Masseria Bernardini

What the property says

Masseria Bernardini belongs to the old Agnano compound near Nardò, and the Santa Chiara convent of Nardò bought the building on December 31, 1453. The masseria says local historical data puts the farmhouse back in the 14th century. The name comes from Donato Antonio Bernardini, of the noble family that bought it and the whole Agnano farm around 1750.

It worked as a masseria until 1989, with its farm workers (massari) looking after the olive grove and making ricotta and other cheese. It then sat empty for more than a decade, until a restoration the masseria describes as respectful of shapes, spaces and original elements.

Today it calls itself a small art resort. Paintings from the Cartiere Vannucci Art Collection hang in every suite, by artists such as Matteo Basilè, Luca Pignatelli and Nathalie Du Pasquier.

The rooms

The suites page lists nine suites and houses, and the masseria says they differ in shape and structure. Agrumeto is the master suite and the only one to keep the masseria style, with period furniture, a large shower and a hot tub, over a small citrus grove and the courtyard with the pool. Volta incrociata Casa is an executive suite for two with furniture by brands such as Cappellini, Gervasoni, Meridiani and Oluce under a cross vault.

Most of the others work as apartments. Quattro Archi has two double bedrooms, two bathrooms and a kitchen, Rettangolo has two ensuite double bedrooms and a sofa bed, and Volte e voltini sleeps five with a private terrace. Cannette is a private suite with a kitchenette and a patio over lantana, olive trees and prickly pears.

The site also lists the Loft al Castello, in the 15th-century Castle of Agnano among pines. It is bookable only as an annex to Casa dell’Arco, for a larger group, and Casa dell’Arco is not among the nine, so ask the masseria how the two are booked.

Food and drink

The masseria lists no restaurant. Breakfast is served in the suites with no time limit: pasticciotti (small filled pastries), fresh fruit, homemade cakes, local jams, juices and a detox option, with your newspaper.

The snack is a light break from the heat: a Salento frisella (a dry, twice-baked bread) topped with cherry tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil, vegetables, mozzarella, cheeses and cold cuts, plus fruit.

For dinner the masseria offers a private meal in the courtyards or by the pool, with a personalized menu of freshly caught fish or local meat and vegetables, prepared in the Salento tradition. Book it before 12:00. Six of the nine listed suites and houses have a kitchen or kitchenette if you would rather cook.

The setting

The masseria is in Contrada Agnano, in Nardò, among prickly pears and dry-stone walls, and it names space, light and silence as the point. Just outside, inside the neighboring Masseria Agnano, stands a lookout and defense tower, a type the masseria says centuries of war have left few of.

The masseria puts the Ionian spots a few minutes away, and its page on the coast gives a useful rule: pick the side by the wind. With the tramontana (north wind) the masseria points you to the Ionian beaches, from Porto Selvaggio and Torre Uluzzo to Gallipoli, Porto Cesareo, Torre Lapillo and Punta Prosciutto. With the scirocco (south wind) go to the Adriatic coast, between Torre dell’Orso and Santa Maria di Leuca.

The Porto Selvaggio Natural Park is a short drive away, the masseria says: about 300 hectares of pine and Mediterranean scrub framing the Ionian water. Lecce, Otranto, Gallipoli and Galatina are the other names the masseria gives for outings.

Good to know

• Check-in is open 24 hours, and room service is listed.
• Wi-Fi is free in the common areas, and the parking lot is free and shaded.
• Pets are welcome, with no conditions stated.
• Services include laundry with pickup and delivery in 24 hours, a personal trainer and private yoga lessons, holistic massages, baby sitting, wine tours, yachting and sailing, and a personal shopper.
• Dinners are private and must be booked before 12:00.
• The masseria hosts weddings and has its own wedding planner.
• Opening months, a spa, a gym and the children’s policy are not confirmed here.
• Price band: 3 of 5 (estimated: no official rate found).

Who it is for, and who should look elsewhere

Couples, families who want a kitchen and groups of up to five who like contemporary art on old walls will use what the masseria has. So will guests happy to cook some of their own meals.

If you want a restaurant, a spa and a padel court on site, Masseria Corsano is also in Nardò and has all three. If you want a set dinner menu every night, look elsewhere: meals here are by arrangement.

Getting there

Masseria Bernardini is in Contrada Agnano, Nardò, in Gallipoli and the Ionian Salento. The masseria names Bari and Brindisi airports and says you can reach Lecce from either by taxi or bus.

Its own advice is to rent a car, because the Salento peninsula is vast and worth seeing independently. From the north the masseria gives the route as the A14 to Bari, then the road toward Lecce and the signs for Gallipoli and Nardò.