inimalism meets a majesty at Palazzo Daniele,
a six-bedroom guest house in Puglia. Set in
the village of Gagliano del Capo, where the
Adriatic’s rocky coastline meets the sandy
beaches of the Ionian Sea, the property is the
former family palazzo of Francesco Petrucci,
co-founder of Capo d’Arte, a not-for-profit
organisation promoting contemporary art
in Puglia.
Reshaped by the Milanese duo Ludovica
and Roberto Palomba of Palomba Serafini
Associati, the 19th-century pile has been
turned into guest rooms, an art space and
artists’ studios, and hosts an annual residency
programme in partnership with Villa Medici,
the French Academy in Rome. Inspired
by the idea of ‘absence’, the architects have
stripped back as much as possible, while
restoring historical features such as ornate
frescoes and mosaic flooring, to create
a dramatic canvas for the palazzo’s ever-
expanding contemporary art collection.
The building’s layout has been turned
around: the grand front living areas now
serve as spaces to exhibit artworks, sparsely
furnished with pieces such as a giant floor
lamp by Mariano Fortuny and a Driade
sofa. At the back of the building, the guest
rooms and common spaces look out onto
a series of courtyards, with an orangery and
an inky-black swimming pool.The contrast between the traditional and
the contemporary, art and function, extends
to the guest rooms, where the monastic décor
is boosted by vaulted, frescoed ceilings, their
exposed cracks conveying over 150 years of
history. Minimal furnishings include a central
bed and a black steel-framed open wardrobe,
custom-made by the Palombas.
In the palazzo’s grand kitchen, pasta-
making courses are on offer, but its best
to let Cinzia, the local village cook, whip up
her range of regional specialities prepared
using ingredients from the surrounding
farms. Think fava bean purée with chicory,
or aubergine parmigiana, washed down
with a crisp glass of rosé from the nearby
Castello Monaci winery.
Outside of the residency programme,
reservations are at the discretion of Petrucci,
but should you get the nod, it will become
apparent that, while no longer a family home,
Palazzo Daniele is a welcoming hub for
the artistic community and a haven for the
discerning design-minded. This is further
highlighted by the marble plaque at the
entrance, which reveals a message from
the past for future generations to abide by:
‘This is a place to be shared.’ ∂
Palazzo Daniele, 60 Corso Umberto 1, Gagliano
del Capo, Salento. Rates: from €1,140 a night;
enquiries through bellinitravel.com; capodarte.itTHIS PAGE, TOP LEFT,
ONE OF THE SIX SPARTAN
BEDROOMS; TOP RIGHT,
A BATHROOM FEATURING
6M-HIGH CEILINGS AND
CENTRAL RAIN SHOWER
WITH A BASIN BY ITALIAN
ARTIST ANDREA SALA
OPPOSITE, TOP, 19TH-
CENTURY FRESCOES IN
THE FORMER BALLROOM,
WHICH LEADS TO A
GUEST ROOM WITH
A LIGHT BOX BY SIMON
D’EXÉA; BOTTOM,
LOCATED IN A FORMER
SERVANTS’ QUARTER,
THE MAIN LIVING ROOM
IS FURNISHED WITH
‘LIRICO’ ARMCHAIRS
AND SOFA BY LUDOVICA
AND ROBERTO PALOMBA,
PLUS A LARGE-SCALE
REPRODUCTION OF A
PORTRAIT OF PETRUCCI’S
GREAT-GRANDMOTHERM
Photography: Enrico Costantini
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