Tenuta San Vito

About this property

Listen to the children play as you are surrounded by centuries old olive trees in the glorious countryside. Set in beautiful Puglia, just a 15-minute drive from idyllic beaches with crystal-clear sea, Tenuta San Vito is the perfect home for a family holiday for all ages.

This has been the owners’ family home over the generations. The original farmhouse dates back to the late 18th century and has been extended in more recent years to create a two-storey villa with seven bedrooms on an estate with four acres of land. The owners have taken great care in its restoration, using traditional natural furnishings, locally-made fabrics as well as modern features especially in the two contemporary and well-equipped kitchens. 

The home is sometimes rented out as two apartments, so each level is self-contained with its own entrance, yet we are delighted to offer it for exclusive use for a large family or group of friends. The upper level benefits from two bedrooms, a kitchen-diner and an incredible outdoor terrace with views over the beautiful estate and beyond. Downstairs, the ground floor has four double bedrooms, a studio with a sofa-bed, a large kitchen and a spacious living-dining room.

You can choose whether to sip your morning coffee on the upper sun terrace or under the wisteria covered patio whilst lunchtimes can be enjoyed around the barbecue or wood-fired pizza oven. Depending on the season, you can pick mandarins, lemons, figs or plums or help yourself to tomatoes, aubergines or whatever may be growing in the vegetable garden. As well as olive trees which may be up to 600 years old, the vast estate also features cork trees, palms and hibiscus among many other colourful plants. This really is a glorious and peaceful place to be.

The inviting salt-water infinity swimming pool is surrounded by a lovely sun terrace and also features a small toddler section for families to enjoy. Kids will also love the flood-lit tennis courts and basketball net, the goal set up in the garden, racing along the paths using the ride-on vehicles and go-karts and the ping-pong table. The owner’s old childhood playground is still there for guests to use and a charming playhouse and mud kitchen have been added for hours of wonderful play.

 

Hear the sounds of birds singing, crickets chirping and donkeys braying in this enchanting countryside setting, yet you are only a five-minute drive from the local town where you can explore the historic streets, try some incredible artisan food and enjoy the restaurants. Puglia’s idyllic coastline is only 15km away with the nature reserve at Torre Guaceto or the beach clubs of Specchiolla just a short drive.

Head out on the cycle trails straight from the estate which lead as far as Brindisi, passing authentic trulli in the surrounding countryside or drive to Alberobello, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its large number of traditional Puglian homes. Ostuni and Cisternino are also historic towns worth visiting whilst kids will be enchanted by the water park and zoo within an hours drive.

Tenuta San Vito is set in beautiful gardens on a vast working olive farm – a complimentary bottle of the estate’s olive oil is of course provided on arrival!

It’s only a five-minute drive to the local town where you can explore the historic streets, buy some incredible artisan food such as locally made mozzarella and pasta as well as dine out in a variety of restaurants.

The marvellous beaches of Puglia are less than half an hour away. Start off at Torre Guaceto (15km), a nature reserve free from development where you can experience sand dunes and lagoons in complete tranquillity, surrounded by fascinating flora and fauna. In the summer you can hire bikes to follow some spectacular trails through the reserve.

Just to the south, Guna Beach Club (18km) is for those looking for a beautiful setting yet with facilities such as sunbeds and umbrellas as well as a café-bar. To the north is Specchiolla (14km) with its white sandy beaches as well as private beach clubs and restaurants.

For a break from the beach, explore the wonderful city of Ostuni (17km) with its excellent restaurants (including four featuring Michelin stars), stylish bars and rustic trattorias as well as the picture postcard town of Alberobello (50km) which is a unesco World Heritage site for its vast number of Trulli. Cisternino (32km) also has its own character and charm, many free summer concerts and some great restaurants.

Brindisi (24km) is also worthy of a visit with its wonderful historic centre, Baroque churches, palm-tree lined boulevards and a great sea-front promenade. It is especially beautiful at night, a great place to go for an excellent meal out before driving home in under half an hour.

 

Don’t forget there are some great cycling trails straight from Tenuta San Vito leading as far as Brindisi and you can also see some authentic trulli en route without having to head to the more touristy destinations. The owners have some old bikes you can use if you let them know in advance or you can rent them in the local area.

Other activities including horse-riding only 15 mins away and plenty to keep kids entertained if you can drag them away from the estate or beaches. Zoo Safari is within an hour and the water park at Cellino San Marco is even nearer.

For spectacular days out, head further south to the amazing Torre Sant’Andrea (100km) where you can swim in the turquoise waters of this natural paradise or bathe in the rock pool of Grotta della Poesia. For a change of scene away from the coast, the incredible town of Matera in Basilicata (140km) is just over 90 minutes away by car, with its fascinating history and cave dwellings.

Accommodation

The Villa

Ground Floor - 10 people
- Living-dining room (split-level)
- Kitchen-diner, well-equipped including dishwasher, large fridge-freezer with ice dispencer, Nespresso machine (30 pods provided), kettle, toaster, juicer, microwave and dining table. Doors opening to outdoors
- Utility room
- 2 x master bedrooms with double beds (and space for cots)
- Double bedroom with queen-size double bed and sofa-bed
- Double bedroom
- Studio with queen-size sofa bed
- Family bathroom
- Large shower room

First Floor (separate entrance via external stairs) - 5 people
- New kitchen-diner, well-equipped including dishwasher, kettle, toaster, Nespresso machine (30 pods provided), microwave and dining table
- Master bedroom with double bed and two-seater sofa
- Bedroom with bunk beds (and extra single bed if needed)
- Shower room
- Large terrace

Outside Grounds
- Salt-water swimming pool (11x6m, 1.4m deep) and toddler pool (3x3m, 0.7m deep) with poolside terrace. Secure infra-red barrier can be activated if needed
- Various al-fresco dining areas
- Upper terrace (with lockable gate)
- BBQ and wood-fired pizza oven
- Playground with open trampoline, slide, swing and mud kitchen
- Playhouse
- Tennis court
- Football goal
- Various rackets and balls
- Ride-on toy vehicles
- Gardens and paths
- Fruit trees and vegetable garden
- Olive farm
- On-site parking

More facilities...
- Wi-Fi
- New 55” smart ultra HD TV (ground floor)
- New 43” smart HD TV
- Children’s outdoor toys
- Bikes on request
- Ping pong
- Tennis court
- Basketball net
- Football goal
- Various rackets and balls
- Playground
- Washing machine x 2 and dryer
- XBox
- Netflix