Even though it is more expensive than the average accommodation in Puglia and the Masserias are a little bit further out of the different cities, we just had to stay in one of them. Before heading to Puglia, I did quite some research on staying in a Masseria and I ran into many expensive (but great-looking) locations. At first, I thought, let’s go there and just have dinner. Which of course is an option, but I would advise you to search for one that fits your budget and just spend the night in a Masseria. It is an experience that should be part of your Puglia itinerary. You’ll be completely rested and the locations are beautiful.
In the end, we did stay at a Masseria called Masseria Montenapoleone. I know, it’s a mouthful and I still have to Google it before I’m 100% sure I spelled it right. We arrived at around 2:00 p.m. and could check in straight away. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to have a sunny day, so we could make use of the pretty swimming pool. At the end of this post, you will find a list of other great Masserias to spend the night.
A masseria is a former farmhouse that could host all workers of the farm. Most of the time, the masserias own quite some land and are located on big guarded properties to protect the land from potential enemies.
Currently, the masserias are mainly used as accommodation and bed & breakfasts for tourists. A masseria is located in the country side and therefore it is the ultimate place to get some rest. We also ran into people who used the masseria as their base to discover Puglia, where they enjoyed a splash in the pool and some great dinner at the masseria every evening. This doesn’t have my personal preference, as i love experiencing a city / town in the evening as well to get to know it a bit better.
Masserias are something quite common, but also specific to Puglia. You can specifically find them in the Polignano a Mare and Monopoli area, but also around the Valle d’Itria and Ostuni. However, you’ll find them all across Puglia.
The amazing thing of a Masseria is that it really feels like an amazing house. You have a great room, a swimming pool and we even had wines of grapes that come from the Masseria. Next to that, you can order great homemade food for dinner and in the morning, an amazing breakfast is waiting for you. It actually feels like a shared villa! 🙂 Just the food is already enough reason to spend the night in a masseria. However, when we were staying in our Masseria, there were both tourists and locals coming over to enjoy dinner. If you don’t fancy staying in a Masseria, but want to experience the vibe, I would advise making a reservation for dinner.
How to find the best masseria? That’s a difficult question. As for our own visit, I did some online research and looked into pages covering for example the top 10 masserias. After that, I had a look at booking.com (or use any other website), typed in masseria (or farm stay) and filtered on a swimming pool and of course looked at the price ranges. Masseria Montenapoleone stood out for us straight away and we really enjoyed our stay! Bear in mind that generally, masserias are a bit more expensive than the average hotels and apartments in Puglia. However, spending 1 day in there, completes your Puglia experience.
However, to now make your life easier, I have pulled together a list of five beautiful Masserias, including their budget (based on 1 night for 2 persons).
1. Masseria Montenapoleone (from €180)
2. Masseria Il Frantoio (from €160)
3. Masseria Salamina (from €225)
4. Masseria Antiche Fogge (from €135)
5. Masseria San Francesco (from €140)
