Masseria Vaccaro

Why it’s on the Edit

Masseria Vaccaro is a boutique hotel in a farmhouse whose first manuscripts date to 1529. Generations of farmers raised animals, worked the land and made cheese here. The farm was definitively abandoned in the 1980s, and its last inhabitant is still alive, according to the hotel.

The brothers Dario and Gabriele Campana turned it into a hotel. The architect Gabriella Verardi led the first phase of the design, and Aldo Flore and Rosanna Venezia led the execution, with a Puglia authority co-financing the works.

The restoration used traditional materials, stone, lime, wood and iron, and recovered the original building materials even where they were ruined. Tuff and ancient stone run through the whole property. More than 400 local plants came from the ARIF garden center. The Regione Puglia register lists the hotel at three stars.

The rooms

There are four types: Classic, Delux, Suite and Superior. The hotel says it has not installed televisions in the rooms on purpose, to keep a minimalist line and the silence of nature. A TV is available in the living area.

In the Classic, the bathroom was made from the ancient sheep shelters. The Delux has star vaults, a walk-in closet and a shower for two. The Suite has star vaults, a tub placed as the headboard of the bed, and a passage through an old fireplace that leads to a double shower.

The Superior rests under an ancient arch, a symbolic element of the farm. Wi-fi is free for all guests, and the hotel runs a laundry service. The official pages give no room sizes.

Eating and drinking

Breakfast brings the pastries of the area: tarts, homemade delights and the pasticciotto, a custard-filled pastry of Salento. The official pages name no restaurant, so ask where guests dine in the evening.

The old barn can host aperitifs, themed dinners and events, depending on availability.

The kitchen is also a classroom. The Apulian cuisine lab teaches orecchiette, pizza, focaccia and traditional desserts, and a cheese-making lab shows how a farmer made mozzarella and other cheeses. A day as a farmer puts you in the olive or grape harvest, or among the garden’s produce, depending on the season.

The setting

The fields around the masseria cover over 15 hectares of vineyards, wheat, olive groves and artichokes. More than 500 small olive trees were planted recently, chosen for their resistance to the Xylella bacterium.

A small river, the Royal Canal, runs near the farm and crosses the province of Brindisi, and the hotel notes that proximity to water was an essential and rare asset in a dry land. Its home page points to the Torre Guaceto nature reserve, where the land meets the sea.

The pool is reserved for guests. Excursions on the hotel’s list include the Muro Tenente archaeological park, linked to the Messapi who lived in Salento between the 7th and early 3rd century BC, and a guided tour of Mesagne.

Good to know

• No TVs in the rooms. One is available in the living area.
• A transfer service to and from airports and stations is offered.
• Massages, meditation and yoga are offered outdoors.
• The project page announced a small spa, a fitness room and an art-and-literature room for 2025 to 2026. Ask whether they are open.
• Not confirmed here: pets, children, opening months and room sizes.
• Price band: 2 of 5 (estimated: no official rate found).

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

It suits travelers who like a restored farm with a story, who want a pool and a farm-and-food day, and who are happy without a television. The food labs and the farm day are the main program, so it also suits guests who like to cook.

Look elsewhere if you want a restaurant in the building, a large spa or the beach at the gate. Masseria Malvindi is a farmhouse B&B near Mesagne with a cooking class. Hotel Orientale is a city hotel in Brindisi.

Getting there

Masseria Vaccaro is on the Strada Provinciale 44 Acquaro outside Brindisi, in the Brindisi and the Messapian towns area. Brindisi is the nearer of the two airports.

You need a car, or the hotel’s transfer service. The coast and Mesagne are separate trips from the farm.