Puglia

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Masseria Le Carrube

Photo by Nicola Cipriani

La Fiermontina

Masseria Le Carrube

Best known as Italy’s heel, the peninsular region of Puglia has always had the trappings—picturesque beaches, baroque towns, rolling vineyards—of a top tourist destination. With the recent arrival of a few elite-level hotels, the region appears to be finally getting its due. Last June, La Fiermontina opened in a historic palazzo in charming Lecce with 16 guest rooms, a swimming pool, and a sculpture garden. Masseria Trapanà, located just outside of town in a restored 16th-century farmhouse, followed in October with six gardens, nine suites, and a bijou chapel adorned with sixth-century frescoes. This March, the 19-room Masseria Le Carrube—a sprawling chalk-white manse on the outskirts of Ostuni—will bring further proof that the spotlight is shifting to Puglia. Not to be left behind is the property that started it all: Borgo Egnazia, a 49-acre resort that itself resembles a Puglian town, recently debuted the region’s most over-the-top accommodation, the seven-bedroom Villa Padronale.