Palazzo Margherita
Corso Umberto 64, Bernalda, Italy
                    
                
                        9 Rooms
                    
                    
                        Contemporary Classic & Quiet
                    
                
                            One MICHELIN Key · A very special stay
                        
                    
            Francis Ford Coppola leaves his stamp on more than movies: wine, restaurants, literary magazines, and of course hotels carry the Coppola name as well. In the case of Palazzo Margherita, however, it’s more than a matter of defining his personal taste for a public audience. This 19th-century palazzo has deeply personal significance to the famed director, located as it is in the little-known southern Italian village of Bernalda, the birthplace of his grandfather, Agostino Coppola.
In 2004, the Margherita family sold the property to Coppola, who promptly transformed the palazzo into a small and elegant hotel with nine suites, three that open onto the garden, others that have balconies overlooking slow-paced village life. The look is stylish in a classic way — think rattan armchairs, fresh flowers, colorful glass chandeliers, claw-foot tubs, and hand-painted ceiling frescoes — but relaxed, not fussy, the kind of place where you can put your feet up. There’s a subtle theme to each suite, like the Rococo-style Gia suite (named after Coppola’s first granddaughter) with a fresco portraying the mythical Amore and Psyche.
Facilities include a swimming pool, a garden surrounding a picturesque fountain, an eat-in kitchen, the Cinecittà Bar, and a sidewalk café and pizzeria facing the town square of Bernalda, which is so lovely the late Agostino nicknamed it “Bernalda bella.” And bella it is. The hilltop town is a ten-minute drive from the beautiful Ionian Sea; a bit further afield is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Matera, famous for its ancient cave dwellings.
How to get there:
The two nearest airports, Bari (BRI) and Brindisi (BDS), are both located about a 90-minute drive from Palazzo Margherita. The nearest train station, Metaponto, is a 10-minute drive from the hotel.
    In 2004, the Margherita family sold the property to Coppola, who promptly transformed the palazzo into a small and elegant hotel with nine suites, three that open onto the garden, others that have balconies overlooking slow-paced village life. The look is stylish in a classic way — think rattan armchairs, fresh flowers, colorful glass chandeliers, claw-foot tubs, and hand-painted ceiling frescoes — but relaxed, not fussy, the kind of place where you can put your feet up. There’s a subtle theme to each suite, like the Rococo-style Gia suite (named after Coppola’s first granddaughter) with a fresco portraying the mythical Amore and Psyche.
Facilities include a swimming pool, a garden surrounding a picturesque fountain, an eat-in kitchen, the Cinecittà Bar, and a sidewalk café and pizzeria facing the town square of Bernalda, which is so lovely the late Agostino nicknamed it “Bernalda bella.” And bella it is. The hilltop town is a ten-minute drive from the beautiful Ionian Sea; a bit further afield is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Matera, famous for its ancient cave dwellings.
How to get there:
The two nearest airports, Bari (BRI) and Brindisi (BDS), are both located about a 90-minute drive from Palazzo Margherita. The nearest train station, Metaponto, is a 10-minute drive from the hotel.
Location
Palazzo Margherita
                    Corso Umberto 64, Bernalda, Italy
                    
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                                Rates in EUR for 1 night, 1 guest
                            
                        
                        Rates in EUR for 1 night, 1 guest