Staffed villas in Puglia, the masseria kept for you
The great masserie of Puglia were always run by a household, and a stay with staff restores something of that order. Someone lays the table under the pergola, the cook shops at the local markets, and breakfast is ready when you come down. You keep the freedom of a private home without any of its chores.
Each of the 14 villas below has a cook, a butler or staff living on site. The list includes a villa near Cisternino by Vincenzo Melluso, crowned by a rooftop pavilion of light with an 18th century Moroccan canopy bed, a late 19th century aristocratic country house on a 10 hectare estate in Salento, and a masseria near Porto Cesareo with a full kitchen brigade.
At a glance
- 14 private villas
- From 2 to 14 bedrooms
- Up to 40 guests in one villa
- 14 with a private pool
- 3 with sea views
- 14 with a cook or staff
- Availability and price on request, reply within one working day
Ask the cook for a lesson in orecchiette, shaped one by one with knife and thumb, as women still do in the old town of Bari.
Along the coast the day's catch reaches the market early; raw prawns, mussels and sea urchins are Apulian classics in their season.
Tell us your meal times, dietary needs and how visible you would like staff to be; owners brief their teams accordingly.
Choose your villa
Add up to five villas to your list and send one request with your dates: we confirm availability and price with each owner.
Positions are approximate: the exact address is shared once your stay is confirmed.
Questions before you choose
Is the cook included in the price?
Arrangements differ. Some villas include staff and a set number of meals; others charge for cooking separately, with groceries billed at cost. We confirm what is included, in writing, before you book.
Do staff live in the house?
Some villas have staff living on site in separate quarters; others have a team who come in each day. The listing says which, and we can ask the owner about working hours.
How fast is the reply?
Send one enquiry for up to five villas. We reply within one working day with availability, price and staff details. In high season most villas rent Saturday to Saturday.
- A Puglia summer from a masseria or seafront villa
- Easter in Puglia, from a villa among the olives
- Puglia in spring, villas amid the wild flowers
- Late summer in Puglia, from a private villa
- Wedding villas in Puglia, masserie and sea views
- Family villas in Puglia, from sea to olive grove
- Puglia villas for large groups and reunions
- Private pool villas in Puglia, masserie and cliffs
- Puglia villas with a view of the sea
- Staffed villas on the Amalfi Coast
- Staffed villas in Sorrento
- Capri villas with a cook, butler or staff
- Staffed villas in Tuscany, with a cook or butler
- Staffed villas in Chianti, from castles to palazzi
- Umbria villas with staff, the house looked after
- Staffed villas on Lake Como, with a cook in house
- Sicily villas with staff and a private cook