Stefano is an incredibly good host: very accommodating, responds quickly and is always helpful. Besides him, who spends most of his time in Switzerland, there are other people on site you can turn to: Stefano's parents and Laura, a wonderful neighbour who even speaks German.
The house is very clean and very tastefully decorated. It is a "main trullo" with an open kitchen and dining area attached. The second bedroom has a separate entrance. We were there with our two children and their godfather and it was ideal. The children slept with us in the large trullo on the sofa bed, while their godfather had a separate entrance. The large trullo has two bathrooms. The small one also has a private bathroom. We ate on the terrace every day.
Unfortunately, there were problems with the pool paint while we were there. Stefano is in the process of solving them.
Stefano's parents live in the immediate vicinity. His mother in particular is a very, very warm person who likes to spoil her guests with delicacies from Salento. This is incredibly nice - but we would have liked to know in advance that the house is not as private as we thought. The pool area, including outdoor showers, is visible from the parents' terrace. It is only separated by paravones.
Gagliano del Capo is a small village. The shopping facilities are good. The beach at Ciolo was unfortunately not a beach suitable for small children (concrete beach with rocks). For older children and adults, however, the turquoise blue water is definitely a highlight. I also liked the contrast with the motorway bridge. The nearest sandy beach is 20 minutes away by car. I would definitely recommend having a car on site. The most beautiful towns we saw were Gallipolli, Otranto and Lecce. Gallipolli in particular left a lasting impression on us.
We were in Salento a week before the season started (on 1 June). And it was great: the beaches empty and definitely warm enough to swim. In Gagliano it was always a touch cooler than on the beaches of the Ionian Sea. The water on the Adriatic (Otranto) was a lot colder - but you could still go in.
In short, it was a wonderful holiday and we thank Stefano and his family for the accommodation.