Il Pino Grande (Masseria Citulo)

Why it’s on the Edit

Il Pino Grande is an agriturismo, which in Italy means a working farm that offers rooms and meals. It occupies the old manor house of the Masseria Citulo, a short drive from Castel del Monte, at Andria, in the Alta Murgia and Castel del Monte area. The farm works to organic principles, covers about 40 hectares and sits inside the Alta Murgia National Park.

The manor grew in stages until a major transformation finished in 1859, the farm says, and the main complex once took on about 300 seasonal workers from March to November. The price band is 1 of 5, an estimate, since no official rate was found.

What you get is a simple country stay built around a restaurant that cooks the farm’s own organic crops.

The rooms

The five rooms are on the upper floor, which older and disabled guests can reach by a platform lift. The ground floor holds the reception, a breakfast room and a 55 m² dining hall, a former stable.

The mansard is 12 m² with its own bathroom, made in the old cereal store, with a wooden vault. The Padronale is a 20 m² triple under a barrel vault of round perforated bricks. The suite is 50 m² and opens to a terrace of 180 m².

The two small rooms, Cameretta Stefano with a double bed and Cameretta Nicola with two singles, share a bathroom in the corridor. Period furniture runs through the house. The larger rooms list heating, air conditioning, a minibar, a TV and Wi-Fi, and the small rooms list heating and Wi-Fi only.

Eating and drinking

The restaurant is in the old stable, under a stone vault, and it is open every day from 13:00 to 15:00 and from 19:30 to 21:30. Evening service from Monday to Friday needs a reservation.

The menu is a la carte only. It mixes classic Puglian dishes with imaginative reworkings, and it includes vegetarian and vegan choices. The kitchen draws on the farm’s own organic fields and on local products, Slow Food presidia among them.

The wine list favors local wineries. Cooking courses are on the program, among them an art-of-baking course for beginners, from flour to yeast and from pizza to focaccia.

The setting

The farm lies in the countryside at the foot of Monte Savignano, near Castel del Monte. It grows legumes, cereals, vegetables and fruit, including Senatore Cappelli wheat and the black chickpea of the Murgia karst. The farm says it follows organic principles with the greatest respect for the ecosystem and human health.

The garden has swings, table football and bocce. The children’s policy is not confirmed, so ask before you bring them. The farm offers trekking and cycling with certified AIGAE guides.

Good to know

• The restaurant is open daily at the hours listed. Evening service Monday to Friday needs a reservation.
• Two small rooms share a bathroom in the corridor.
• A platform lift reaches the upper floor.
• Cooking courses, trekking and cycling with guides are offered.
• The farm sells its organic products on site, so ask what is in stock.
• The farm lists five rooms of varied size and type, with period furniture.
• A pool, a spa, children, pets 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

The rooms run from the 12 m² mansard to the 50 m² suite, so ask which room you are being offered. Travelers who want a plain farm stay, a table with vegetarian and vegan choices and Castel del Monte a short drive away are the right guests. Cyclists, walkers and people keen on a cooking course are the natural guests.

For a pool, a spa or hotel service, look elsewhere. Biomasseria Lama di Luna is another farm near the same park, with a pool and larger grounds.

Getting there

Il Pino Grande is on the S.P. 234 near Castel del Monte at Andria, in the Alta Murgia and Castel del Monte area. Bari airport is the one to use.

You need a car. The farm’s directions from the north leave the A14 at the Andria exit. Castel del Monte is a short drive away. Ask the farm about the road between the two.