xo amys

Address: San Pietro Sul Mar Miccolo Via Sant’andrea Circummarpiccolo 74100 Taranto

In the midst of the olive tree groves of Puglia exists a refined masseria (farm-house style) ” Relais Histó S. Pietro Sul Mar Piccolo”.  In the countryside, this ancient medieval building is a blend of past and present, where history meets modern functionality. Apparently, the estate used to belong to the Marraese family in 1392 that today offers a Mediterranean backdrop for full relaxation. The spa hotel is surrounded by 70 acres of olive trees overlooking the Mar Piccolo.  The spa was under construction during our stay, but it looks beautiful with modern facilities; sauna, steam bath and beauty treatment options. We will defiantly visit again, so next time I have to try it out.

The setting is peaceful where you feel fully taken care of by the most friendliest staff. The architecture is stunning paying respect to its historic origins. The design preserves much of the original colours, textures and spirit of the location that utilizes some modern materials like corten. The drive from Vieste to Taranto was pleasant as well where we pasted wine and garlic regions. We saw vineyards and numerous garlic fields where farmers were picking them into baskets and into the cutest tiny trucks. So, we were in a country mindset already when we set foot into the masseria. We avoided the city of Taranto completely as this is quite industrial and wanted to stay purely in the divine countryside.

our room that was about 50 square metres.

In total there are 48 rooms. Our room had a pale palette with lots of light wood and beige tones. It was very soothing to the eye and a great place to fall asleep in. You could listen to music in the shower and enjoy daily complementaries from the mini bar or a nice cup of tea on the terrace. The masseria had large rosemary bushes (pic below) growing around that smelled divine. I wanted to snip a huge branch to take back home or whip up a nice stew… Oh and of course the kitchen made the most of these in their dishes.

By the Pool

A good book, my love and sunshine. Not once did I listen to music from my iPhone as the chirping of the birds was so vivid and majestic. The poolside was very peaceful and tranquil that took you to a sense of calmness.

Delicious Foods.
Organic, traditional & simple, the way it should be.

breakfast under an olive tree

Il cibo è delizioso… yum the food is delcious!

We had already heard that the food in masseria’s is supposedly spectacular and yes it truely was. The portions were huge but best of all, they were organic and locally produced from nearby regions. We had about 4 waitresses around us making sure everything was perfect. The food was a real treat. One night, I enjoyed such a great sea bass and seafood stew that was something out of this world. You could taste the reduction had cooked for hours that worked through my individual taste buds in a great way. We enjoyed crisp wines from the Puglia region that worked wonderfully with the delicate Italian flavours.

The olive oil (from Puglia) was simply amazing aswell. We were told that the olive oil mixture is 100% from the same trees/region making it excellent quality. And it was so good, simply with tomatoes and a bit of fresh pepper and salt.

Sea bass & seafood stew

Smoked swordfish carpaccio with a fennel salad and lime emulsion

Grilled octopus – look how big this appetizer is!

The first night we arrived to histó, there happened to be live music and a set menu that we decided to attend. The hotel is an ideal place for venues such as weddings or parties and the dinner was held in one of these impressive rooms. So we had another great start to this location where we dinned away drinking prosecco and red wine while listening to the saxophone.

All in all, Relais Histó is a great place to go relax with your partner to enjoy time together in an organic country setting. It was a great stay for us as our other destinations revolved around the city, a perfect balance of both lifestyles. Anyone traveling in this region, I highly recommend a stay here as we thoroughly enjoyed it and plan to revisit.

This place has a cozy safe feeling to it even though it is quite big. We felt like one big family. One night Mr. N and I sat in the resturant terrace having midnight drinks and the staff went to sleep already. They just told us to ring the bell if we needed something… I feel this showed a sign of trust towards their clients. So we sat there watching the moon listening to the chirping grasshoppers.

Handmade Italian shoes for an Italian evening…