Corte Borromeo

Why it’s on the Edit

Corte Borromeo is a hotel of seven rooms in a 16th-century palazzo, in the old town of Manduria, around Taranto and the Ionian coast. The suites were carved out of what was once a private residence. The Regione Puglia register lists it as a four-star historic-residence hotel.

Two things put it here: its size and its restaurant, which takes the local wine seriously. The price band is 1 of 5, an estimate, since no official rate was found.

A pool, a spa and a gym are not confirmed here. The setting is a lane in the center of Manduria.

The rooms

The hotel describes its seven rooms as set among vaults and 16th-century friezes.

They come in three kinds. The standard room is 25 m², with a Trani-stone floor, an exposed tuff vault and a window on a lane of the old town. The deluxe room is 35 m², with arches and two windows on the courtyard and the atrium.

The two suites are 56 m² and 51 m². One has a 16th-century tuff portal and a shower set in an old niche, with chromotherapy. The other has a canopy bed and a view onto a panoramic terrace.

For two and a half centuries the owners kept the two suites for themselves, and both have access to a private balcony.

All rooms have a safe, a minibar, autonomous air conditioning and heating, a phone wake-up call, Wi-Fi, a LAN connection, a shower, a hairdryer, bathrobes and slippers.

Eating and drinking

Gusto Primitivo is the restaurant. The hotel describes avant-garde cooking that stays rooted in Puglian tradition, with local ingredients prepared in its own kitchen. The renovated interior rooms and a terrace double as event spaces.

The name points at the wine. The list covers every corner of Puglia and deliberately never leaves it. A dessert menu, a drink list and a dogs’ menu are also listed.

The hotel also offers tastings of local olive oil and wine, and a bar. Breakfast and opening days are not confirmed here.

The setting

Corte Borromeo stands on Vico 1° Marco Gatti, in the old center of Manduria. The hotel shows works on paper, acrylics, watercolors and monotypes, by two contemporary German artists.

The hotel puts Manduria in Primitivo DOC country, and its service list includes tastings, excursions, cycle rides and horse rides.

An ample conference hall with a screen, sound system and Wi-Fi sits in the same building, so ask whether a meeting or event is booked during your stay. The terrace and the renovated interior rooms are also listed for private events.

Good to know

• Rooms measure 25, 35, 56 and 51 m². Counts per type are not confirmed.
• Services listed: parking, transfer service, baby sitting, bar, reading room, Wi-Fi, tastings.
• A hairdresser, beautician and massages are offered on request.
• The rooms are in an old palazzo with vaults, so look at the room type before you pick by price.
• Receptions and ceremonies take up to 120 seated guests.
• The restaurant page lists a menu, a dessert menu, a wine list, a drink list and a dogs’ menu.
• A pool, a spa, a gym, children’s policy, pets in rooms and opening months are not confirmed here.
• Price band: 1 of 5 (estimated: no official rate found).

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

Corte Borromeo suits couples and slow travelers who want to sleep in a palazzo in a wine town and go out on foot. Wine drinkers get the most from it: the restaurant’s list stays inside Puglia.

Dog owners will see a dogs’ menu on the restaurant page, but whether dogs may stay in the rooms is not confirmed.

If a pool, a spa or a beach at the door decides the trip, look elsewhere. Casa Isabella has a spa with a heated pool, and Masseria Amastuola is a countryside option around Taranto.

Getting there

Corte Borromeo is in the old town of Manduria, in the Taranto and the Ionian coast area. Brindisi is the nearer airport, and Bari is much farther away; the hotel names both in its directions.

A car is useful for the coast and the countryside, and the hotel offers a shuttle on request from airports, stations and ports in Puglia. Ask about parking before you arrive, because the hotel is in the old town.