Masseria Montenapoleone

Absolutely the most gorgeous property I have ever had the pleasure of staying in. Each room has been carefully designed and furnished by hand using unique vintage decor along with beds from heaven. In the morning you can open your window to see and smell the luscious orange and lemon trees. The setting just never ends with beautiful flowers blooming amidst fruits, vegetables, and herbs that will be freshly harvested for your next delicious meal - or cooking class! There's even a pool bathed in sunlight to cool off in.

Masseria Montenapoleone is, simply put, a paradise on earth. Just a few kilometers from the Adriatic coast in Puglia, Italy, it is a fully working farm-to-table experience for travelers looking to really dive into the food and wine of Puglia. As I understand it, this is a very old masseria that was purchased by the current owners and was lovingly restored and is now managed to provide the ultimate relaxation spot for their guests. Each of the 20+ rooms are uniquely decorated with plenty of room to spread out and just enjoy the rustic but very peaceful surrounding countryside. The staff are all great and super helpful. The food, wine, and olive oil are there for you to fully partake in and enjoy. Try a pasta-making class; enjoy a tasting of the local wines; enjoy a hands on experience at tasting and evaluating the differences--using the Italian technique of "stripaggio"--between extra virgin olive oil made from 25-year old trees, 100-year old trees, and even from olives produced from trees older than 1,000 years. I got up early in the a.m. twice and wandered through the olive orchards, peach and almond orchards, and among the vineyards of ripening grapes and just soaked in the peacefulness and beauty of this old farm. Several members of our small food and wine tour group (EF Go Ahead Tours Food and Wine of Campania, Puglia, and Amalfi Coast) signed up for massages and spa treatments, while I enjoyed the gorgeous and amazing pool on the property. We stayed three nights, and I could have stayed a month longer! Beautiful place to visit and experience.

While the property and aesthetic are charming and beautiful, this is a place to visit for an afternoon, but do not waste your money on a stay. It is the definition of ???instagram culture??? - perfectly curated for gorgeous photos while in reality the service is subpar, the food is bland and the cooking experience is misleading. The latter was the most disappointing. For 55 euro really what you get is a preparation experience, a glass of the house wine and a piece of focaccia. You don???t even prepare the foccacia, instead you simply sprinkle on some garnishes. Understood it takes a long time to make and it???s not possible but say as much in the description of the experience. This is followed by shaping some different types of pasta - just rolling some dough. You don???t get to actually make anything or taste the pasta. Fair that the logistics of doing so would be difficult but price this accordingly - at best worth 25-30 euro. You do not get to taste any actual pasta. You literally just get a piece of bread. The service is also completely lacking. I asked for help with reservations for local restaurants and they were not able to secure any for me. I was told Osteria Piazzette in Ostuni was unavailable all week and when I emailed myself I was able to get a reservation. Their list of recommended restaurants is subpar and catered for tourists. When I shared this feedback at checkout the most they were able to offer was a mediocre cloth apron we wore in the cooking close. For 1800 euro for 4 nights there are far superior places you can stay. Upon arrival, we were already dragging our bag halfway to our room over the gravel when we were asked if we needed help with our bags. For the price paid, this should have been a given. No problem doing so myself if I???m going into a rustic experience with a price that matches. But if you???re claiming to be a luxury hotel, then step up the services to reflect this claim . If you???re a mid range influencer with basic taste - this is the place for you. If you???re a seasoned traveler look elsewhere. The room comfortable enough and the breakfast staff is lovely and a redeeming part of the service.