Palazzo de Noha

There’s no end to the list of things to love about Italy, but for fans of great hotels, one of the most appealing features is the constant collision of the ancient and the modern. Palazzo de Noha, in the Baroque old town of Lecce, is a perfect example: a centuries-old building, marked by rough-hewn stone vaults, with ancient Roman ruins exposed by the glass floors of its corridors, transformed into a modern boutique hotel furnished in contemporary Italian luxury style.

The nine rooms and suites combine antique architecture with high-end Italian-made design furniture, as well as artworks from the owners’ private collection and beautiful modern bathrooms, clad in a variety of marbles. High ceilings come with the territory, in classic Puglian style, and many have terraces or even, in one case, a Turkish bath.

Breakfast is served on the hotel’s lovely rooftop, by the tiny poolside — and in the evening, this is the venue for a nightly aperitif as well. Given the location, not much else is necessary — you’re in the heart of Lecce, surrounded not only by fine restaurants but, in the surrounding countryside, no end of wineries, cheesemakers, and other purveyors of Puglia’s considerable culinary heritage.