LE FIGARO. – Why did you change the country again?
When we arrived in Argentina, twenty years ago, we had three young children and many plans. With El Colibri in Córdoba and Jasmines House in the state of Salta, we realized our dream of turning real estancias into charming hotels. Now our young people live abroad and the Argentines’ section is over. We wanted a new story on another continent. Argentinians are often said to be Spanish-speaking Italians who think they are English and dream of being French. To rediscover a certain sweetness of life, the Latin way of thinking, the accessibility and kindness of the family-oriented population, Italy seemed like the ideal place.
What attracts you to Salento?
The nature, the color of the water, the brightness of the end of the day. it was love at first sight. Then we fell in love with its inhabitants. For us, the quality of life depends on the quality of your surroundings. We returned to Lecce in November to experience the seasonal life and we loved it once again. We told ourselves that we should live here, not really interested in other marzes. Very quickly, we stumbled upon this typical southern Italian building with five bedrooms, designed for our future guests. We were over budget but we visited anyway. The Milanese owners invited us to participate in the olive harvest before lending us the house for two weeks so we could make up our minds. You know the rest.
What is Masseria’s French touch?
The elegance of rural simplicity. The property is classified as a historical monument and is surrounded by 18 hectares of olive trees and agricultural land. We made our first bottles of oil last year and planted 120 fruit trees for our future jams. Gastronomy is at the heart of each of our family establishments. Even on the other side of the Atlantic we have always served pain or chocolate and Grandma Fenestraz’s Savoyard gratin! French know-how also includes paying attention to everything: the quality of the bedding, hospitality products and of course the high level of friendliness and service. In our family, we always see the glass as half full rather than half empty.
Masseria del Gigante. From €280 per night for 2 people including breakfast.
Source: Le Figaro
