We fell in love with this place. The garden and house truly are nel cuore degli angeli, a little slice of heaven for my two young children, my mom and I. There are two separate units in the house— one in the front, where we stayed, and one in the back. We loved the Lecce stone vaulted bedroom (typical farmhouse style we were told), the huge covered outdoor patio, where we ate outside every evening enjoying the breeze and cicadas, and the very well appointed kitchen. Every detail was taken care of and thought out, and they even left their homemade olive oil, tomato sauce and other local food in the kitchen. Daniele and his parents were so welcoming and warm — Salento hospitality, but just lovely people. In addition to the garden right in front of the house with blackberries, figs, and herbs (and another at the back with the 2nd apartment) there is a large vegetable and olive tree garden. Gino invited us to pick tomatoes and veggies and gave us fresh eggs from the chickens on the property. We had never stayed in Puglia and at first we were worried that this property would be too far from everything. It’s really just a 5 to 10 minute drive from two great beaches (aqua viva and Castro). We also ended up loving the local simple feel of daily life in Marittima. We were also concerned about the heat in July, but although we did experience a few hot days, there was always a breeze and sometimes it got chilly and we needed jackets at night. Anyway if it ever really gets hot, their air conditioning works very well. What a gem. We can’t wait to cone back!