Masseria Antonio Augusto

Please note: Relais Masseria Antonio Augusto is not available room-by-room but must be booked in its entirety.

To the west of Lecce, on the way to Puglia’s Ionian coastline, is the town of Leverano. And just outside of Leverano is an Italian countryside classic, a splendid stone farmhouse which has been given the full-on luxury boutique renovation treatment, and has reopened as a stunning guest house: the Relais Masseria Antonio Augusto.

The old exterior walls are still weathered, showing their age, but inside, everything’s buffed to a high sheen, often literally — the polished stone floors and arched ceilings feel more luxe than rustic. If you’ve got a keen eye, you might notice that the hotel’s contemporary design furniture, stylish as it is, isn’t northern Italian but Belgian, creating a subtle tension with the very Mediterranean architecture.

Six rooms and three suites are the extent of the place, which means it feels intimate even at full occupancy, and none of the units feel perfunctory — even the classic rooms are spacious, under vaulted ceilings, with expansive, immersive modern bathrooms.

As for public spaces, there’s no need for much, though the pool is an impressive one. The old wine cellar has been converted into a beautiful little spa.