Masseria Palane

What the property says

Masseria Palane began as a masseria, became a tobacco factory and was then restored. Its name comes from the old name of the Palane coastal tower. The owners say they moved their northern roots to Salento in 2014, and the Tortora family does the welcome.

The restoration kept what the farm was built from: eighteenth-century star vaults, chianche (flat stone paving), tufa, lime-washed walls and deep cisterns for rainwater. It stands among oak woods and old olive trees, between Castrignano del Capo and Patù, and its address is in Castrignano del Capo.

It sits in estimated price band 2 of 5, and the wellness area, cut by hand into the rock, is the reason to look closely.

Where you sleep

There are six rooms and a dependance, in two groups. The three rooms of Le Antiche Stanze open onto the Salento court, which is open to the sky. The three of Il Patio each have a private patio over the Mediterranean garden and the pool.

The rooms are all different, the masseria says, with thick lime walls and star vaults. The Suite Mare in Il Patio is the largest at 45 m² and takes up to four guests. In Le Antiche Stanze, the Junior Suite Apulia measures 36 m² and takes four, while the King Deluxe Messapia is the smallest at 22 m² and takes two.

The dependance is a separate building of about 30 m² a few steps from the main house, with parking, for one to four guests. A family of four has three options: the Suite Mare, the Apulia or the dependance.

Where you eat

The garden has a relaxation area where, the masseria says, you can have aperitifs by the salt-water pool. Meals beyond that are not confirmed here. Ask what is served and when before you build a stay around dinner at the house.

What the masseria does describe is food you make or taste. The cooking class teaches orecchiette, maccheroncini and sagne ritorte with an experienced cook, and everyone eats the result together. Tastings cover olive oil in underground mills and wine in old Salento cellars.

For the habit of the table in a masseria, the guide to eating at a masseria explains what to expect.

The setting

The masseria places itself between Patù and Castrignano del Capo, in the countryside at the far south of Salento. The masseria names Felloniche and San Gregorio on the Ionian coast as a short drive away, and reaches Santa Maria di Leuca by a scenic road through terraced olive groves.

Around it the scrub holds Leuca alyssum, thyme, myrtle and wild orchids. Nearby are the Church of San Michele Arcangelo, dated 1564, and the Centopietre, a National Monument the masseria dates to AD 877. The Adriatic side is known for tall cliffs, and the masseria suggests sea caves by boat.

Inside, the wellness area is cut by hand into the rock. It holds a heated, naturally salted pool with hydromassage, an emotional shower, a massage area for one or two people and a relaxation corner with herbal teas. The masseria warns that the rock is delicate and friable, so use the area with care.

Good to know

• The wellness area is open all year, and the masseria sells sessions of exclusive use of it, from 30 to 120 minutes.
• The hydromassage tub is closed to children and to people with reduced motor, sensory or cognitive capacity.
• The dependance is a separate building with parking.
• Transfers by car or minibus can be arranged on request from the Brindisi and Bari airports and from Lecce station.
• Trekking and cycling routes of different lengths start from the masseria.
• Opening months, other children’s rules and pets are not confirmed here: check with the property.
• Price band: 2 of 5 (estimated: no official rate found).

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

Couples who want a spa session without a spa hotel’s scale fit here, and so do walkers and cyclists who like terraced olive groves. The spa is part of the spa retreats collection, which sets it beside others by area.

If you want a hotel with its own restaurant and a long program of paid experiences, look at Tenuta Montirò. If you would rather take a whole small house, Relais Carlo Alberto in Salve has four rooms, offers the building for exclusive use and sits in the same estimated price band.

Groups of up to four who want a door of their own can ask about the dependance, which has parking. Families with children should read the wellness rules first: the hydromassage is closed to them.

Getting there

Masseria Palane is in Castrignano del Capo, in the Santa Maria di Leuca and the Cape area. The masseria names Brindisi airport as the one to fly into, then the road toward Lecce and Gallipoli, leaving at the Patù and San Gregorio exit.

On request it organizes transfers by car or minibus from the Brindisi and Bari airports and from Lecce station, and it has agreements with car rental companies.

If you book a transfer, tell the masseria which airport you land at and whether you need a car or a minibus.