Salento, ItalyGallipoli Old Town
Palazzo Presta
Eclectic maritime palazzo
Gallipoli Old Town Salento, Italy
Opened
2018
Price
$$
Rated for
Design Heritage LocalOutside the door
Eclectic maritime palazzo
The seventeenth-century palazzo runs like a worldly collector's home, complete with a rooftop cocktail bar overlooking the Ionian Sea.
What it’s good at
Notable
Ten destination-themed bedrooms set global antiques against patterned cement-tile floors.
Notable
A seventeenth-century doctor's townhouse retaining original star-vaulted ceilings and local tuff stone.
What they say
Michelin Selected
Michelin
a surprisingly colorful and contemporary boutique hotel that’s packed with personality, thanks to its talented designers and the art and objects collected by its globetrotting proprietors.
Right in the middle
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Gallipoli's walled island center surrounds the property, and the sand at Spiaggia della Purità is a minute's walk away.
The rooms
Ten bedrooms draw from distant travels, setting antique finds against original star-vaulted stone and patterned tile.
The pool
Bring a swimsuit.
A small unheated plunge pool sits on the sunlit terrace beside striped daybeds and shaded pergolas.
Bar
Terrazza Presta
The open-air rooftop bar serves sunset cocktails beside tuff stone benches and an Emperador marble counter.
Restaurant
Lazzaro & Caterina
Petrol blue tiles line the star-vaulted dining room, where the kitchen turns local seafood into spiced, contemporary dishes.
At the table
The ground-floor speakeasy bar serves evening drinks beneath deep red walls and backlit bottle shelves.
How it began
The building once belonged to Giovanni Presta, an Enlightenment-era doctor whose olive studies revolutionized southern Italian agriculture.
Salento
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Our shorthand
How we rate hotels.
The medals
Gold
Extremely rare. Sets the global standard.
Silver
Brilliant execution. And we’re picky.
Bronze
They did this well. You’ll notice.
Listed
A defining trait. Makes the hotel what it is.
The eight vibes
Design
Built around a vision. Even the door handles have a designer.
Luxe
Cared for at every turn. The bath is drawn before you ask.
Local
It could only be here. You wake up knowing where you are.
Social
Where the city goes out. The bar is full and the night is young.
Heritage
A building with a story. Once a palace, a monastery, a station.
Wellness
You leave feeling new. Rest, sweat, soak and sleep like a stone.
Classic
The city grew up with it. Same rituals, same regulars, same bar.
Resort
A world of its own. Something to do from breakfast to nightcap.
The scene
Lively
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Central
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
Secluded
A place apart: the property is the destination.