Puglia - On a peaceful oasis only 2km from the Ionian sea, you can holiday amidst nature and the colours, perfumes and tastes of the Salento peninsula.
Close to the lovely seaside resorts of the Ionian coast, including Pescoluse, Torre Vado, Torre Pali, Marina di Ugento, Torre Mozza and Lido Marini, you will find beautiful long beaches and sand dunes framing a limpid and crystalline sea. Here within the countryside and peaceful silence of the Mediterranean coast lies the Specolizzi holiday farm.
Specolizzi allows quick access to interesting towns such as Gallipoli, Santa Maria di Leuca, Otranto and Lecce. The farm is 100 metres above sea level and is surrounded by olives, figs, oleanders, eucalyptuses and pine trees - the ideal place to spend quiet and relaxing days.
It is completely enclosed and an old tower and ancient stable have been converted, using a traditional architectural style, into apartments where four or five can sleep, with or without a kitchen. Double rooms are also available. All apartments and double rooms are fully furnished and air-conditioned, with hairdryer, cable TV, fridge and WC. Outside, guests have at their disposal a lovely atrium with tables, seats and a garden area.
A delicious buffet breakfast can be taken on a patio near the atrium, looking onto a superb swimming pool and surrounded by palm trees and lush Mediterranean plants. Facilities at the farm include a floodlit 16 metre pool and another pool only for adult, open from May to September and including a solarium room and TV. There is covered parking. Extra facilities include aerobics, Shiatsu massage, baby sitting and thermal baths at Santa Cesaria Terme. There is a bar on the patio to provide you with snacks and drinks throughout the day. Disabled access is possible to the parking, restaurant, bar, pool and beach areas. Small pets are welcome in all but the pool areas.
Nearby you will find a tennis court, football pitch, diving, horse riding, go-karting, walking, jogging and volleyball. The farm offers boat trips, walking tours, and traditional local celebrations and festivals in villages nearby. Also available is food tasting in local restaurants, plays in a traditional theatre, and many other tours to local craft centres. There is transport by car to a 2km private beach just a few minutes away.
There are excursions to the caves along the Salentine coast, or inland to abandoned towns, old fortified farms and Romanesque cathedrals. Find out about the Messapian ancient civilization, the Megalithic monuments, the typical Baroque style of the area, the coastal towers and the old countryside mansions of the nobles.
Olive oil has been central to the area for millennia, and the olive tree has almost become the emblem of Puglia. The Bourbon King Carlo gave tax breaks to landowners planting olives as long ago as the 18th century, and today there are some 50m under plantation. This golden fluid is of course not only delicious but health giving, and Specolizzi grows its own extra virgin DOC for eating and cooking.
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