La Villa Azzurra

La Villa Azzurra is an ancient 'trullo' (traditional round, stone dwellings with a conical roof, typical of the center/south of Apulia) located in the heart of the Salento region. The Trulli were once used by farmers for their housing and working needs. Some trulli were used for the storage of agricultural tools, raw clay baskets and pots, and ceramic containers for oil, wine and cereals.

The villa is designed for those who want to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and stay in an exclusive oasis where sun, pure air, luxury and relaxation reign supreme. To feel at home… And much more: La Villa Azzurra offers customised stays suited to all needs, enabling guests to experience the luxury they are accustomed to, and to feel looked after, pampered and protected.

A landscape filled with classic beauty: a land with no steep slopes, mild weather and sunshine nearly all year round, geometric stretches of red land, olive groves as far as the eye can see and neat vineyards in rows. La Villa Azzurra is surrounded by a typical Maquis Shrubland oasis with more than 800 trees, a park of olive, almond, fig and pomegranate trees, as well as long stone walls where to stop and listen to the hypnotic song of cicadas, losing all sense of time.

The trulli stand out like stone tents in the green landscape of olive trees, exhibiting their white pinnacles and displaying mysterious signs on the convex side of their cones: crosses, crescents, stars and angels protecting the hearth - ancestral traditions of an agricultural and deeply spiritual culture, profoundly linked to natural symbolism. In 1996 the trulli were declared a UNESCO world heritage site and are the most exciting discovery in a land that has such a rich architectural and environmental identity.

La Villa Azzurra, in its aristocratic isolation, is precisely this: an opportunity to treat oneself to a fulfilling holiday experience, in contact with the history and nature of the Salento region. It is a trullo composed of 11 cones. The 270 m2/3,000 sq ft . trullo is surrounded by 23,000 sq. m. of countryside. Inside there are four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and three living rooms. The interiors have a modern style, top designer furniture, and offer all the modern conveniences (telephone, fax, plasma TV with satellite connection, Wi-Fi, air-conditioning and heating that can be individually adjusted, microwave, coffee and tea maker): exclusive environments recreating a homely atmosphere, with an extra touch of elegance and constant attention to detail.

The trullo has been designed to guarantee utmost privacy and functionality. In fact, a section of it, despite being part of the same building, has a private entrance and is ideal for those who prefer to go on holiday with their own domestic staff. On both sides of the trullo, there are two stone courtyards, which are used as an outdoor lounge, with direct access from the trullo, furnished with sofas, tables, sun umbrellas and TV.

Contemporary; relaxing; luxurious: this property is in the heart of the Salento region, very close to Ostuni and Alberobello, just twenty minutes from Brindisi Airport and minutes from the white shores of the Adriatic coast. The villa is composed of 11 cones, the main house is surrounded by 23,000 SqMt (248,400 SqFt) of Puglian countryside that fades onto the sea. The interiors are decorated in modern style, top designer furniture and an extra touch of elegance. . A typical marquis scrubland oasis with more than 800 trees surrounds the villa: secular olive, almond, fig trees, plum and walnut trees. The swimming pool (14x7 meters) is decorated entirely with cobalt blue mosaics.

Pool opens on the 15th of May(or week including such date) and closes on the 30th of September (or week including such date)

270 m2/3,000 sq ft

FEATURES

• 4 Double bedrooms

• 3 Bathrooms

• All bedrooms equipped with air conditioning and SAT TV

• 23,000 sq. m. park

• Relaxation area with brick couches and pillows, tables and sun umbrellas

• 1 Gazebo equipped with outdoor kitchen and oven, cooker, dishwasher, ice maker, beverage cooler, bar, table and chairs

• Large dining terrace with seating for 22 people

• A long wrought iron pergola trained with sweetly-scented jasmine

• Swimming pool (14 x 7); gated

• 2 Equipped kitchens with oven, cooker, dishwasher, microwave and coffee maker

• Air conditioning throughout

• Automatic illumination

• Cooling fans in bedrooms

• De-humidifiers

• Fireplaces

• Flat screen Sat TV in living room

• Gated

• Laundry room with washer/dryer and iron

• Wi-Fi Internet connection, telephone and fax

• Parking for 10 cars

• Security service and alarm system

• Cribs available on request
• Chef available on request
• Gazebo with Parking for 10 cars
• Alarm system
• Fireplace
• Wine cellar
• Dishwasher
• Wifi
• Gazebo area with parking for 10 cars

Included services

Telephone Concierge and travel Planning Service; Welcome Basket; Change of pool and bathroom towels twice a week; Change of bed linen once a week, housekeeping 2 hrs per day from Monday to Friday.

Not Included

Electricity for air conditioning starts at €40 plus VAT per day when used; Tax & Local Concierge €340 per booking (the local concierge can be requested to guide guests and/or do grocery and activities for guest at the cost of €25 plus 22% vat per hour);

The Salento Area

The Salento, overlooking the Ionian and Adriatic seas, is in the heart of the Mediterranean, this area is included in an imaginary triangle that goes from the province of Taranto, to Ostuni and down to the tip of the region in Santa Maria di Leuca. In this Micro region you can find golden sands and crystal clear water. Thanks to the warm temperature during all the year, Salento is an ideal destination not only in the summer mounts. The territory of this region is plain and intensively cultivated; it's divided into small plots of land by characteristic dry stone walls built of the typical limestone of the place (pietra leccese), rows of ancient olive trees between ancient fortified “Masserie” and small white villages. Salento however, is not only sea and beautiful rural landscapes. People who come here oftern become involved in one of the hundreds of village parties, where is visible a very distinctive folklore from the rest of Puglia such as the famous sword dance, a ritual that is repeated unchanged for centuries. In Salento there are substantial differences with the rest of Puglia, also regarding the architecture; here are visible many Baroque palaces built between the '500 and '700. The pace of life is slow, the food is delicious, and the people are kind and gentle.

The Puglia Region in general

Puglia is known as a land of extraordinary colors and wonderful variety; an undulating plateau of rich, red earth, with dark green pine-forested hillsides and light green olive groves, rows of vineyards, blindingly white labyrinths of historic town centres that glisten in the sun, milky white medieval centers with their tangled, cobble streets and alleyways, baroque churches of grey and natural hews. Apulia - or Puglia - is a region in south-eastern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Otranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Puglia is divided into six provinces: Bari, Barletta-Andria, Brindisi, Foggia, Lecce and Taranto. Its southern portion known as Salento, where this villa is located is a peninsula that forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. Puglia consists of rolling plains and gentle uplands, sources of grain and the nation's largest volumes of wine and olive oil. Puglia's most striking tourist attraction - because it is so unique - is the trulli district, around Alberobello (a protected World Heritage site). Also striking, in a more sophisticated style, is Lecce, a town famed for its baroque beauty: all golden stone and elegant seventeenth-century architecture with riots of cherubs and foliage. On the whole, the smaller towns of Puglia, and the countryside, make better holiday destinations than the big port cities. Martina Franca, Locorotondo, Cisternino Fasano and Ostuni are all picturesque hilltop towns scattered around the Valle d'Itria. Along the coast, Otranto is one of the most attractive seaside resorts, with a picturesque old town and bluewaters. Around Taranto there are fascinating underground sanctuaries and churches, while at Castellana Grotte, close to Alberobello, there are impressive natural caverns offering guided tours.

Altogether, a wonderful area, still fairy undiscovered by North Americans.