Casamatta is the perfect place to stay in Puglia - without a doubt!

The house, grounds and swimming pool are all sublime, situated in a private location, not at all overlooked, in the beautiful Puglia countryside.

The house is cosy, comfortable and clean, thoughtfully kitted out with everything you could need. Fabio had kindly provided some basic supplies (milk, ham, cheese, wine) for us in case we hadn't had time to pick any food up on the way from the airport.

Casamatta is nestled in an expansive garden full of grand pine trees and bougainvillea, prickly pear cacti, oleander plants, a whole host of other tropical flowers and plants, and a little orchard with fig, lemon, olive and orange trees. It is stunning!

Roma the dog and Mica the cat live across the other side of the garden and are very friendly - we fell in love with them! Friendly little lizards, butterflies and dragonflies can often be seen scurrying and fluttering around too. At night the sky is full of stars, and there are plenty of hammocks for two to enjoy them under.

If you can bear to tear yourself away from the house and the swimming pool, the crystal clear Adriatic is literally a 5 minute (by car - 20 mins on bicycle, still super easy to do!) journey away. Torre Santa Sabina is very close and offers some fantastic restaurants - Fabio and family know most of them personally so we were always treated exceptionally well!

Fabio and his extended family were the perfect hosts. They provided everything we needed and more - including bicycles (as we were without a car) and a wonderful cake and barbecue for my birthday! Fabio was on hand, or just a phone call away, whenever we needed him, but we were also offered all the privacy we needed.

Casamatta is perfect in the summer, but would also make a cosy autumn/winter destination with its little log-burning fire. We'd definitely consider spending time there outside of summer, too.

Thank you Fabio, Ilaria, Augusto and Mariolina, we think you are wonderful! We have had the best holiday ever, and have already planned our trip back next year!