Swim before the heat.
ÀlteraA contemporary place to stay, and a more personal way into Puglia.
Àltera is an independent 18-room hotel in the Valle d'Itria countryside. A nineteenth-century rural estate, restored and kept tactile, with new low buildings in stone, lime plaster, glass and steel. A seasonal restaurant, a pool in the grove, and people who know where to send you.
- Keep what is worth keeping.
- Remove what is unnecessary.
- Add something new, precisely.
Àltera, hour by hour
Breakfast in the shade, for as long as it takes.
A workshop in Grottaglie, or nothing at all.
The rocks at Monopoli. Lunch packed by the kitchen.
The library, at its coolest.
A tasting in the valley.
Dinner in the courtyard.
Very dark, very quiet.
Stay
Eighteen rooms in two kinds of building. Some sit inside the original farmhouse and agricultural structures; others are in new low buildings that open onto private courtyards and the olive grove.
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Stone Rooms
In the restored farmhouse · 6 rooms · 24–30 m²
Barrel vaults, deep window reveals, lime floors. Cool in August without trying.
- King or twin
- Walk-in shower
- Garden or courtyard view
from €340Book
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Courtyard Rooms
In the new low buildings · 8 rooms · 32–38 m²
Plaster, concrete and a full-height glass door onto a walled courtyard of your own.
- King
- Private courtyard
- Bath and shower
from €420Book
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Grove Suites
At the edge of the olive grove · 4 suites · 48–55 m²
A separate sitting room, an outdoor shower in stone, and the grove as the view.
- King + sofa bed
- Outdoor shower
- Sleeps up to 3
from €590Book
Rates per room per night, breakfast included. Best rate when you book here.
Eat
Food has become the reason many people come back.
The restaurant follows the season and the producers around us: vegetables from our own garden and the farms nearby, fish from Savelletri, wine from small cellars in the valley. Breakfast is long and unhurried. Dinner is served in the courtyard from May to October.
Breakfast
Bread from Ceglie, ricotta, tomatoes, eggs as you like them.
Lunch
Small plates by the pool. No booking needed.
Dinner
Five courses or à la carte. Open to non-residents.
Explore
What we would tell a friend. A short list, edited every season by the people who live and work here.
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Sea
The rocks south of Monopoli
Go before ten. Bring shoes for the rocks, and lunch.
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Makers
Ceramics in Grottaglie
The quarter of workshops. We can introduce you to two of them.
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Wine
A cellar in the valley
Small producer, steel tanks, very direct opinions. Tastings by appointment.
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Towns
Ostuni at midday
When the shadows are hardest and the streets are empty.
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Landscape
The road to Cisternino
Dry-stone walls, red earth, almond trees. We lend the bikes.
Àltera
The project started with the architecture.
Elena Moretti spent years between Milan and London, working around fashion, art and architecture. She kept coming back to Puglia, and found an abandoned rural estate that was interesting because it was not picturesque in an obvious way. With a local architect she restored the old stone and added new buildings that sit quietly in the landscape, without pretending to be a masseria.
“Please do not make us look more Italian. Make us look more like Àltera.”
- OldNew
- RawPrecise
- LocalInternational
Journal
A few long pieces each season. Useful before you come.
Visit
The practical part. Open from late March to early November.
Do I need a car?
Yes, for most days. We can arrange a driver from the airport and for evenings out, and we lend bikes.
How far is everything?
Ostuni 15 min · Ceglie Messapica 10 min · the sea 25 min · Brindisi airport 40 min · Bari airport 1 hr 10.
What about meals?
Breakfast is included. Lunch by the pool, dinner in the courtyard six nights a week. Restaurants nearby for the seventh.
Is it very quiet?
At night, yes. By day there is the pool, the library, the kitchen garden and a programme you can join or ignore.
Why book direct?
Best available rate, breakfast included, flexible cancellation and first choice of rooms.
Cancellation
Free up to 14 days before arrival. After that, the first night is charged.
Book
Book direct for the best rate, breakfast included and free cancellation up to 14 days.
Rates per room per night, breakfast included. Best rate when you book here.