The Adriatic Sea is the long, approximately thumb-shaped one that divides Italy from Greece. As such, it’s the veritable cradle of Western civilization, and its shores are a testament to that: on both sides, structures — some hundreds of years old, some thousands — stand in various states of honorable disrepair. Occasionally, those structures get a facelift from some intrepid hospitality firm, and when they do, the results tend not to suck.
Case in point: Palazzo Daniele, a former family home-turned-boutique hotel in the Puglia region of southeast Italy that just opened about a 20-minute drive from the Adriatic coast.
Daniele is small but mighty, with nine suites that range from 300 to 2,100 square feet. Rooms stare out onto either the courtyard or the piazzetta, the interior square around which many traditional Italian homes are built. Other common areas include an outdoor pool, library, living room with a fireplace, cocktail garden and the “Kaffeehaus,” an intimate outdoor dining enclosure where guests can enjoy a private dinner.
But what’s perhaps most unique here are the beautifully preserved neoclassical details. The home was built in 1861, and its fresco-covered ceilings and colorfully tiled floors have been painstakingly restored to former glory. Add in a contemporary art collection inherited from former owner Francesco Petrucci (who also founded the renowned Cap d’Arte, an annual international art show in Puglia) and you’re basically wining, dining and sleeping in a kind of Italian art-history seminar come to life.
The redesign owes to the work of Italian hotelier Gabriele Salini’s newly formed GS Collection. Palazzo Daniele is the second property in the portfolio; the first is Rome’s similarly old-meets-new G-Rough, which would make an excellent companion piece if you’re looking to stretch your legs in Italy anytime soon.
For information on bookings at Palazzo Daniele, head here. Rooms start at $480 per night.
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