Masseria Montelauro

What the property says

Masseria Montelauro has lived several lives. The masseria says it was founded around the year 1000 and served as a place of prayer, a meeting place for monks and a herbalist’s workshop of Salento, until a restoration in the late 1800s gave it a form close to the present one. A masseria is a traditional rural estate of southern Italy, and this one keeps the stone and the courtyard that go with the type.

A family took over the ruin in 2001, and the site says two years of work made it a guest masseria. The pitch is warmth: the site promises the informal atmosphere of authentic hospitality, a courtyard, and fields of olive and almond trees around it.

The rooms and suites

There are 29 rooms, and the masseria says no two are alike, because each was restored to respect its original space. Expect thick lime walls, vaults in Lecce stone, floors of chianca (the local stone slabs) and wrought-iron lamps. Some rooms have a terrace.

Classic rooms are about 18 m² with a shower, on the ground floor facing the courtyard and pool or on the first floor with access to a shared terrace. The Junior, about 36 m², has a barrel vault in Lecce stone and faces the orchard, with room for a third bed or a cot.

Suites are about 45 m² on the ground floor, with star or barrel vaults, a large tub and a third bed. Two Family Suites communicate, each with a private bathroom and its own entrance.

The site lists air conditioning, a safe, a minibar, TV and a hair dryer in all rooms. Wi-Fi, private parking and pool towels are included.

Eating and drinking

Breakfast is a buffet that changes with the season and the kitchen: warm focaccia, naturally leavened bread and frise (twice-baked bread rings), jams, yogurt and fresh cheeses, cold cuts, fruit and vegetables from the masseria’s garden, and eggs from its own hens. It is served under the patio.

The restaurant is Fimmine. The cooking is fresh and contemporary but rooted in Salento tradition, with seasonal ingredients from local producers or from the garden and orchard next door. You eat on the patio or in the indoor rooms, under lime walls and stone vaults.

Fimmine is open to people who are not staying, which is useful if you are based elsewhere. Lunch and dinner are served daily by reservation, with land, sea and vegetarian choices.

The setting

Life at the masseria centers on the rural courtyard, with lounge corners, a pool and flowering pergolas. The outdoor pool stands at the center of it, among Mediterranean plants and fruit trees.

Around it stand olive and almond fields. The masseria puts Otranto and the Blue Flag beaches of its coast close at hand. Its page on the territory sends you to the bauxite lake south of the town and to the Punta Palascia lighthouse, which it calls Italy’s easternmost point.

A fast road links the area to Lecce. The masseria also describes its green choices: solar panels and solar heating, an organic orchard, glass bottles in the minibar and a plan to go plastic-free.

Good to know

• The pool is outdoors in the courtyard, and pool towels are provided.
• Lunch and dinner are served daily by reservation, and Fimmine is open to non-guests.
• Massages and treatments are by reservation: lymphatic drainage, Ayurvedic, Balinese and others, for one or for two.
• Civil ceremonies can be held on site.
• Parking is private, and Wi-Fi is free.
• A spa, opening months, pets and children’s rules are not confirmed here, so confirm them before you book.
• Price band: 2 of 5 (estimated: no official rate found).

Is it right for you?

Couples, families and wedding parties who want a masseria with a courtyard, a restaurant that non-guests can book and a town within reach will find it here. Private parking and free Wi-Fi are included.

If you want a hammam or a private garden at your door, Masseria Longa has suites with their own. If a private spa by appointment and an adults-only pool decide the trip, Tenuta Centoporte sits in the same price band.

Getting there

From Otranto, in the Otranto area, follow the provincial road toward Uggiano, where the masseria stands.

A car is the sensible way to get around this part of Salento. Taxis and transfers are not confirmed here. Ask the masseria if you are arriving without one.

The masseria lists a landline and a WhatsApp number on its site. Use either to check arrival times and to book a table at Fimmine for your first night.