The Best Masseria in Puglia: Experience Life on an Italian Farm

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Our best memories from our trip to southern Italy are of staying in a beautiful masseria in Puglia, traditional farmhouses that offer guest accommodation.

We were welcomed like family members, sampled olive oil, wine, and cheese made on the farms, learnt about Puglian culture and cuisine, and met the owners who often join guests for home-cooked dinners using products from the farms.

There are many Puglia masseria throughout the region and accommodation ranges from simple apartments to luxury suites and even trulli (the iconic circular stone huts).

Most are in peaceful settings in the countryside surrounded by olive groves and vineyards.

You usually need a car to access these farm stays and some can be difficult to find, but it’s worth it for such unique accommodation and the opportunity to experience the warm hospitality of Puglian people.

These are the best Puglia masseria we have visited during multiple trips to the region.

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Masseria Puglia Map

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Masseria Il Frantoio, Ostuni

Masseria Il Frantoio review - a beautiful farm stay or masseria in Ostuni, Puglia

Masseria Il Frantoio is our favourite masseria in Puglia, in fact it’s our favourite place to stay in all of Italy.

We visited this Ostuni masseria on our second trip to Puglia to try their olive oil which included a tour of the olive groves, amongst centuries old trees, in a funky 1949 Fiat.

The 1949 Fiat we toured the olive groves in at Masseria Il Frantoio
The 1949 Fiat we toured the olive groves in
Ancient olive tree at Masseria Il Frantoio
Ancient olive tree at Masseria Il Frantoio

We tasted four of their olive oils, our favourite was the punchy Leccina with a green gold colour made from 100% Leccina olives.

We also tried many of their flavourful homemade jams—quince, bitter orange, lemon and mandarin; and their rosoli, a liqueur drunk after dinner infused with natural ingredients. They make 35 different flavours including mulberry, fennel, olive leaf, and pomegranate.

On our latest visit to Puglia we returned to spend a few nights on the farm. Il Frantoio has been lovingly restored and the 300-year-old stables and grain mill converted to 16 guest rooms.

View from our terrace of the 17th century chapel in the courtyard of Masseria Il Frantoio, Puglia
View from our terrace of the 17th century chapel in the courtyard

We were struck by the palpable sense of history—the 1000 year old olive trees; the 1949 Fiat; the 17th century chapel that would have been used every day by the workers; the cart house converted to a living room with old tools on display; the old books and love letters from previous inhabitants; the original olive mill in a natural cave.

It was clear that despite the comforts for guests this is a working farm and has been for centuries.

Old olive press at Il Frantioio
Old olive press at Il Frantoio

The masseria has many places to relax—the swimming pool, peaceful courtyard, shady garden, walled citrus orchard, and guest living room. It’s only 6km from the beach near Ostuni.

Swimming pool at Masseria Il Frantoio, Ostuni
Courtyard at Masseria Il Frantoio, Ostuni

Best of all is the food, which all comes from the farm. The eight course tasting menu with wine pairing was one of the best meals we’ve had in Italy. 

Vegetarian dinner at Masseria Il Frantoio, an agriturismo near Ostuni, Puglia
Some of the dishes of our 8-course dinner at Masseria Il Frantoio: pizzelle, zucchini salad, fried artichokes, and ricotta tart

Read our detailed Masseria il Frantoio review for more photos and information. 

Click here for the latest prices at Masseria Il Frantoio.

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Masseria Spetterata, Cisternino

The pool at Masseria Spetterata in Puglia with a view of the Adriatic Sea and olive groves.
The pool at Masseria Spetterata

If Masseria Il Frantoio is booked up (as it often is), another masseria in the area is Masseria Spetterata.

It’s 15 minutes from Cisternino, 20 minutes from Ostuni, and 25 minutes from Locorotondo, so it’s central for exploring the Valle d’Itria.

The masseria is surrounded by olive groves and has a wonderful view of the Adriatic Sea from its pool. Relaxing here was a highlight of our stay.

The owner and staff are extremely friendly and will go out of their way to make your stay enjoyable.

The poolside restaurant doesn’t serve dinner, unfortunately, but there’s an excellent breakfast buffet (featuring homemade cakes) and a small lunch menu.

We loved the orechiette pasta so much that we had it two days in a row.

Our superior double room was fairly simple with a small bathroom and rather hard bed, but we loved the large terrace with table, chairs, couch, and a sea view.

We really appreciated a comfortable outdoor space on warm summer nights.

Check prices and availability for Masseria Spetterata here.

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Bio-Masseria Lama di Luna, Andria

Castel del Monte
Castel del Monte

Bio-Masseria Lama di Luna is a huge estate located near the famous octagonal Castel del Monte.

It’s the most luxurious Puglia masseria we stayed in with farm buildings beautifully converted to guest rooms with exposed stone walls, terracotta tiled floors, and high ceilings.

We stayed in a spacious suite which had a living room, bedroom, and a massive bathroom featuring a jacuzzi bath, a double trough sink, and rain shower.

Our bedroom at Masseria Lama di Luna
Our bedroom at Masseria Lama di Luna
Our bathroom at Masseria Lama di Luna
Our bathroom at Masseria Lama di Luna

The large infinity pool is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the views over the vast fields of olive trees.

Masseria Lama di Luna infinity pool at sunset
The infinity pool at sunset
Masseria Lama di Luna infinity pool

As at all the Puglia masseria, dinner is a highlight. Owners Pietro and Beatrice joined us guests for dinner at a long table for a family-style meal on the terrace.

We ate from the buffet of pasta with vegetables, parmigiana di melanzana, roasted vegetables, rustic pizza, salad, and meatballs for the meat eaters, accompanied by their own good red wine.

As we ate, Pietro explained his philosophy—they are an organic farm that uses no chemicals to grow their olive trees, vines, cherries, almonds, and the vegetables which we ate at dinner.

Click here to see the latest prices at Bio-Masseria Lama di Luna.

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Masseria Ferri, Martina Franca

Masseria Ferri trulli
Masseria Ferri trulli

Masseria Ferri is in the Valle d’Itria, one of the most scenic parts of Puglia with orchards, olive groves, white washed hill towns, and the circular stone huts called trulli.

We were excited to experience living in one ourselves as Masseria Ferri offers guest accommodation in converted trulli.

They were surprisingly comfortable and cool in the summer heat, and we enjoyed sitting outside on our flower decorated patio in the very quiet countryside.

Our trulli room at Masseria Ferri
Our trulli room

Owner Patricia, her husband, daughter and grandson live in the farmhouse and were very welcoming.

Breakfast and dinner were usually at individual tables on the terrace—the highlight was their homemade caciocavallo cheese.

One night, as we were the only guests, Patricia invited us to join her friends and family for dinner.

It was Simon’s first experience of a real Italian family meal, and it didn’t disappoint—excellent simple food and animated conversation (often revolving around food) with everyone talking over each other in Italian.

It’s experiences like these that you just don’t get staying in a hotel.

Since our stay they have added a swimming pool. 

Masseria Ferri is in a great location for visiting beautiful Puglia towns like Ostuni, Martina Franca, and Cisternino.

Click here to see the latest prices at Masseria Ferri

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Masseria Sant’Angelo, Corigliano d’Otranto

Our apartment at Masseria Sant'Angelo
Our apartment at Masseria Sant’Angelo

Masseria Sant’Angelo may not have had the most luxurious rooms or scenic countryside surroundings, but it was our most authentic Puglia masseria experience.

As soon as we arrived the first thing owners Rocco and Ursula did was give us some tiny apples and super sweet figs from the trees outside our room, and we were encouraged to help ourselves to any of the fruit around the farm.

Later as I sat on our terrace Rocco cycled past with a tub of goats cheese ricotta that he had just made, still warm, creamy and more flavourful than any ricotta I’ve eaten before.

We stayed in one of the little houses around the farm that they’ve converted to basic but comfortable apartments.

The masseria is more rustic and less historic than other farms we stayed on but the experience is made by Rocco and Ursula who go out of their way to make every guest feel at home.

Ursula is German, speaks good English, and practices natural horsemanship techniques (you can learn about it and ride the horses on the farm).

Rocco is a local (it’s his father’s farm) and is passionate about preserving the Greek traditions of this area of Puglia, the Grecìa Salentina.

He speaks the Greko language and is a talented tambourinist of pizzica, the frenetic folk dance that is shrouded in myth and was thought to be the only cure for a tarantula bite.

Every evening pizzica music accompanied our meal and one night Rocco even invited friends over to perform for us. We’d love to return for their Gricanti festival of pizzica.

Masseria Sant'Angelo pizzica performance
Rocco and his friends playing pizzica music. The 5 year old was a fantastic tambourinist and his sister danced in the background

Rocco is also enthusiastic about teaching guests, especially children, about organic farming, the environment, and encouraging them to become comfortable around animals.

It’s a place where you can get involved as much as you’d like. We milked the goats, watched cacioricotta cheese being made, and toured the farm where Rocco showed us the old tools that were used on the farm and the outdoor stone museum he has constructed to show how people used to live.

Milking a goat at Masseria Sant Angelo
Rocco and Ursula’s son teaching Simon to milk a goat
Bee hives how they would have been in the Middle Ages
Beehives how they would have been in the Middle Ages in Rocco’s stone museum

Dinners are a highlight. Rocco and Ursula eat with guests at the long table on the terrace and an endless stream of dishes are brought out—perhaps eight antipasti, pasta, cheese, fruit, dessert.

The ingredients are mostly from their garden and it’s all fresh and flavourful including many local specialities.

Some of the tasty things we ate at Masseria Sant'Angelo
Some of the tasty things we ate at Masseria Sant’Angelo

Masseria Sant’Angelo is the one masseria in Puglia we visited that you could manage without a car as it’s walkable to a train station. A car is recommended for exploring Salento, though.

It’s located just outside Corigliano d’Otranto, an untouristy town with an impressive castle that you’ll likely have to yourself.

Although Sant’Angelo doesn’t have the remote rural location of other farms it felt like our most authentic, off the beaten track experience.

Rocco is a passionate and warm host and we learnt so much from him about this unique area of Puglia.

If you are looking for a unique Salento masseria, we highly recommend Masseria Sant’Angelo

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Puglia Masserie Summary

If you are travelling to the region we really recommend staying in a Puglia masseria for at least part of your stay.

It’s a unique experience and the ideal way to enjoy the landscapes, food, and people of Puglia and will leave you with the warmest memories of your trip.

You can find more Puglia masserie by searching on Booking.com and ticking “Farm stays” as the property type in the filter list—click here to see the current options

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More Puglia Posts

Read our other posts to help you plan your trip to the region:

General Puglia Tips

Central and Northern Puglia

Salento Peninsula

18 Comments

  1. Hi, thank you very much for all your informative information about all your wonderful travels in PUGLIA your blog has helped me immensely in traveling my trip. I am planning to go from September to the beginning of October. Then I’m lucky enough to have a month there. My whole goal for my whole trip is basically to come out living as a local with cooking experiences. I was wondering besides cooking classes you posted If you had any recommendations for how to.” live as a local ” cooking classes and experiences ..

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  2. Hi,

    How much is roughly the price of a meal at Masseria Il Frantoio? And how much would a meal be at Masseria Sant’Angelo be?

    Have you been to either of them in August? That’s when we’re planning to visit so hoping it won’t be BOILING hot!!

    Many thanks!

    Reply ↓

    • Here’s the info for Il Frantoio we got last year:

      “We serve the set-menu: “A Journey to tradition” which includes 8 wild, organic, medieval courses and 3 great Apulian wines. The cost is € 65,00 per adult. Alternatively you can reserve the “Trip to tradition” menu, based on 6 courses and 2 wines and the cost is € 55,00 per person or the “Stroll through tradition” menu based on 4 courses and 1 wine and the cost is € 40,00 per person.”

      I can’t remember how much Masseria Sant’Angelo was as we stayed there a few years ago. You could always email them.

      We haven’t been to Puglia in August. It will be hot but embrace siesta time and I’m sure you’ll be fine! It’ll be a very festive time of year. Enjoy! Erin 

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  3. Hello! Thank you for this wonderful post. Very helpful as we are planning our trip to Puglia right now!

    One question for you, were the meals and agrotourism experiences included in the nightly rate at these masserias or was there an extra charge/gratuity (and/or a separate reservation) required?

    Very grateful for your reply

    Rachel

    Reply ↓

    • There was an extra charge for meals as not all guests eat in every night. Making a reservation when you book your room is a good idea but usually booking the day before (or the morning of) is fine. It really depends on the place though. Enjoy your Puglia trip!

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  4. I had the 7 or 8 (?) course dinner at Masseria Il Frantoio. As you suspected, it was excellent! Definitely one of the top meal experiences I’ve had in Italy! I’ll be sure to check out some of these other spots too!

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    • I’m so glad you enjoyed it! We have booked to stay there next week (finally!) and will be having the 8 course dinner. We’re very excited!

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  5. Looking forward to learning about family friendly Masseria’s this coming June- July for a family of 4

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  6. I take small groups to Italy a couple of times a year but have never gone to Puglia. I’m planning to go next fall and stumbled upon your fantastic website as I was doing a little research. Thanks for all of the useful information particularly the info about the masseria. I (and those who go with me) love to stay off the beaten path so we can truly be a part of the culture. Your website will be a huge help as I plan the Puglia adventure!!

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    • Helen, I plan on being in Italy for a month in Jan., Feb. 2017….would love to connect with you, as I usually do not rent a car, so therefore cannot do the Masseria stays…
      Eunice

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  7. that first hotel is just freakin beautiful! I love authentic hotels like that. Where i’m at it’s either crap or it’s a hilton. not much in between :(

    Reply ↓

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