, gazebos, and hot tub are all carefully looked after. Food is simple but nicely refined, with quality ingredients and well-balanced, thoughtful recipes. The value was far beyond what we'd expected. A lovely family runs the agriturismo, and they showed sincere enthusiasm and warmth toward guests from the start; the rest of the staff were just as friendly. It really is a beautiful gem, the kind of place that's unfortunately getting harder to find in Italy.

The food served at the wedding was genuinely excellent. I was here for a wedding photoshoot, and the historic building was beautiful and carefully maintained inside and out. The park around it was also lovely and well kept, with a swimming pool. Getting there does mean driving along a long dirt road, which is a shame.