November 2016 ITALIA! 55Masseria Spartivento, Puglia
The former home of sisters Arianna and Patrizia’s grandmother, this tufo-stone farmhouse has
been converted into a retreat both relaxing and authentic. Wrapped in olive groves, it’s close
to Salento’s dreamy beaches but away from the touristy bustle. Its stark, dignified appearance
hints at its stripped-back interior. Cool, white rooms in the former ground-floor work spaces
are sparse and simple, with tiled floors, plaster walls and high, vaulted ceilings. The minimal
furnishings – some their grandmother’s – are traditional, giving rooms a peaceful rusticity:
think embroidered bed-covers, wooden chests, baroque-framed mirrors. Bathrooms are simple
yet stylish, some with slipper baths. Each room opens onto the patio where breakfast is served,
a delicious assortment of Patrizia’s cakes and pastries. Patrizia lives upstairs and will rustle
up aperitivos – dinner, too, if you ask. She speaks little English but is keen to share tips for
exploring the region: hidden beaches, historic Otranto, Salento’s undiscovered villages...
Evenings are for sitting in the herb-scented garden beneath its fairylight-hung olive trees.For more
information on all
places featured
or to make a
booking enquiry
visit http://www.
sawdays.co.uk/
italy. Sawday’s
new Special
Places to Stay:
Italy is available
from all good
bookshops now,
priced at £15.99.From €110 per
night for a double
room, includes
breakfast
http://www.sawdays.co.uk/
spartivento(^) ☎+39 328 955 8929
November 2016ITALIA! 55
IT144.SawdaysRusticRetreats.sg4.indd 55 28/09/2016 15:58pm