All the beauty of the Itria Valley in the rooms of the Ottolire Resort

Michele Piccoli’s great-grandfather had sold a donkey for a pittance in Locorotondo. The buyer was eight lire short of the amount he was due to pay, but he did not pay up. And the man spent the rest of his life complaining about that sum he never recovered, to the point that in the village they began to call him ‘Ottolire’. This is the story behind the sign of a cosy resort, created and run with great love and named after his great-grandfather. It’s one of those four-star hotels where you don’t miss the five stars. Not even for a moment. On the contrary, you find the warm, family-like welcome we all long for, and which is so hard to come by. Here, the family is truly there.

The resort’s history began in 1973 when Michele and Vita Piccoli, who were just over eighteen at the time, bought a group of dilapidated trulli to restore so they could start a family. The work was long and demanding, but in the end they created their own little nest in the countryside, surrounded by olive trees and just two minutes from the town, where their children, Erasmo and Antonella, grew up. Today, it is their children themselves, together with their respective spouses, Anastasia and Angelo, who have restored the family estate, transforming it into an Apulian home for everyone. Ottolire Resort is, first and foremost, a beautiful garden, an olive grove and a cluster of ancient trulli. But it is also a contemporary architectural ensemble, featuring new ‘cummerse’ inspired by the traditional ones of Locorotondo, with sloping roofs and facades of pale stone. These house the guest rooms – some spread over two floors – which are spacious and bathed in southern light. The design is modern, clean and minimalist, featuring a few unique pieces – a leather armchair, a mid-century sideboard, a chandelier with white spheres like full moons – which create the cosy atmosphere of the interiors, whilst outside, the dry-stone walls echo the rural landscape of the Itria Valley, adapting it to the layout of a resort with terraces in the communal areas and beneath the large swimming pool bordering the olive grove.

The oil to be dipped with the crusty bread is homemade. You have to exercise some self-restraint not to eat too much of it, such is its delicacy and fragrance. You savour it whilst watching the silvery leaves from which it springs glisten in the sun, and await the dishes from Giorgio Semeraro, born in 1997, in his first role as executive chef. The dishes have a distinct Apulian flavour, incorporating techniques learnt in the finest French kitchens and perfected at the Michelin-starred Casamatta restaurant in Manduria. At Ottolire, he experiments with ingredients from the organic vegetable garden and authentic flavours, and teaches guests how to make bread, focaccia, fresh pasta and other recipes to recreate at home.

The stay is a relaxing one. You can enjoy the view, the silence, the simplicity and the hospitality. Need a last-minute hairdresser? They’ll find one for you – and it’ll be the best in the area. Want to know what’s going on nearby? They’ll shower you with information and interesting facts about the area. They could talk for hours about their homeland, with obvious passion. Anastasia offers suggestions and advice; she, too, is in love with this place, which she looks after as if it were a jewel – but with such natural grace – and she describes it through spontaneous conversation, without resorting to the tedious, contrived storytelling techniques. It feels as though I’ve known her for ages, and yet barely twenty minutes have passed. She speaks Italian with a slight Apulian accent. Our chat flows as smoothly as time in the South.

In short, it’s a lovely place to stay, and it’s even better if you set aside some time during the day to do yoga or Pilates in the Orangery and meditate in the hotel’s own woodland. All these qualities must also have been appreciated by the Michelin mystery guests, who awarded Ottolire a Michelin key, putting it on a par with many sumptuous five-star establishments.