Find a room serving to exaggerate the grandeur of original ceiling frescoes and mosaic flooring Ludovica + Roberto Palomba turned the building's layout around converting the ground floor living areas into spaces for exhibiting art the guestrooms and gathering spots look onto a series of courtyards such as the property’s 19th-century chapel Site-specific works chosen by Francesco Petrucci and Carla Accardi’s lithography mix seamlessly with ancient portraits Read their story Respecting the seasons and utilizing simple nearby ingredients that allow for superior dishes the chefs combine ancient and contemporary techniques Each meal feels essential and is free from all unnecessary components reflect a love for the land and for artisanal practices View store Whether tempted by the temperatures of Puglia in March or Pembrokeshire’s craggy coastline here’s some inspiration for a trip to step into spring I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice make the most of the longer days of sunshine with a welcome change of scenery Easter isn’t for another month yet, so prices should remain stable. Keen hikers will want to head to southern Italy for pleasantly mild days along the Adriatic’s coastal paths, while skiers in France can head to quieter slopes now that the February half-term crowds have gone Soak up the sunshine in Tenerife, where you can hike Spain’s highest mountain or just relax on an Atlantic beach. Mix the mountains and deserts of Morocco with a spell in Marrakech Stay closer to home and roam the hills of the Peak District, or revel in the sea breezes of the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales Whatever type of holiday you’re planning for March Read more: The best Greek island hopping routes Southern Italy’s Puglia region can be blisteringly hot in the summer, but hikers who want to explore this part of the Adriatic coast will find March’s mid-teens temperatures much more pleasant. Ramble Worldwide has a four-night self-guided walk along Puglia’s coastal trail from Otranto to Gagliano del Capo through orange orchards and olive groves amid the scent of spring blossom and with sea views stretching to the Albanian mountain on the other side of the Adriatic Then you’re transferred to the baroque town of Lecce for a final day of cultural exploration Prices start at £599pp and include breakfast Read more: Swap overcrowded Venice for this peaceful Italian mountain town Many skiers love March’s longer days and slightly milder temperatures. Samoëns in Haute Savoie’s Grand Massif ski domain – the fourth largest in France – is full of village charm, great restaurants and food shops. Plus, it’s on the doorstep of 265km of pistes. Peak Retreats has a week’s self-catering at La Résidence Club Samoëns Village on 29 March from £1,210 including a free FlexiPlus upgrade on Le Shuttle The residence’s wellness centre has an indoor and outdoor pool and there’s a packed schedule of events for children Book before 5 February for a 15 per cent discount Read more: This chic Paris district is perfect for a city break Read more: England’s six-day hike that offers you vistas, history and a slice of rural life Spring is a good time to visit Morocco, before the heat becomes oppressive. On this four-day Desert with the Nomads tour with Fleewinter you start in the High Atlas before carrying on to the Draa Valley with the chance to camp in the desert and drive across Lake Iriqi perhaps going on a camel ride and quad bike tour of the dunes Prices start at £550pp and include breakfast and transfers and you can top and tail the holiday with a stay in Marrakech Read more: Swap Spain for these Moroccan cities on your next winter sun holiday Read more: Best cheap hotels in Tenerife, reviewed If you fancy doing a bit of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, then stay at one of the former lighthouse keepers’ cottages at the tip of St Ann’s Head. Number 1 cottage has three bedrooms, a wood burner, an Aga and a large patio with a pizza oven, barbecue and panoramic sea views. Booked through Wales Cottage Holidays it costs from £703 for seven nights’ self-catering and up to two dogs are welcome at an extra charge Read more: How a Welsh eco-campsite became a haven for frazzled Londoners Mary Novakovich is editor at large at 101holidays.co.uk Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies {"adUnitPath":"71347885/_main_independent/gallery","autoGallery":true,"disableAds":false,"gallery":[{"data":{"title":"iStock-1798633452","description":"Drone high-angle photo of the car of country road through the large number of olive trees to the old city with Mountain View during colourful twilight in Puglia, Italy","caption":"Walk along Puglia’s coastal trail from Otranto to Gagliano del Capo for olive groves and orange orchards Walk along Puglia’s coastal trail from Otranto to Gagliano del Capo for olive groves and orange orchards from Puglia’s coastline to Moroccan adventures","description":"Whether tempted by the temperatures of Puglia in March or Pembrokeshire’s craggy coastline This four-day route hits all the highlights Travel + Leisure Senior Editorial Director Nina Ruggiero oversees T+L's award-winning travel content across digital platforms. She is also the co-founder of Be A Travel Writer an online course for aspiring travel journalists When she's not traveling between her current home in Los Angeles and T+L HQ in New York City Nina can often be found in Italy or the UK and has traveled extensively through Europe 2018Save this storySaveSave this storySavePalazzo Daniele up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse We understand that time is the greatest luxury which is why Condé Nast Traveler mines its network of experts and influencers so that you never waste a meal or a hotel stay wherever you are in the world This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page 2019The entrance to the courtyard at Palazzo Daniele in Gagliano del Capo.Photo: Serena EllerSave this storySaveSave this storySaveAll products featured on Architectural Digest are independently selected by our editors we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links and charming villages—if you think this is Tuscany and now it’s coming onto the radar of American travelers in a big way And since the area isn’t very well connected by public transit for a fresh seafood lunch overlooking the sea which earned a Michelin star last fall for its innovative take on Puglian cuisine If you’re lucky enough to be in house while they host one of their summer parties one of the traditional Puglian farmhouses that dot the region where you can admire 2,000-year-old olive trees and taste the golden liquid they produce Book a stay there to see what it’s like to live in one of these rustic homes and you can have a local chef prepare a home-cooked meal the Thinking Traveller also offers an exclusive tour of Alberobello paired with a cheesemaking experience at a nearby farm where you can see how mozzarella and burrata are made a family-run shop that makes gorgeous tableware who can explain its complicated history and show you the best spots in town since the reasons why it has been included in UNESCO’s World Heritage list are still standing,” Congedo This spacious villa occupies a former tobacco factory and is filled with furniture by Gaetano Pesce as well as objects the owners—the Italian ambassador to Ghana and his wife—picked up on their travels which serves traditional Puglian specialties made with vegetables and herbs from the gardens inside a centuries-old farmhouse It doesn’t get more authentically farm-to-table than that just opened in the family palazzo of art collector Francesco Petrucci He and Gabriele Salini of G-Rough in Rome teamed up to transform the aristocratic residence into an intimate hotel restoring the original frescoes and tiles and adding art by contemporary artists Another new hotel in the Salento is the Palazzo Maritati e Muci a passion project of Michelin-starred French chef Guy Martin Guests can stay in one of the 10 rooms spread over two palazzi in Nardò that have been lovingly restored and filled with art and design pieces by Gio Ponti under-the-radar village of Gagliano del Capo in Puglia's exquisite Salento region renowned for its charming blend of neoclassical A gateway to both the Adriatic's rocky coastline and the sandy beaches of the Ionian Sea Salento is also the setting for the annual international art show Capo d'Arte the stately palazzo was built by the locally renowned architect Domenico Malinconico in the neoclassical style with a series of courtyards and lush Mediterranean landscaping Reshaped and reimagined by Ludovica and Roberto Palomba of award-winning Milanese design studio Palomba Serafini Associati Palazzo Daniele emerges as a harmonious dialogue between sublime minimalism and 19th-century splendor the Palombas stripped back the interiors while preserving the structure's architectural integrity through the restoration of ornate frescos and original flooring creating an exceptional backdrop for the palazzo's carefully-curated art collection Site-specific works commissioned by Petrucci sit alongside ancestral portraits and neoclassical design motifs The transformation of Palazzo Daniele also extends to the building's layout The grand front living areas now serve as spectacular exhibition spaces while the suites boast a covetable position at the back of the palazzo sun-dappled pool or Gagliano del Capo's central piazzetta with sparsely furnished spaces heightening the impact of design pieces that blur the lines between art and function The 25-sqm Junior Suites and the 45-sqm Royal Junior Suite have king size beds and black steel-framed open wardrobes—custom-made by the Palombas—a signature feature throughout the suites The bathroom of the latter has been conceived as a living art installation in which a rain shower falls from a 6-meter-high ceiling onto a basin designed by Italian artist Andrea Sala An extraordinary design piece in its own right a lightbox by Simon d'Exea proves eminently practical as it serves to illuminate each of the 40-sqm Suites which also showcase contemporary artworks by the likes of Claudio Abbate the expansive 130-square-meter Master Suite has two bedrooms a selection from Palazzo Daniele's enviable art collection The piece de resistance is the aristocratic Suite Apartment which inhabits an entire wing of the palazzo with independent access This 200-sqm apartment is characterized by the perfect combination of architectural heritage including Mohamed Namou's "Pocket" and Sergio Breviario's "Prototipo Macchina per la Conquista del Mondo" A uniting principle of each of the hotels within the GS Collection hyper-localism is key to the social concept of Palazzo Daniele enduring physical and emotional standing within the local community ensures that guests have unparalleled access to traditional Puglian life This authentic engagement with its surroundings allows for localized experiences such as angling with neighboring fishermen and then presenting the catch of the day to the local cook Federica to prepare family style at the palazzo's communal table is also on hand to share generations-old pasta making techniques or to point guests in the direction of the best regional mozzarella Hotel website AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTSlide 1 of 9,Palazzo Daniele a new hotel in the village of Gagliano del Capo in southern Italy offers visitors to Puglia a more luxurious and design-oriented alternative to the region’s rustic guesthouses which occupies a 19th-century palazzo owned by the family of the art philanthropist Francesco Petrucci features original details such as tile floors and weathered stucco walls as well as an array of more modern artworks a New Design-Oriented Hotel in PugliaHoused in a family-owned palazzo built in 1861 the property marries ornate neoclassical frescoes and tiled floors with contemporary art Gagliano del Capo, Puglia, Italy housed in the private wing where Petrucci once lived The rambling open-air courtyard is a hive of guest activity but creating that continuity between indoors and out was Salini’s biggest challenge: “The severe 19th century architecture was based on a clear separation which is not the way we experience architecture today.” His solution Move the kitchen to a pivotal area of the palazzo formerly wasted on storage and open it up onto both gardens To create a sense of “contemporary nostalgia.” That is blending centuries-old architecture and Old World luxury with a curated selection of contemporary artwork avant-garde furniture and site-specific installations The grand shower of the Royal Junior Suite It’s a perfect example of how art can become functional and represents the Palazzo’s love of both absence and art while transforming it into a hospitality concept warm conversation and a sense of belonging Questa casa non è un albergo (“This house is not a hotel”) A hotel is no longer a comfortable bed and a nice bathroom; it must create an honest connection with the city you are visiting My goal is to find places that are gateways to the local community Aside from always liking my mouth to stay fresh I tend to be rather optimistic about the weather forecast and am always prepared to enjoy a sunny day Read this article as it appears in the magazine. Summing up an intense dialogue between extreme minimalism and artful 19th-century splendor Palazzo Daniele is an art guesthouse created in the noble residence of the family of the same name Owners: Gabriele Salini and Francesco PetrucciHotel operator: GS CollectionArchitectural design: Domenico Malinconico (19th century)Restoration and interior design: Palomba Serafini AssociatiFurnishings: vintage or custom pieces; Driade ZucchettiKitchen: ElmarPhoto credits: Renée Kemps the local architect Domenico Malinconico designed this patrician villa in neoclassical style incorporating courtyards and lush Mediterranean gardens stretching at the extremity of Puglia still untouched by conventional tourism the setting is one of historical and morphological authenticity right there were the land ends and the sea begins In that imposing volume charged with material culture and family identity Francesco Petrucci – the last heir and a voracious collector of contemporary art – has decided together with his friend Gabriele Salini to open the doors to art lovers and travelers giving rise to a hospitality concept that can accommodate all the aspects of the contemporary The Milan-based duo Ludovica + Roberto Palomba handled the architectural restoration and reorganization of the spaces focusing on aesthetic and symbolic purification the evocative force of subtraction as the metaphor of an absence/essence capable of stimulating the creative impulses of guest artists “the renovation sets out to underline the theme of detachment to take these spaces back to an idea of non-inhabited places no longer dense but emptied and liberated from their nature and their function steeped in an original aesthetic linked to furnishings for everyday habitation A few functional furnishing elements remain in dialogue with the works of art on display in a game of reflections that underline the sacred quality of absence.” The large frontal living areas are used as shared exhibition spaces while the back of the building contains nine suites facing the outdoor pool next to a small orange grove and courtyards in Lecce stone many of which reveal perceptible signs of the passage of time reinforce the grandeur of the frescos on the vaulted ceilings and the original floor mosaics hardly furnished spaces enhance the visual impact and expressive force of antique family portraits contemporary works and installations that move on the blurry boundary between art and design Decorative and functional purposes thus combine in the lightbox by Simon d’Exea the photographs of Pino Pascali shot by Claudio Abate a lithograph by Carla Accardi or the installation of the shower where an antique font descends from the six-meter ceiling into a large sculptural basin designed by Andrea Sala for the bathroom in the Royal Junior Suite alongside double washstands by Ceramica Flaminia The largest diffusion magazine in the luxury & design world Privacy Policy(function (w,d) {var loader = function () {var s = d.createElement("script") tag = d.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.src="https://cdn.iubenda.com/iubenda.js"; tag.parentNode.insertBefore(s,tag);}; if(w.addEventListener){w.addEventListener("load" false);}else if(w.attachEvent){w.attachEvent("onload" loader);}else{w.onload = loader;}})(window Imagine for a moment, waking up in the southern Italian village of Gagliano del Capo, ambling over to your window and looking out onto the sea. For architect Lorenzo Grifantini, this is routine. The London-based founder of DOS Architects designed himself a vacation home in Italy’s coastal Puglia region with a courtyard and striking white tower punctuated by variously sized square windows paying homage to the villa’s Mediterranean location with whitewashed stone walls and plenty of outdoor space “The central courtyard is the real heart of the house,” Grifantini told Dezeen and guest bedroom open directly onto the courtyard while the dining room’s doors slide open to connect to a set of al fresco table and chairs The tower is at the far corner of the courtyard where it rises 40 feet into the air with a scatter of windows that look like they were punched out with a square hole puncher the bedrooms are stacked on top of each other and accessed by stairs the guest rooms and common spaces look out onto a series of courtyards with an orangery and inky-black swimming pool Grand front living areas lead to the suites which look out onto a series of courtyards the property is the former family palazzo of Francesco Petrucci a not-for-profit organisation promoting contemporary art in Puglia The contrast between the traditional and the contemporary Inspired by the idea of ‘absence’ the architects have stripped back as much as possible Historical features such as ornate frescoes and mosaic flooring have been restored creating a dramatic canvas for the palazzo’s ever-expanding contemporary art collection The common room features restored overhead frescoes Monastic décor is boosted by vaulted their exposed cracks conveying over 150 years of history Palazzo Daniele is a haven for the discerning art- and design-minded VIEW GOOGLE MAPS escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox From a biscotti-hued castello to a trulli-topped farmhouse we’ve picked our favourite hotels in Italy’s heel for a rural summer getaway Contrada Sarzano 12 Savelletri di Fasano 72015 Discover more Contrada Salinola Strada Provinciale 29 per San michele Salentino Get your weekly dose of armchair travelling Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Italy • Hotels Originally constructed in 1861, Palazzo Daniele—sister property of Rome’s decadent G-Rough—houses nine luxury suites throughout an extravagant property in southern Italy’s beguiling region of Puglia Palazzo Daniele is the former home of art philanthropist Francesco Petrucci and here in the sleep south his minimalist lodging has been returned to its core essentials inspired by the artful concept of absence whilst augmenting the magnificence and regal splendour of the palazzo’s original frescoes Located in the village of Gagliano del Capo Petrucci—alongside co-owner Gabriele Salini—looked to hyper-localism and community when creating the social concept of Palazzo Daniele; allowing guests to embark on authentic local experiences such as touring nearby farms and fishing with local fishermen The property’s updates have been designed by the duo in collaboration with Ludovica and Roberto Palomba this super-luxe design hotel embodying the spirit of Salini’s newly-formed GS Collection of hotels the property fuses a combination of sublime minimalism 19th-century splendour and a thoughtfully-curated contemporary art collection Suites are spacious yet sparsely furnished designed to blur the lines between art and function With views overlooking either the property’s courtyard the rooms feature custom-made furniture and luxury amenities outdoor pool and many more of the sort of amenities one would expect in a palatial hotel like this a gateway to the Adriatic’s rocky coastline and the sandy beaches of the Ionian Sea @palazzo.daniele Luxury, Interiors, Hotels, Italy, Design, Puglia The charming folk of Tuscany have an awful lot to be proud of is arguably one of the most celebrated in Europe A territory boasting excellence in architecture A glass of good red wine has the ability to enhance almost every experience experiences are so rich they are difficult to enhance; so it helps to find a better wine I long ago lost count of the number of hotel tours I’ve been taken on I’ve seen all manner of presidential suite speakeasy and shiny steel kitchen; been filled in on every amenity you care to mention The name may be more suited to a new model of SUV Roman apartment-hotel G-Rough has plenty of pulling power despite a very old chassis — the building on Rome's historical race-track shaped Piazza Navona was built.. 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From first stepping into the kitchen aged 10 to creating supper club 'Eureka' in the family home Flynn McGarry went on to open his first permanent fine dining restaurant in New York City's Lower East Side at 19 years old © 2025 About Us Advertising Privacy Policy Write for We Heart Get in Touch We Heart is an online magazine founded in 2007 the platform evolved over time to feature inspiring places and spaces Over the years we have been committed to producing content that inspires and informs our readers; having broadened our content policy to mature into a more general lifestyle magazine that has kept itself rooted in our beginnings whilst covering a multitude of subjects that reflect our growth.