In general, the villa was superb – a real feel of luxury - and the whole family had an incredible holiday. The Villa itself was beautifully renovated to the highest standard. This was most obvious in the kitchen. You go to many self-catering properties where the kitchen is so poorly equipped you end up buying utensils and pans etc just so you can cook. I can honestly say I have never seen a holiday rental kitchen so well equipped. Even the knives were sharp! The AC in the bedrooms worked beautifully, the pool was warm and spotlessly clean (as was the entire property) and the garden well looked after.

I feel like the owners should make more of the surrounding area (so peaceful ) and the cove just under the villa, because its so beautiful. The water was crystal and getting into the sea there is really easy - much of the coast here is rocky and can be difficult to access if there is any wind. But here there are some convenient rock inlets that shelter from the swell. Some of the local marinas seemed to get a little busy at weekends - but just down from the house was always quiet and so lovely to snorkel. Our girls (7 and 10) loved it.

The Villa is really well placed. We visited Castro (25 mins), Otranto (40 mins) and Lecce (1hr 10) during our stay. All were really wonderful, Otranto in particular was incredible. A final thanks to House Manager always on hand to offer advice as to where to go and what to see. Essentially a local willing to share the secrets of the place. She’s a huge asset.

You cant pretend that Villa Zitetta is cheap but its worth it. We had one of the best family holidays we’ve ever had.
Marcus

We loved the villa , the welcome basket, the kitchen and pool and outdoor furniture. It was great having the cot and highchair for the baby.
Thanks again we would definitely recommend this villa to our friends.
Cathy

We are back, so I thought I would give my feedback whilst it is all still fresh in my aged brain!

First, we had a fabulous time, thank you so much.

Villa
Very good. We felt very much at home. The villa itself is pretty spacious (unusual to have the two separate, unconnected bedrooms in the lower part: but my son was happy to have his private apartment), but it worked really well. There was plenty of crockery, pots and pans and we cooked in on two days. The grounds were fantastic, really spacious. The view from the main terrace was beautiful. The lower one round the reasonably sized pool was sheltered and a real sun trap (dangerous in that temperature). There were numerous little areas to sit dotted around the rest of the grounds, so it was possible for us to spend time there without feeling crowded. The key holder was very helpful and checked in regularly. The cleaner also did the cooking for us on Thursday. That meal was ‘home cooking’ style, but good and the portions were generous (too generous, in the end!). She didn’t speak much English, but thanks to my fluent Italian, we managed (!). Bedrooms had a/c, thankfully.

It was located in a fairly isolated spot, lovely and quiet. Novaglie was 15-20 minute walk via a fairly rudimentary path (a challenge in the heat as it was pretty steep at the start). All in all, absolutely the right choice and a really good recommendation.

We managed to go to Novaglie to Lo Scalo’s ‘lido’. The restaurant of Lo Scalo, was really good. Lovely food, fabulous setting for our last meal on Friday. Definitely a culinary highlight.

Went to Lido ‘Relax’ in Leuca.

Boccaccio in Leuca (my surprise meal) was great. Tables amongst trees, entirely seafood free, traditional cooking and great service. Also, reasonably priced.

Moi moi: couldn’t go as closed on Sundays and all other days were accounted for.

L’Incanto was 5 minutes drive from the villa. We went for a drink only. Lovely location. Restaurant looked ok (basic menu), but overlooks the Cilio bridge. Once they finish the repairs that will be a great view. They also have a champagnarie, which looked interesting.

I’d recommend SeaSalento for a boat trip to see the coves. Seems to be run out of Leuca, but office and family are Novaglie based (Michele, the ‘captain’ is a fisherman from a long line of fishermen. Limited English, but they have a downloadable English guide and he was really friendly and helpful. His wife runs the thing and speaks excellent English).

Otranto was lovely. SoFish really good. Loved it.

Lecce was a staging post on the way back to the airport, so we only had 3 hours. Unfortunately, the restaurant you recommended is only open from 7pm, so we couldn’t go. Lovely place and I wish we’d had more time.

Bari is a long way, Brindisi flights definitely better if convenient.

I think that’s it. Everything worked smoothly and it was a lovely area and beautiful villa. As usual, you have helped with another spectacular holiday.

Thanks so much, stay well and perhaps see you sometime. It won’t be long before I want to go back again!!
Best wishes
Aroon

The house was in a stunning, peaceful location with sea views and beautifully designed. It had a lovely balance of beach shack and designer house rolled into one. Beautiful hand made stone sculptures dotted around were a highlight. You can walk to the beach past beautiful old villas which have clearly been there for many years and have been loved by the same families for a long time. The walk back is up a steep hill so not suitable for the unfit. The house is suitable for 2 families or a large family and would be more economical to do it this way rather than for a small family like ours (2 adults and 2 children).
There was a generous welcome basket and the agent was always available to assist. There was an excellent book with tips of things to do. A visit to Lecce is highly recommended. There was an outstanding restaurant close by and the nearby Marina (Novaglie) was tourist free. An extremely authentic Italian experience which was the highlight of our trip. We loved it.
Gail

We really enjoyed staying at Villa Zitetta, all the accommodations and location were wonderful !
S.

Firstly, thank you for your help in managing all the changes we made to the bookings due to COVID, and also for recommending Villa Zitetta.
We had a really great time. And yes, the Rally was a special experience, even though it made the entry to Zitetta a bit difficult – mainly for Maria Elena and Filomena.
They were both great – and the lasagne that Filomena made for us on the first night was amazing. They were a dream team looking after us.
Generally it was very quiet in that part of Puglia – with very few tourists – which made it a great experience. Maria Elena and Filomena were both very responsive and looked after us well.
We had no difficulties at all because of COVID – the travelling was fine, and restaurants were open.
Thank you again.
With kind regards,
Guy and Nicky

We had a fantastic week at the villa. From the time of booking all the way to our departure we were well taken care of by Ville in Italia.
From Massimiliano in the office, our local host and the care taker, everyone was most kind, attentive and provided excellent customer service. When we complained about the hard mattresses, they all went above and beyond to make our stay more comfortable by immediately delivering mattress toppers. They were always just a text message away, providing information or helping with restaurant reservations.
The villa is beautiful and modern, clearly showing the creative eye of the owners. The pictures are very accurate, however it wasn’t clear to us that the lower level doesn’t have direct, inside access to the main level of the house. It is connected through an outdoor staircase. It turned out fine for our needs, but it might be an issue for some guests.
The villa is very well equipped with everything you may need and if you’re planning to cook the kitchen won’t disappoint. Although small it includes every size of pot or pan, plenty of plates, glassware, cutlery and everything else you may need.
Ville in Italia also get you started with a “gift basket” that goes way beyond that. It had everything you may need for the first dinner and first breakfast so you don’t have to rush to the store as soon as you put your suitcase down.
Overall it was a great experience and we’d love to book with Ville in Italia again.
Anna

We stayed at Villa Zitetta in June 2020 and had a wonderful time. The house and the gardens are well appointed, and we enjoyed our al fresco dinners. We had beautiful views of the seas, which we were able to access in just a few minutes. The house is conveniently located near cafes and restaurants with beautiful views. We would highly recommend this for a family vacation.
L. B., United States

Вилла Зитетта нам очень понравилась, организовано для отдыха всё, предусмотрены все мелочи.
Очень хороший отзывчивый стаф. Вилла сама очень красивая, стильная.
Посуда, полотенца, все мелочи радуют каждый день во время отдыха. Чистый бассейн. Планируем вернуться в следующем году в августе.

Анастасия, вам отдельное спасибо что рекомендовали и настояли на ней

В следующем году хотим провести тут две недели.
-------------
We really liked Villa Zitetta, everything was organized for holidays, all the necessary things were provided. Very good responsive stuff.
The villa itself is very beautiful, stylish. Dishes, towels, all the little things delight you every day during the stay.
Clean pool. We plan to return next year in August.
Anastasia, a special thank you for recommending and insisting on it!

Next year we want to book two weeks.

Akbota

We had a wonderful time at Villa Zitetta. The villa is beautifully designed, very modern and comfortable, with everything you need for it to feel like a home away from home. The kitchen is so well-equipped that it is a pleasure to cook in and there was a good supply of kitchen essentials supplied (salt, coffee, oil, pasta etc) which was a really great touch. It was perfect for family meals on the terrace.
Filomena cooked us a beautiful meal, which we would highly recommend - and there were lots of leftovers too, which were great for the next day. Filomena also kept the house spotlessly clean. And Carmen was so helpful with local knowledge and recommendations.
The local area is beautiful. We would recommend walking down the rocky path to the village, heading to the natural swimming pool, and driving further afield to Gallipoli for a day out.
We would highly recommend the villa. We had a wonderful time !
Many thanks, Clare

This was our first time in Puglia and we stayed at Villa Zitetta a beautiful very personal house. I remember looking out of the master bedroom window when we arrived and feeling this beautiful cool sea breeze on this very, very hot day. Puglia is famous for its Masseria places to stay but we wanted a quiet oasis. And we found our home away from home, a “5 star oasis”. The ground floor has a huge terrace, which is the perfect place to have breakfast or candle light dinner while enjoying the spectacular view of the garden. Villa Zitetta comes with your own personal cook, who spoilt us during our whole stay with fresh local produce and fish caught by her husband. All beautifully prepared and laid out with a simple elegant style. Take her up on the offer to go on their little boat ride and watch how her husband collects sea urchins from the bed of the sea and you get to eat them fresh. Turquoise ocean and the caves make this trip a must. We rarely left the house and found our little spots to read under the olive trees and yoga on the terrace in shade. Connected to the terrace is the kitchen and dining room. with stone floors and a living room with a fireplace on this floor. On the second floor are two big double rooms. One is the master bedroom that faces the garden, which has its own bathroom. The other bedroom can accommodate another two people. you really get a sense of that natural world and feel you’re on your own isolated island from up there. “It’s the combination of everything — the people, the food, the weather, etc. What is very special here is the sky, the wonderful light. Puglia is not like other areas of Italy. It’s not really modern, but not too much behind either. We are remote enough for it to be authentic, but close to bigger cities so you can have that experience too if you want.”