Accommodation at PRI 0291 is all on one level. The main entrance opens into a fabulously large, long and bright living area with double-height ceilings, white walls, and cool polished concrete floors. Furnished with taste, embellished by a collection of big tropical plants, and decorated with an amazing mixture of bibelots and art, including a creative wall calendar by local artist Letizia Cariello, this cozy, quiet space houses an antique (but fully functioning) pool table at one end, a lounge area and a baby grand piano towards the middle, and a second living area in front of a fireplace at the far end.
At the centre, in front of the main entrance, a perpendicular extension of the living room – once again furnished with confidence and featuring a fireplace - opens out into the internal courtyard terrace. Three of seven bedrooms are accessed from the living room: two doubles with four-poster beds (180 × 200) and en-suite shower rooms, and a quad with twin beds (90 × 180), a bunk bed (80 × 180), and an en-suite bathroom with tub. All three rooms feature French windows accessing the internal courtyard terrace.
At the fireplace end of the living room, nine steps lead down into a hallway, off which one may access the internal courtyard terrace, the laundry room and a guest WC. This space also leads into spacious open-plan kitchen and dining area. With its sandy-stone barrel-vaulted ceilings, its beams, its green country cabinets, its central island, and its quality appliances, the kitchen is a perfect spot for communal cooking.
The dining area, meanwhile, is no less beautiful, and offers a large farmhouse table, a pair of green dressers, and double-aspect views of the gardens. A door to one side of the kitchen opens into a multi-functional room furnished with a round central table, a chaise longue, a desk, and garden access. This room leads into the home cinema equipped with a large TV, a surround sound system and a line of cozy, modern movie theatre seats.
The rest of the accommodation is entered from the internal courtyard terrace. To one side is a generous double bedroom (180 × 200) with centrally-set bed, a spacious en-suite shower room and access, via a little terrace to the pool area. To the other side are three more double bedrooms (160 × 180, 180 × 180 и 200 × 180 cm respectively), each with its own en-suite shower room. One of these also has access to the pool area.
The outdoor areas are spread over two main sections. Wrapped on three sides by the accommodation and accessed from all the bedrooms, the living area and the hallway next to the kitchen, the first of these is a fabulous, stone-flagged internal courtyard with a lovely lounge, shaded by a large sail, a pair of palms and a few other trees, and, a few steps down, a cozy outdoor dining area, where you will take most of your meals.
On the fourth side of this quiet oasis is a wall with two arches leading to the second al fresco space: the gardens and the pool. Large emerald green lawn give way to aromatic planted borders, which spread out around the property. At the centre is the wonderful 18m-long pool.
Finally, for a morning coffee or a sunset aperitif, arguably the best place is the fantastic roof terrace, accessed via steps from the internal courtyard, which extends over the whole house and provides superb views over the surrounding countryside.
PRI 0291 is located a few km from the lovely towns of Casarano, Collepasso and Parabita, all of which boast a variety of amenities, including restaurants, pizzerias, bars, cafés and shops. Less than half an hour's drive west is the historic town of Gallipoli, set on a fortified island and offering some beautiful architecture as well as vivid nightlife and some great restaurants. The amazing baroque towns of Galatina and Lecce are 20 and 40 minutes' drive away respectively and most certainly worth a visit. In terms of beaches, the coast running north and south of Gallipoli is a little corner of paradise for lovers of sand and azure waters and there are many options, including some with exclusive lidos, within a 30-minute drive.
