Tenute D'Onghia

Why it’s on the Edit

Tenute D’Onghia is an organic fruit farm in a fortified masseria at Gioia del Colle, in the Alta Murgia and Castel del Monte area. The Rosati family built it in the 18th century, and the farm took their name. Gianvito D’Onghia bought it in 1964 and turned it into a livestock farm, and his grandchildren now grow certified organic fruit.

It is a working agriturismo, a farm with rooms, and the family says it wants to build a small sustainable food system with its guests. It sits in the first of five price bands (an estimate, since no official rate was found).

Come for the farm and the children’s side of it, not for hotel service.

The rooms

The farm has 3 double rooms and 3 apartments with their own kitchens, set around an inner court with two old olive trees. Each is named for a crop. The rooms are Mandorlo, Melograno and Ciliegio, and the apartments are Albicocco, Vite and Ulivo.

The rooms are connected to each other by design, so ask for the layout if privacy matters. Every room has a private bathroom with a shower, a 32-inch LED TV, air conditioning, Wi-Fi, a safe, a minibar and organic toiletries.

Albicocco and Vite sleep up to four. Albicocco has two rooms under a wooden beam roof and is accessible to guests with disabilities.

Ulivo, the first one renovated, is furnished in cherry wood and faces the court. Apartments have a fridge, a hob and dishes. Sizes are not confirmed here.

Eating and drinking

Breakfast is the meal the farm describes. It offers the classic Italian pastries, including almond-paste sweets from the Puglian tradition, and a farmers’ breakfast of the savory foods that workers ate around 9 in the morning.

That savory table runs to mozzarella, salami, caciocavallo, ricotta, asparagus or artichoke omelettes, Altamura bread, focaccia baked on stone, frise with oil and tomatoes, taralli and preserved vegetables.

The reception shows a large display of the farm’s products and local ones. Dinner and a restaurant are not confirmed here. The apartments have kitchens, which is the practical answer for a family.

The setting

The farm covers about 50 hectares of orchards: cherries, vines, almonds and olives, plus figs, pears, persimmons and mulberries for guests. Fresh fruit comes from May to October.

A wood of oaks and holm oaks has a fenced path with eleven exercise stations, and a wooden playground with tables and benches stands at its entrance.

Wild cyclamen, peonies, dog roses and wild asparagus turn up along the way, and each season changes what you find. The animals are a small educational farm with a horse, a cow, ponies, donkeys, sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits, poultry and peacocks, and guests can greet them from the parking area.

The old family chapel, the garden, the cistern and what remains of the fortifications show the farm as it was in the 18th century.

The site lists Alberobello, Altamura, Bari, Castel del Monte, Matera, Taranto and the Polignano a Mare and Monopoli coast among the places to visit from here.

Good to know

• The three rooms are connected to one another. Ask about the layout if privacy matters.
• The apartments have kitchens. Albicocco is listed as accessible.
• Parking is outdoors, inside the farm.
• Fresh fruit is available from May to October.
• Workshops and trails for children are listed as farm experiences, with a wood path open to guests.
• A pool, a spa, a restaurant, pets and opening months are not confirmed here.
• Price band: 1 of 5 (estimated: no official rate found).

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

Families with children, small groups of friends and people who like to pick fruit and meet animals will be well served, especially in apartments with a kitchen. The farm lists workshops and trails for children.

Look elsewhere for a pool, a spa or a quiet couple’s retreat. Il Pino Grande is another organic farm stay with a restaurant near Castel del Monte.

Getting there

Tenute D’Onghia is at Gioia del Colle, in the Alta Murgia and Castel del Monte area. Bari is the nearer airport.

You need a car. The farm’s directions leave the A14 at the Gioia del Colle exit, turn left toward Santeramo in Colle and follow the signs.