Where are we?
Gagliano del Capo is a quiet town in the deep south of the Salento, where the rocky Adriatic coast meets the Ionian Sea. We enter the palazzo on Corso Umberto I, in the heart of town, across a little bar on the piazza. For four generations, the quite stunning neoclassical house with the green shutters belonged to the Daniele family. Francesco Petrucci, a descendant, spent his childhood summers here. In 2019 he gave the keys to Roman hotelier and art enthusiast Gabriele Salini of GS Collection (he also owns the G-Rough in Rome), and together they turned it into a guesthouse – definitely not an ordinary one.
The Hotel
Step into the halls and salons and you feel it at once: the weight of history, and the creativity the hosts have poured into the house. There is no reception desk in the usual sense, and no restaurant with a menu. Instead, guests arrive through the salons. In one of them, the salotto, there’s an honesty bar; in the reading room, books are piled high. Beneath the thick stone walls and vaulted ceilings, the rooms stay cool even when the southern summer is at its fiercest.
The Design
The renovation was designed by Ludovica and Roberto Palomba of the Milan studio Palomba Serafini Associati, whose guiding principle was to leave out as much as possible. They restored the ceiling frescoes and the terracotta-toned mosaic floors, and kept even the cracks in the vaults, each one a trace of 160 years of history. Added to this are a few pieces designed specifically for the house: open wardrobes in black steel and armchairs from the “Lirico” series.
The art
In 2010, Mr. Petrucci founded Capo d’Arte, a nonprofit that brings contemporary art to Puglia and stages an annual festival in Gagliano. So the palazzo doubles as a gallery. There are light boxes by the Roman artist Simon d’Exéa and a rain shower conceived as an installation by Andrea Sala. Between the family’s ancestral portraits hangs a growing collection of contemporary work.
The suites
The suites are arranged across two wings around the central courtyard, and no two are alike. Most of the junior suites have their original frescoed ceilings. In the Royal Junior Suite, a freestanding tub sits beneath the frescoes. La Torretta is a duplex with a red marble staircase, a library of Italian classics and direct access to the garden. The Black Suite is reached through an old secret door and up a stone stair: a 900-square-foot penthouse with its own kitchen and a wide terrace wrapping around the courtyard. Families can take the master suites, each with two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Garden & Spa
Behind the house, one courtyard opens onto the next, leading to an orangery and a walled garden of orange and lemon trees. Here lies a 40-foot pool with a dark basin, framed by stone slabs. Nearby are a sauna and a steam room, and in summer, a tapas bar by the water.
Culinary
The cooking here isn’t done by star chefs but by women from town whose families have lived in the Salento for generations. Farmers deliver ingredients every morning; the fish comes from the vendor on the piazza. Expect dishes like octopus with potatoes, beef in Negroamaro sauce, tubettini with scorpionfish, and lemon linguine with thyme and shrimp. Those who want can learn to shape orecchiette in the kitchen. Lunch and dinner are available on request, at least a day in advance. Also the breakfast is served on request. Every culinary experience here is not an ordinary one.
Beaches
Within walking distance is the Canale del Ciolo, a gorge that runs straight into the sea, with swimming among the rocks. Farther toward Leuca lies the Grotta Aspro, with white cliffs and turquoise water. For sand, drive to Pescoluse on the Ionian coast, whose pale beach has earned it the nickname “the Maldives of the Salento.”
Good to know
Most beaches in the southern Salento are rocky, so water shoes come in handy. The palazzo has no parking of its own; guests park on the surrounding streets. Because of the historic structure, the house is not wheelchair accessible. Dogs are welcome. The palazzo usually closes in January and February, and from November to mid-March it can be rented in its entirety.
Pair it with
The perfect Puglia trip begins in Bari. Pick up a small rental car there; small, because you’ll be squeezing through the narrow lanes of typical Italian villages, and a Fiat 500 is just the thing. Spend a few nights at Palazzo Tafuri, then head south to Palazzo Daniele. And finish with a couple of days of doing very little at Masseria Calderisi, with its own beach club, between Monopoli and Ostuni. Add the beaches of Otranto (from Palazzo Daniele) and Campomarino (from Palazzo Tafuri), then Lecce, Polignano and Ostuni for day excursions and you enjoy the perfect trip.
Journey
Nearest airports are Brindisi (90 mins) and Bari (2.30h).
Rates
Suites in low season from about €450 a night; High season is more expensive, depending on the month. Breakfast is extra (8 a.m. to noon, on request).
Booking & Contacts
Palazzo Daniele
Corso Umberto I 60
73034 Gagliano del Capo (LE)
Italy
