Puglia Part 4: Fasano!

~ After leaving Alberobello, we headed to the lovely town of Fasano to stay at the beautiful Masseria Torre Coccaro! Everything was so close, and driving there from Alberobello was a breeze.

~ This 5-star 39 room retreat completely blew us away with it’s beauty, staff, and offerings. There is SO MUCH that you can see and do at the stunning Masseria Torre Coccaro! We hardly cracked the surface of their lengthy list of enticing activities (more on that below)…oh, how I wish we could have stayed longer! I would recommend staying for AT LEAST a week here to take in all they have to offer and relax and enjoy their beautiful property to the fullest.

I think to understand just how special it is, you need to first hear a bit about the history! The Masseria is set on an estate whose origins date back to the 16th century! I loved wandering the old part of the Masseria (many pictures below), with the bright red accents, white washed walls, and stunning chapel. At night, there were string lights hanging across the rooftops of the old historical buildings, giving the most magical feel that is hard to even describe in words! The tower on the property was once used as a lookout in defense from the invading Turks and there are ancient caves with a mill dating back to year one thousand! The property is surrounded by ancient olive groves and they grow many of the fresh ingredients in their dishes right on the property’s organic farm. The greenhouse was one of my favorite parts of the property (there’s something very breathtaking in a Beatrix Potter kind of way about it)! Beyond the Masseria is their private beach club, settled right upon bright blue waters of the Mediterranean.

We had a little less than one day, but I really do think that we chose to spend it wisely at this stunning place. Vittorio, who runs both Masseria Torre Coccaro and it’s sister boutique hotel nearby Masseria Torre Maizza, was so helpful in pre-planning for our stay there. He had e-mailed us a few options of their many activities for us to choose from. He suggested the “gourmet bike tour stopping in masserias of burrata and olive oil, a wine tasting, yoga, or cooking class.” I remember thinking, “Oh gosh, HOW WILL WE EVER CHOOSE (and how does he know food and yoga rank top 10 on my list?)”

If we had more time, lounging at the beach club, SAILING, diving, horseback riding, taking a painting or Italian class, GOLFING at their 9-hole stunning course, and exploring their organic farm a bit more would all be VERY high on my list. However, I think we were a bit tired from being so on-the-go the whole trip and just wanted to RELAX and enjoy (and capture some great photos, too!). After having the nicest tour of the property and dropping our things at our room (which really felt like a princess room with the big lace canopy over our bed), we each had the opportunity to get massages at their STUNNING Aveda Spa, which is set inside a cave! It was truly divine and absolutely what my body needed. After the massage, I just took a moment in their relaxation area, which is an enchanting grotto of sorts with a large jacuzzi all inside a cave! THIS is the place to go if you really need to escape and slow down from your normal pace of life. Those few hours of relaxing really helped me reset.

Fizia and I then got ready for dinner and drinks at their vintage cocktail bar. Natale, who took such wonderful care of us all night, made us the most AMAZING cocktails (see photos below)! You could tell he put extra love into them! We then had such an amazing dinner! The hand-made gluten free pasta with burratina was SUCH an incredible dish. We weren’t planning on getting dessert (if you’ve been following these Puglia posts…try not to calorie count in your head…), but once we saw the menu of special unique desserts, WE HAD TO! Masseria Torre Coccaro is incredibly gluten-free friendly. I think this is so important to note! The food was incredible and I didn’t feel limited at all on choices.

The next morning, I went on a little bike ride before we headed off to breakfast and then to the airport. Breakfast was a fresh buffet from their organic farm and because I really wanted to try all of their homemade spreads, I asked if by any chance they had any gluten-free rice cakes or anything on hand. They brought me an ENTIRE BASKET of gluten-free bread options. Breakfast was a highlight!

A few special unique aspects worth noting….

The Art Room – I really love how they incorporate the arts into their activities and bring in different local artists to showcase pieces in their Art Room!

The Library – There are books EVERYWHERE, and I loved all the bookshelves and little areas around the property where you could just take your cappucino and enjoy a good read.

Weddings – Can I get married here? This is the perfect place for weddings! They have so many special areas that would be perfect for weddings and receptions. (And you all know about my affinity for weddings…)

I hope you enjoy the photos below! It was definitely hard to choose my favorites and I know there are so many areas of the property we didn’t get to cover (BEACH CLUB!). I hope that you can get a sense of the magic of this place from these photos and head over to Masseria Torre Coccaro’s website for more information!

~ Our beautiful room! (above) ~

~ Outfit Details: Dress ~ Sunglasses ~ Clutch (old), favorite gold clutch of the moment here ~ Wedges are favorites from last season, favorite nude “go-with-everything” wedges for this spring here, here, & here ~ Earrings Similar Here ~
~ Outfit Details: Shorts ~ Sandals ~ Classic Oxford ~ Striped Top ~ Sunglasses ~ Hat ~ Bracelet ~