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Location

In Apulia, in the Salento countryside, in the heart of an extraordinary century-old olive grove estate, one kilometer from the sandy white beaches in Casalabate where the clear blue sea laps the coast dotted with ancient lookout towers protecting the land from pirates and the Saracen, 10 kilometers from the triumphant Baroque city of Lecce, the Tenuta Monacelli is one of the most elegant holiday farms in Lecce and one of the most traditional farmhouses in Salento.
The Tenuta Monacelli grounds and surroundings are a fresco of the authentic Salento. Olive trees, stone walls, villages and outposts populated by the Greeks and Norman, knights and crusaders, barons and viceroys; abbeys from forgotten times, artistic and Christian votive chapels; uncontaminated nature and rare landscapes, protected by nature parks: all close to one of the most beautiful seas in Italy and the Mediterranean, just nearby the Tenuta Monacelli.

The beaches
Just one kilometer from the hotel, the Salento sea bathes the rocky and sandy coast where the Tenuta Monacelli has the rare privilege of a period residence in Apulia to offer its guests a private beach with lounge chairs and umbrellas for enjoyable days spent relaxing under the sun at the beach. On the coast, the sixteenth century towers commissioned by Charles V to sight pirates and the Saracen dot the beaches and towns and mark the landscape with legendary and mythical names. Of these, Veneri tower, Rinalda tower and Chianca tower give life to small fishing villages and delightful sandy shores.

The cities
The heart of Salento in Baroque style, Lecce is a surprise of civilization and ancient relics and an exultation of Baroque settings. Tenuta Monacelli has the honor of being one of the hotels near Lecce and the farmhouses of Salento, just outside the city (just 10 km away) yet surrounded by the verdant countryside like a good retreat to relax and relish the wonders of a day of tours and excursions. From the 2nd century AD Roman amphitheater that held 25,000 spectators to the glorious series of stuccos, statues, cherubs and masks that adorn the squares and cathedral in Piazza del Duomo, from Via Libertini with the sumptuous facades of the churches of Santa Teresa, Sant'Anna and the Rosario, Santa Croce, to the Palazzo dei Celestini, it's a full parade of architectural masterpieces in pure Lecce Baroque style. The Lecce nights are delightfully lively, illuminated by local and trendy clubs, stage settings and experimental cinemas.

The Santa Maria di Cerrate abbey
is Salento's Medieval architectural treasure. Fascinating and suggestive site, just a few kilometers from the Tenuta Monacelli, commissioned by Tancredi, Norman king and count of Lecce in the twelfth century, the abbey was designed in Byzantine style, renovated over the centuries with delightful Gothic style porticoes, the splendid rose window and decorated with valuable frescoes. Abandoned and reduced to ruins, Santa Maria di Cerrate is now magnificently renovated and houses the exciting Museum of Salento folk art and traditions.

Nature reserves
Dunes, Mediterranean underbrush, thorny oaks and salt water lakes host storks, kingfishers and cranes between the land and the see where orchids and morning glories spontaneously bloom: this is the Le Cesine Nature Reserve with the San Cataldo Nature Reserved and Rauccio Regional nature park, the most authentic example of Salento's resplendent nature. The parks are easily accessible by car from the Tenuta Monacelli.