Palazzo De Noha

Palazzo De Noha

On the rooftop of Palazzo De Noha, a shallow infinity pool catches the light over Lecce's old rooftops, the kind of quiet corner most ten-room guesthouses do not bother to build. Set among the narrow streets near the city's Duomo, this three-floor, adults-only property in Lecce, Italy, works as much as an art collection as a place to sleep: paintings, sculptures and design pieces by names like Zaha Hadid, Piero Fornasetti and Patricia Urquiola sit alongside work from Salento-based painters, and the display rotates with periodic exhibitions, so a stay in one of the ten rooms is also a walk through a small, unlikely gallery. Room sizes range from 312 to 775, the smallest a Deluxe King and the largest an annex suite with a jacuzzi, and an accessible single room is also available, with lifts and wheelchair access throughout. A spa area covers massage and solarium treatments, a doctor is on call, and staff switch comfortably between English, French, Italian and Spanish. Breakfast includes gluten-free options, there's a bar and cafe for the hours in between, and the guesthouse arranges its own airport transfers and shuttle service. Couples and solo travelers looking for a design-forward base near the baroque center will find plenty to occupy a long weekend; anyone bringing children should look elsewhere, since the property does not accept them. An extra bed runs 60 euros a night, and early arrival or a late departure past the standard 11am checkout costs 80 euros if flexibility is needed. It's a small hotel with the eye of a private collector, and that's rarer than the rooftop pool. Palazzo De Noha is a ten-room, adults-only guesthouse in Lecce's old streets that doubles as a working art gallery, with pieces by Zaha Hadid and Piero Fornasetti and a rooftop infinity pool above the city. It suits couples and design-minded travelers, not families with children.