Palazzo Ducale Venturiin Minervino di Lecce

What the property says

Palazzo Ducale Venturi is a noble palazzo of the sixteenth century in Minervino di Lecce, restored, the hotel says, under the supervision of the heritage authority, the Soprintendenza dei Beni Culturali. The work recovered old salt ovens, star vaults in Lecce stone and floors of ancient chianche, the local stone slabs.

This is a palazzo in a Salento town, so expect courtyards, gardens and stone. A private beach is not confirmed: the hotel’s answer for the sea is a Beach Club service that chooses four lidos for guests.

The rooms

The hotel sorts its rooms into seven categories. The Classic is the smallest at 18 m², while the Cozy and the Junior Suite della Badessa are 25 m² each. The Deluxe runs from 25 to 45 m², the Junior Suite is 35 m², the Suite 41 m² and the Suite Ducale 45 m². How many rooms there are in total is not confirmed here.

The Suite Ducale is on the ground floor, with a private patio opening onto the lawn by the pool. It has a living area and a bedroom whose ceiling is frescoed with scenes from the legend of Saint George.

The hotel calls the Junior Suite della Badessa a romantic escape: a fireplace at the entrance to the sleeping area, a mezzanine sitting room reached by an old stone spiral staircase, and a private terrace for the sunset.

Food and drink

The restaurant is Duca Venturi, led by chef Francesco Paladino, and it is for hotel guests only. The cooking draws on Mediterranean culture with Salento at the root. Most ingredients come from small local producers, from freshly caught fish to artisan cheeses.

The kitchen follows a flexitarian approach, which means plenty of plants and a measured use of animal products from ethical farms and selective artisanal fishing.

Beyond dinner, the hotel runs cooking classes in its restored salt ovens and a whisky school built on its collection. For two, it can lay a romantic dinner in the citrus grove. Breakfast, called Colazione Venturi, offers a wide choice of typical local products.

The setting

The gardens are the outdoor rooms: a main garden, a pool garden and a secret garden, where the scent of the citrus grove is the point. The outdoor pool has salt water and a pool bar facing it.

The indoor pool is the surprise. It was carved from an ancient underground olive press, with the heritage authority overseeing the work, and it is always heated. Couples can book it for their own use, for 60 minutes, by reservation.

The spa adds a massage room with professional therapists and a well-equipped gym, and the hotel says essential oils feature in its treatments.

For the sea, the Beach Club service chooses four lidos. Names on the list include Lido Fic and a lido on the seafront of Santa Maria di Leuca. A transfer from the hotel is available on request.

Good to know

• The restaurant is for hotel guests only.
• The indoor pool can be booked for exclusive use by couples, for 60 minutes, by reservation.
• The lido transfer is on request, and beach costs are paid at the hotel at check-out.
• Ramps run through the whole property, elevator doors are wider than any wheelchair, and bathrooms can be adapted to each guest.
• For weddings, the civil ceremony is held in the secret garden and the reception takes place at Castello al Borgo in Alessano.
• Total room count, opening months, children and pets are not confirmed here: check with the property.
• Price band: 3 of 5 (estimated: no official rate found).

Who it is for, and who should look elsewhere

Couples who want a historic palazzo with two pools, a spa and a garden, and wedding parties who want a ceremony in a citrus garden and rooms for their guests, will find it here. Guests with reduced mobility get a clear list from the hotel: ramps, wide elevator doors and adaptable bathrooms. A dinner for two in the citrus grove and the indoor pool for two suit an anniversary.

If being near the water matters, Hotel Palazzo Papaleo stands in Otranto’s old town, a few meters from the sea. If you would rather be in the countryside, Masseria Prosperi has a spa, an outdoor pool and a farm in the same price band.

Getting there

The palazzo is in Minervino di Lecce, in the Otranto area, at the address on Via Podgora.

Lido transfers are on request, but an airport transfer is not confirmed. Ask the hotel what it can arrange.

The hotel’s address is Via Podgora 60, in the town of Minervino di Lecce. If you book the wedding package, ask where the reception is held, since it is not at the palazzo.