Masseria Cervarolo

What the property says

Masseria Cervarolo was built in the 16th century on a hill, looking over a wide fertile plain. Its name comes from deer, which the masseria says lived in the outer reaches of the Murgia when these lands were still dense woodland.

It has trulli among its buildings, and a small chapel built in 1798 and dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, with frescoes, a Baroque altar and ex-votos. The restoration kept the existing volumes and brought the stone walls back into view.

The mix is the draw: trulli, a chef who works behind glass, and a pool in a natural doline. It is smaller in land than Masseria Il Frantoio, with 10 hectares against its 72, and the masseria says it uses no chemical products in the gardens.

The rooms

Rooms start with the Classic (15 to 20 m²) and the Superior (20 to 22 m², with a garden or terrace), both in the main building with antique or handcrafted furniture and a 160 by 190 cm bed. The Junior Suite Double (24 m²) is in the trulli, with a garden, and cannot take extra beds.

The Junior Suite Triple (24 m²) is in the main building, with a terrace. The Junior Suite Quadruple (24 to 32 m²) is in the trulli or the main building, with a garden. For a group or two couples, the Suite Lamia (55 m²) is a 17th-century lamia (a vaulted stone building) in the gardens, with a private garden, two double bedrooms, two bathrooms and a living area.

Every room has individually controlled air conditioning and heating, a safe, a minibar and free Wi-Fi. If you want a trullo, book the Junior Suite Double by name, or ask for a trullo unit when you choose a Quadruple.

Food and drink

Chef Salvatore Cannalire, with Mattia and Yurika, cooks behind a large glass window. The restaurant says its cuisine is rooted in the local territory and reinterprets traditions with creativity, adding international ingredients. When summer comes, dinner moves to the citrus grove. Book by email or WhatsApp.

The restaurant page also lists an Apulian Fest: a traditional dinner under old olive trees around a long table, with desserts, seasonal fruit and homemade liqueurs.

Breakfast is a buffet in the lamia of the restaurant, with homemade cakes, croissants and biscuits, fresh fruit, local dairy and cold cuts, fresh focaccia and bread, homemade jams, smoothies and squeezed juices. At the pool, the bar serves cocktails, fruit drinks and light dishes.

The setting

The masseria stands among ten hectares of olive trees, dry-stone walls and Mediterranean scrub on the road between Ostuni and Martina Franca. The hotel calls the gardens grown rather than designed, and says a photovoltaic system covers all its energy needs.

The pool sits in a natural doline, surrounded by countryside, and every guest has a dedicated lounger and umbrella.

The experiences are a wine tasting with the winery Puglia Pop, bike tours among the olive trees, cooking classes and massages in a traditional lamietta, a small lamia. The masseria puts both coasts within a drive, the Adriatic nearer than the Ionian. It names Ostuni, Cisternino, Ceglie Messapica and Martina Franca as just minutes away.

Good to know

• Massages are offered in the lamietta.
• The Junior Suite Double in the trulli cannot take extra beds.
• Some rooms take a travel cot or a folding bed, and others do not.
• Weddings, children, pets and opening months: no answer on the pages we read.
• Price band: 3 of 5 (estimated: no official rate found).

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

It suits couples and small groups who want trulli, a chef-led dinner and a pool among the fields, and who accept driving for everything else. The Suite Lamia suits two couples traveling together.

Look elsewhere if a spa decides the trip. Vista Ostuni has a 350 m² spa and several pools. If you are traveling with children and want family services listed, Masseria Il Frantoio lists a playground, babysitting and kids’ meals.

Getting there

Brindisi is the nearer of the two airports, and At a glance gives the distance to each. From Ostuni, in Ostuni and the White Coast, take the road toward Martina Franca; the masseria’s address is on that road.

You need a car. The masseria is in open country, the sea is a drive away, and the old town of Ostuni is a separate trip.