Villa with stunning views over Adriatic, Laureto, Puglia

Villa Description
Tastefully restored to its former glory as the summer retreat of the Mayor of Fasano, this extremely spacious luxury villa offers contemporary living to the very highest standard. Set in 2 acres of secluded terraced gardens, Villa Francesca is perched on the edge of the Selva hills 400m above sea level and benefits from uninterrupted views over the olive groves to the sea beyond. Enclosing this stunning villa is an expansive south facing L shaped veranda with traditional stone arches, perfect for relaxing in the Puglian sunshine or dining ‘al fresco’ Italian style. The fully air conditioned interior offers an incredible 40 ft open plan living area inter-connected by stone arches with stone floors, chic Italian leather sofas, marble dining table seating 10 people, masseria-style stone fireplace, marble bathroom with jacuzzi. The private heated swimming pool set in an enclosed garden courtyard has paved terraces offering multiple living & dining areas with spectacular sea views.


General: Puglia gets close to 300 days sunshine a year with the warm weather starting in April and going right through until the end of October. The hottest months are July and August but with two seas around the area the air does not feel too oppressive during these months, especially as the property is located above the coastal plain. Spring and autumn is glorious- sunny and warm with wild flowers in abundance. Italians are unashamedly devoted to celebrating everything Italian - religion, food, wine... And they show it with festivals, filling the summer nights, celebrating everything from classical music to grapes. These family orientated events provide great free outdoor entertainment and gives you an insight into the wonderful hospitable Pugliese people. Puglia is something authentically Mediterranean and very Italian, come and find out for yourself and see why more people are recommending it.

Activities: Whether you prefer soaking up the sun, shopping, sightseeing, enjoying culture or something more active, the area has much to offer. Beautiful architecture, ancient castles and Baroque churches can be found in all the local towns and eating is an activity in itself as the region is a food and wine lovers paradise . With over 400 miles of coastline, Puglia has a huge selection of sandy beaches and coves (all of which have blue flag status). For golfers Puglia has five major courses. The 5* 18 hole par 72 San Domenica Golf resort and spa near the fishing village of Savelettri, is the closest (just 7km) and newest. For children there are lidos with children's facilities, and a major tourist attraction is the Zoo Safari Park of Fasano. For classical music lovers there is the famous Itria Valley Festival in Martina Franca towards the end of July, and the newly-reopened Bari Opera house is fantastic. All sorts of music and theatre festivals abound in the summer in the nearby towns.

Distances and other information: Under 50 minutes -Bari Airport. Under 40 minutes - Brindisi Airport. 10 - 15 minutes - Alberobello, Locorotondo, Fasano/Zoo Safari, beaches. 15 -25 minutes- Martina Franca, Ostuni, Polignano al Mare, Castellana Grotte, the ancient site of Egnazia and the Marine Nature reserve of Torre Guacheto. Further afield, but all making easy day trips - Matera, a town of 13th century cave dwellings, the 'sassi' used in the film 'The Passion' , and churches with medieval wall frescoes - Lecce, famous for its unique architecture and known as the 'Florence of the South' - the Norman cathedral towns of the Bari coast - Laterza, the 'Grand Canyon of Puglia' - Taranto, with its atmospheric historical centre - the list goes on... We do recommend that you hire a car to ensure you explore the area and get the most from your Puglia holiday, this is easy to arrange in advance from the airports.

Further notes on accommodation: Villa Francesca is a 250sqm independent villa set in its own garden with its own private drive accessed through electric gates and its own private swimming pool and private outside entertainment areas. Due to its spectacular hillside location, the villas in the area are necessarily arranged on terraces which means that there is another villa with its own postal address and separate access arrangements, part of which is indeed situated directly below (and connected to) Villa Francesca. This is actually a very typically layout for this part of Italy and can be seen clearly from some of the photos included on the website.