Ottolire Resort

Ottolire Resort

Ottolire Resort sits on a low rise in the Valle d'Itria, five kilometres outside Locorotondo, where centuries-old olive groves meet the dry-stone walls that thread through this stretch of Puglia. The 14 rooms occupy restored trulli and cummerse, the conical stone dwellings native to the region, first rescued from ruin in 1973 by Michele "Ottolire" and his wife Vita, then just past eighteen, using techniques passed down from a grandfather who worked as a paretaro, a dry-stone wall builder. The family still runs it. That history is what separates Ottolire from the newer design hotels dotting the valley: this is original stonework brought back to life, not a reproduction. Guests spend their days between an outdoor pool, a spa with steam room and massage treatments, and a gym, with diving and hiking on offer. The kitchen runs cooking classes on making focaccia, bread and pasta by hand, and there are bike routes through the hills and pilates sessions held in an olive grove. A restaurant, bar and cafe cover meals and coffee, while a 110-euro one-way transfer connects the resort to the airport for guests who would rather skip the rental car. Staff speak English, Italian, Spanish and Turkish, and the property is wheelchair accessible with a 24-hour reception desk. This suits travellers drawn to Puglia's stone architecture and slower rhythms, who want a working spa and a real kitchen rather than a beach club. It will not suit anyone wanting nightlife within walking distance or a room count large enough to disappear into; with only 14 rooms, everyone here is visible, including the family that built it. Fourteen rooms inside restored trulli and cummerse, run by the same family since 1973 in the Valle d'Itria. Spa, outdoor pool, cooking classes and bike routes through the hills round out the days. It suits Puglia's stone-architecture crowd, not anyone chasing nightlife.