9 bedrooms:
Main House (6 bedrooms)
Double bedroom with king size or twin bed on the ground floor with open fireplace, private terrace, en suite bathroom with hot tub, twin basins and an outdoor shower. An interconnecting door joins this bedroom with the following bedroom:
Double bedroom with king size bed on the ground floor with en suite bathroom, roll top bath, walk in shower and private entrance to the hammam, private terrace
Double bedroom with king size or twin bed, en suite bathroom and sunken bathtub, vaulted ceiling, french doors onto the breakfast terrace, sea view
Double bedroom with en suite bathroom, open fireplace, sea views, access to the breakfast terrace
Double bedroom with king size bed, en suite bathroom with roll top bath and walk in shower, situated above the chapel the bay window looks over the olive groves to the sea, private terrace and access to the family kitchen and library
Double bedroom with small queen size bed (140cm) – this suite is on the first floor with en suite bathroom with walk in shower, an outdoor bathtub on the balcony, fireplace and access to the family kitchen and library
House near Swimming Pool (2 bedrooms)
Double bedroom with king size bed, en suite bathroom, walk in shower and freestanding bathtub, access to the pool terrace and children’s play area, sea views, private outdoor shower, own sitting area with open fireplace. This bedroom connects to:
Double bedroom with king size/twin bed , walk in shower, shaded terrace, sea views and access to the pool terrace and children’s play area
Annexe (1 Bedroom)
Smaller double bedroom with generous en suite with walk in shower
Large sitting room
3 kitchens – 2 of which are used by staff or a cook to prepare meals
Large banquet hall with table to seat 20 with open fireplace
First floor family kitchen for casual dining with terrace connected to:
Library and TV room
There is a vintage Jetstream caravan in the garden with a double bed (payable on top)
Swimming pool (18m x 16m) with shallow beach end for children (with an alarm for child safety)
Rooftop swimming pool (gated)
Tennis court
Eating areas by both pools
Pool house with large kitchen area and shaded sitting area
TV room
Wine room
Hammam
Covered terrace
Outdoor dining areas
Children’s play area with sunken trampoline and giant grass turtle, sand pit and swing
Bicycles
Sound system
WiFi
Film projector for indoor and outdoor films (available poolside)
Air con
Wood fired oven
Organic fruit, vegetables, herbs, jams and honey from the estate
Gardens
Situated in 30 hectares of picturesque farmland
Walled citrus grove
17th Century chapel
The house has great green credentials – the boiler is run by a woodchip boiler, the air con uses a system which converts heat from the heat bank into cold air using a reverse refrigeration process, there are 130 solar panels as well as stainless steel solar collectors for the heat bank.
Daily maid service every morning (more by arrangement) – a laundry service is available
Housekeeper
2 Gardeners
Pool guy
Chef service for lunch and dinner except on a Wednesday which is the chef’s day off – ingredients extra
A cold lunch will still be prepared for the Wednesday, by the chef the day before, so guests will still have a lunch laid out by housekeeping on this day. But no meal in the evening. We can make recommendations for local restaurants on the Wednesday
Full time concierge who will organise tables, trips out and will advise extensively about the local area
It is possible to arrange a wine tasting at the house and babysitting (both payable locally)
The concierge will be in touch ahead of your arrival to discuss menus and any other details
Casa Monopoli is situated in the heart of Puglia in the region of Apulia right down in the heel of Italy
The nearest beach is 15 minutes drive to the Adriatic coast on the eastern side
Monopoli and Polignano a Mare are 7 km away
Alberobello is 25 km drive
Ostuni is just over 40 km
Lecce is just over an hour away
Fly from the UK to Bari or Brindisi airport which are equal distance from the house.
It is a 50 minute drive from the airports to the house.
A hire car is recommended.
The house is within striking distance of so many different places, the nearby SS16 road means that you will be able to reach any number of wonderful places quickly and easily.
Monopoli has a very pretty fortified harbour (used to keep out the pirates in centuries gone by) as well as many pizzerias and trattorias. The locals love the city so you will always find Italians having fun here. It is a working town and those hard workers really know how to play. The weekly food market is a must.
Nearby Polignano a Mare is a cobbled town with many different windy streets and beautiful views of the Adriatic, there is a small town beach and lots of restaurants and shops.
This part of Puglia is well know for its Trulli villages – the most famous of all is the extraordinary Alberobello which is just over half an hour from the house. The dry limestone structures with their conical roofs are world-famous – and Alberobello has more than 1,500 of them! The houses are now used as cafes, bars and shops. It is well worth a visit (although go early as it is very popular with tourists in July and August).
The area also has many wineries and vineyards, it is possible to arrange a trip to any one of them while you are staying at the house.
Ostuni is known as the ‘white city’ – where all the buildings are (you guessed it!) white. It is highly recommended that you visit this extraordinary example of beautiful Baroque architecture.
There are some wonderful spas locally – the concierge can arrange a day at one of them as well as trips to any of the local beaches (and there are many!) – this part of the coast has some wonderfully wild beaches. Others are more catered and there are fabulous bars and restaurants to enjoy too.
We were welcomed with open arms by the delightful staff at this stunning farmhouse. One of the best we’ve ever seen, it really is a fabulous experience! The house has been beautifully converted from an old Masseria to an extremely high end villa. The owners have restored the building sympathetically and thoughtfully and left no stone unturned.
Each bedroom and bathroom is more sumptuous than the last (we kept asking “is THIS the master suite? or was THAT the master suite?” as we really couldn’t tell!) The bedrooms are full of interesting furniture and beautiful rugs, amazing bedding, fluffy towels and unusual bathtubs. There is a freestanding bath outside one bedroom, another in an alcove built into the wall, beautiful showers and twin sinks. Every bedroom has its own character and style.
The large sitting room has sofas covered in expensive linen in gentle shades of grey and green, a hidden huge flat screen television, a double height vaulted ceiling and an open fireplace. There is a quiet library full of inviting books and a large upstairs kitchen (as well as a professional one downstairs). There’s a library for quiet contemplation, several eating areas and umpteen hidden corners for rest and recuperation.
The colours are heavenly: pale green and lilac meet deep blues and gentle grey, white walls, stone floors covered in cleverly-sourced kelims… the whole thing is like one big glorious interiors shoot. The decor is as close to perfection as you can get in a villa. Tiny details kept catching our eye – a still life in every room.
And then there’s the outside… a huge pool with a large outside kitchen and sitting room, amazing morning terrace and courtyard as well as olive and fruit trees. There are corridors of lovely walks between low plants and so many different places to eat that your biggest decision will be ‘where today?’. There is a table on the rooftop terrace (beside the second pool no less!), one in the shade by the main swimming pool, another on the breakfast terrace and one in the courtyard.
There were surprises at every turn: an orchard in a walled garden, oodles of fresh vegetables, swathes of lavender and rolling lawns. Children and adults would be thrilled with the garden – did we mention that there is a vintage Airstream caravan with a double bed?
At the top of the lawn is a trampoline built into the ground (with a cage around it for safety) – near enough to the pool that parents can relax with a bestseller while the children can bounce to their hearts content.
We were given a memorably delicious lunch – tuna carpaccio and local pasta with a rocket salad followed by salted fish and tomatoes. Just delectable. – we really had to tear ourselves away from the wonderful welcome we received here. We could wax lyrical about this house for hours, our advice: just go!
