Casa Isabellain Mottola

Why it’s on the Edit

Casa Isabella is a four-star hotel in a ducal palace at San Basilio, near Mottola, in the area around Taranto and the Ionian coast. According to the hotel, Duke Nicola de’ Sangro built it in 1879 in honor of his beloved Isabella de Medici. A restoration in 1999 kept the old storerooms, the grand floor, the billiard room, the servants’ rooms and a stone courtyard with a private chapel.

The palace sits on the historic road that linked the Terra d’Otranto to the customs house at Foggia, and the hotel calls it a crossroads of trade and travelers. Today it has a spa, a restaurant and a large events business, and the Regione Puglia accommodation register files it as a four-star wellness hotel. The price band is 1 of 5, an estimate, since no official rate was found.

The rooms

The hotel counts 23 rooms and 3 suites, and lists five types. Sixteen standard rooms look on the park or the entrance, and six deluxe rooms face the inner court. Two exclusive suites have a private terrace, one junior suite looks on the park, and the Suite Ducale has a double bathroom and fine furnishings.

Every unit has a private bathroom with a shower, selected toiletries, adjustable air conditioning, a safe, a minibar, satellite TV, free Wi-Fi and 24-hour room service. Room sizes and bed types are not confirmed here.

Breakfast is listed as included. Reception is staffed around the clock, and there is a concierge.

Eating and drinking

I Granai is the restaurant, in the old grain stores where travelers once left their wheat. A terrace over the garden has a play area for small children.

The chefs reinterpret the flavors of Puglian tradition with a modern touch, and the hotel lists a wine card. Opening days and prices are not confirmed here.

The spa has a tea room with herbal infusions. Its packages can add an aperitivo or a breakfast in the courtyard, and one package for two bundles a suite with dinner and breakfast, the spa circuit and a couples’ massage.

The setting

The palace is surrounded by a centuries-old park, with stately pines and tree-lined avenues. The hotel places it in the quiet of the Puglian countryside.

The spa is underground, in the cellars. The wellness circuit in the packages runs 90 minutes: a Finnish sauna, a Turkish bath, an emotional shower with chromotherapy and aromatherapy, a Kneipp path and a covered, heated pool with a geyser and hydromassage.

Face and body treatments and massages are listed separately. Nobody under 18 is admitted to the spa, which matters if you travel with teenagers.

Weddings take place in the palace and the garden. The hotel lists a 200-seat reception hall, a garden for up to 300 guests, the courtyard chapel and a wedding suite for the couple’s first night, and its casa comunale recognition allows official civil rites on site.

For the sea, the hotel suggests a day at Kalè Beach Club in Castellaneta Marina. The distance is not given, so ask before you plan a beach day around it.

Good to know

• Spa access starts at 18, and animals are not admitted to the spa.
• The hotel lists itself as pet friendly. Terms for rooms are not confirmed here.
• Listed services include private parking, bike rental, 24-hour room service and a laundry.
• Weddings: a reception hall for 200 seats, a garden for up to 300 guests, civil rites on site.
• Room sizes, opening months and a children’s policy are not confirmed here.
• Price band: 1 of 5 (estimated: no official rate found).

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

Couples and spa weekenders who want a historic palace, a wellness circuit and a restaurant under the same roof will find all three. Wedding parties will too, since the events side is a large part of the property.

A beach at the door, a rural masseria or a small guesthouse is a different trip. Villa Maria Crispiano is another option around Taranto.

Getting there

Casa Isabella is at San Basilio, near Mottola, in the Taranto and the Ionian coast area. The hotel’s directions name Brindisi airport first and Bari as the alternative.

You need a car. The directions use the A14 exit for Mottola-Castellaneta, and private parking is on site.