Puglia, Italy - VISITING MASSERIA MONTENAPOLEONE
Our afternoon at Masseria Montenapoleone was so much fun!
A Puglian Masseria is unique to southern Italy and is a traditional, fortified rural farmhouse which serves as an agricultural estate. The word comes from massa, meaning a large land estate. Most were built between the 15th and 18th centuries. They were mini communities where landowners, farmers, and animals lived and worked together. They produced olive oil, wine, cheese and grain. The buildings were typically built of limestone walls, had high watchtowers, and small windows to protect those who lived there from bandits and pirate raids. Many have now been turned into luxury, boutique hotels and farm stay locations.
Spending time at Masseria Montepoleone felt like stepping into a sun-drenched dream where time slowed down and all of our senses awakened with the wonderful smells, tastes, sights, etc. It is a gorgeous property and being there was a great way to spend the afternoon!
What we ate - We arrived just before 2pm for our farm-to-table lunch in the Masseria’s restaurant, La Falegnameria. We ordered ala carte off the menu (vs a tasting lunch). We started with the caprese salad (mix of colorful tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese). For our main courses, I had spaghettone aglio, olio, pepperoncino, tartare di gambero rosso e limone (garlic, oil and chili spaghetti with red shrimp tartare and lemon) and Mike had foglia di ulivo con pomodorino, stracciatella e crumble di taralli (fresh olive leaf pasta with tomato, stracciatella cheese, and taralli crumble). And we finished off the meal by sharing the apple almond pie. We had a nice, slow, relaxing lunch. The food was amazing and the service was top notch!
We had a little time between lunch and our 4pm olive oil tasting so we sat by their beautiful pool and enjoyed the warm afternoon. We could hear the sound of cicadas and feel the gentle breeze coming off the ocean. All around us were centuries-old olive groves, gorgeous vineyards, and beautiful gardens.
Olive oil tasting - At 2pm, we joined an olive oil tasting with one other couple and a wonderful instructor. We tasted and compared three qualities of extra virgin olive oil, all organically produced at the farm: Il Mille (produced by thousand-year-old trees), Il Cento (produced by hundred-year-old trees), and Il Venti5 (produced by the youngest trees on the farm). All of their olive oils were fantastic!
It was a great experience where we learned about the production and cultivation of the products. Puglia produces 43% of Italy’s olive oil and 7% of the world’s olive oil. Did you know olive oil was originally produced as lamp oil for lighting and heating?
After the olive oil tasting, we moved outside for a stroll around the farm, visiting their on-site olive groves and vineyards, and learning about the history of the Masseria and its land.
Wine tasting - Once back inside, the table had been reset for our wine tasting. We tasted five local wines (most of the varietals were new to us). We started with a Minutolo (white table wine), then followed that with Prime Passi (rosé), Rosato (another rosé), Primitivo (red), and Susu Aniello (red).
Italy is the number one wine producing country in the world, with 1/5 of that produced in Puglia. Puglia has ideal conditions for viticulture with the warm weather, Mediterranean coastline, and wind off the sea. After discussing wines with several locals, it became clear that they are especially fond of their rosé. While 80% of the wines they produce are red, 44% of Italian rosé production comes from Puglia.
Masseria Monteleone also offers some other experiences, including pasta making classes, aperitivo in the vineyard, dinner in the vineyard, and more.
Summary - This was such a fun afternoon! We came away relaxed and content and convinced if we go back, we’d stay at a Masseria for part of our second visit to Puglia.
Return to the Puglia overview blog: Puglia, Italy: What Dreams Are Made Of.
