Pollicastro Boutique Hotel ★★★★

Italy’s boot is home to some of the most beautiful, untapped hidden gems the country has to offer. Puglia boasts hundreds of kilometres of glossy coastline, fertile hills that stretch for miles, and a history spanning centuries. Roman refinement meets Baroque extravagance in Lecce, ‘The Florence of the South’. The Pollicastro Boutique Hotel, once in a state of disrepair, is now living its own renaissance.

Located in the very heart of the city’s historical core, the hotel’s palatial setting matches the Baroque panache emanating from every street. Indeed, taking your first steps in this hotel you’ll get the feeling you’re passing through time, back to a golden age of Italian culture. The façade’s great stone architecture becomes a motif in every room; refined rock adds an elegant feature from reception to bedroom, while polished wooden furnishings demonstrate the focus on celebrated Italian craftmanship.

The lime-white interior, mixed with earthy tones and marble finishes add a peaceful yet elegant touch, inviting each guest to enjoy pure serenity. Of course if that’s what you crave, then the rooftop garden and terrace should be your first step. Some kind of forcefield projects itself around the area, cutting off any sense of the outside world, holding you in a state of sheer blissful inertia.

At the end of the day, you take a few minutes to regain your composure, perched on your balcony watching the Italian life puffing its last few breaths before slowing to a standstill. Sleep like the royalty of the 16th century, luxury like this knows how to stand the test of time…