This one's for design devotees. Set in Salento's southernmost region, the edgy Palazzo Daniele is a collaboration between owner and art collector Francesco Petrucci and his friend Gabriele Salini, the man responsible for the off-beat interiors at Rome's boutique hotel G-Rough. This Apulgian stay revisits the style of the capital pad, but pares back to the max. Ten spare suites feel coventual - you won't find much more than a bed, stylish lamps and some head-scratching modern art in each room (although we'd say the original tiling and swooping fresco ceilings are features in themselves). It's all very modern-monastic, including the horarium of slow-paced activities on offer to guests in the local village of Gagliano del Capo. Spend your days wine tasting, fishing and ricotta making, before flitting back through the fresco-filled walls of the palace to find your sleeping quarters.

Head away from the stacked heel of the Italian boot, towards the coastal city of Bari and you'll encounter Puglia's best-kept secret: its flat, fertile agricultural lands fringed by durum wheat-hued beaches. Check out Masseria Calderisi, just outside Fasano, for an intimate encounter with typical Apulian farm life. Tucked behind lime-washed walls, this 17th-century farmhouse offers a low-fi agricultural adventure in situ. Think: cooking lessons, olive oil tasting, bike tours through the surrounding groves, and ample petting of the property's two adopted donkeys. The names of the 24 linen- and oak-clad rooms evoke the spaces' former roles. On our visit, we bedded down in the light-filled stable suite. Dinners are served over white linen on the low-lit La Corte restaurant terrace, with a menu plucked from the property's rambunctious kitchen garden. Before bed, head upstairs to the hurricane lantern-lit roof-top bar for a negroni nightcap accompanied by a celestial show.

After six years - and a bill of £13 million - this biscotti-coloured 17th-century castle in Puglia's far south has been transformed into a meticulously furnished nine-key hotel. Rooms are styled with clean-cut Italian elegance, all mid-century furnishings, striking art and splashes of unexpected colour. There's nods to the property's aristocratic character all around; note the celebration of the high vaulted ceilings (of the same pietra leccese stone as the exterior) and touches like pale fleur-de-lis cushion covers on the beds. You'll spend days drifting between the verdant gardens and cobbled courtyards, lapping up a taste of southern Italian high life from the world-class cooking school downstairs. Once you've mastered the pans, dawdle down to the hotel's sister property, Masseria Le Mandorle, to cool off from the kitchen heat in the outdoor pool. Don't miss the chance to ogle the elaborate frescos in the museum wing of the property - restoration experts were enlisted to restore them to their full glory.

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With just 13 rooms, La Peschiera is an exclusive thalassic hotel amidst the hypnotic Adriatic oceans. A former fish hatchery turned boutique hotel, La Peschiera promises a slice of beachside paradise. Positioned equidistant between Bari and Brindisi, and close to the ancient archaeological ruins at Egnazia, personalised tours allow guests a chance to discover the true soul of Puglian life. Each room boasts minimalist decor, sea views and a shady veranda. The rooms are naturally light, draped with white linens and decorated antique furnishings; the Panorama Room is our top choice, complete with tranquil hideaway and access to a private pool via a little ladder.

Suspended between sky and sea at the peak of Ostuni, the 15 rooms and suites of this boutique bolthole occupy a 16th-century palazzo hewn from Apulia stone. Aromatic lavender plants and potted citrus trees dot a sun-drenched terrace outside, while the Michelin-starred restaurant Cielo overlooks the winding alleys and whitewashed houses of Ostuni below. With a nod to local cuisine, chef Lombardi whips up a selection of innovative plates: hare-stuffed pasta, cold spaghetti served with raw burrata, duck breast beside a strawberry chutney. Finish off the evening with a crisp glass of white wine, taken straight from one of three on-site ancient cisterns, now home to an impressive wine collection.

Masseria Cervarolo is a family-run farm with trulli set on the outskirts of Ostuni. Owner Teo and his wife are diligent recyclers - you'll soon spot farm doors that have been transformed and remodelled as headboards, or plant pots refashioned into stylish toiletry holders. The farm also generates solar power on site . Brush up on your bruschetta-making skills at one of Masseria Cervarolo's cooking classes or master the art of olive-soap making for a souvenir that beats the typical fridge magnet. Breakfast and dinner are served al fresco from the open kitchen. Although the property offers an extensive local wine list, we'd recommend ditching your usual tipple in favour of the home-grown wild-fennel liqueur.

Behind the unassuming, honey-coloured exterior of Don Totu, you'll find six rustic rooms decorated in neutral hues with dreamy, canopy beds, spacious bathrooms and easy access to an intimate subterranean hammam. The 18th century palazzo - named after the legendary landowner Don Titu - sits in the sleepy village of San Cassiano surrounded by silver-leaved olive trees and sky-tickling cypress trees. Seek solace in the underground hammam, lounge by the twinkling infinity pool framed by a Matisse-inspired mural or borrow a hotel Vespa to explore the town of Salento beyond the thick stone walls.

Named in tribute to artist's muse Antonia Fiermonte, in Puglia's most-desirable town, Lecce, La Fiermontina has a propensity for Parisian interiors (the owners spend their time between the French capital and Puglia). Rooms are cocooned in almond-coloured Leccese stone, and decked out with clean-lined furnishings in soft honey hues. Book a suite for indulgent bathtubs with terrace views, private dipping pools and access to the property's fragrant rose gardens. Hazy summer days here are spent lounging by the orange-tree lined pool and venturing into storied Lecce for sweet-toothed feasts of creamy pistachio gelato, and vanilla and chocolate pasticciotto from Natale Pasticceria.

Built into the fortified walls of Monopoli, this fortress on the reef is made up of whitewashed, stone-hewn rooms, pretty patios and a rooftop terrace that provides sparkling Adriatic Coast views. The hotel's main draw? The split-level rooftop, where guests can take a dip in the infinity pool framed by towering cacti and indulge in freshly caught feast octopus and homemade orecchiette. Not to be missed is the old town's Basilica of the Madonna della Madia which is, alongside the floor-to-ceiling marble mosaic tiling, shrouded in myth and legend after a miraculous sea-washed raft carrying an icon of Madonna helped finish the construction. Historic sites ticked off, Don Ferrante's in-the-know staff will direct you to untouched, private sandy coves perfect for picnics and sea swimming nearby.

The star of the show at this rustic, 19th-century farmhouse are the property's traditional trullis - the conical grey rooftops that act as a cornerstone of the region's identity. At Masseria Fumarola, the tiled peaks now serve as sleek hideaways for relaxation. The high ceilings - some with skylights - conceal secluded hot tubs, and spacious, airy bedrooms. Tranquil dinners can be spent on your personal patio or, you can follow the maze of oak tree-lined paths to the relaxed in-house dining room. This is a slice of Italian rural life as tempting as the restaurant's excellent ricotta cheesecake.

Family-run for several generations, this former salt warehouse is nestled among sprawling lemon trees and ancient olive groves. The recently renovated rooms are housed in old farm shelters with simple interiors consisting of exposed beams, limestone brickwork and antique family furniture. Masseria Salinola's restaurant dishes up a mouth-watering feast of southern Italian cuisine, including regional delicacies. Don't miss the rabbit with mashed broad beans cooked in a pignatta (terracotta pot). Wash down your dinner with a glass of rosali (a rose-petal liqueur) made of herbs, fruit and berries picked from the picturesque grounds. The Italian hospitality extends to the bicycles that are available to peddle off those extra Puglian pounds in an exploration through the olive groves.

Tucked into the ancient olive groves of the Itria valley, Borgo Egnazia is a place of nonpareil beauty. Where nature is powerful, architecture is archaic and the water is blissfully calm, Borgo Egnazia exudes the rural romance of Puglian charm. With four options for bathing, an on-site golf course, two beach clubs with private beaches and a killer spa, this is the perfect option for families wanting serenity and activity. The hotel is pretty much self-sufficient, so anything that isn't picked on site is locally sourced and delivered to your dining table. If you like a rustic room, Borgo Casetta Bella is our favourite. For those who like a generous terrace, private garden and outdoor plunge pool (who wouldn't?), the Egnazia Suite part of the La Courte series is perfect for privacy seekers.

Masseria San Domenico is a stunning 14th-century fortified farmhouse composed of stark white stone buildings, lush tropical gardens and vista points of both the ocean and the mountains to the north. Previously used by the Knights of Malta as a watchtower, today it is a five-star hotel comprising 40 rooms, each with a unique character. Located amidst mature olive groves, the hotel is only 500 metres from the Adriatic coast, offering guests access to a private beach via an avenue of olive trees. Dinner is served beneath the vaulted ceilings of Ristorante San Domenico, with a selection of Puglian cuisine and fresh seafood.