Hotel La Sommitá, Hotel in Ostuni, Puglia in Italy

7 points for hotel

6 points for restaurant

This is a really beautiful small hotel in Puglia (www.lasommita.it). It is located at the top of the historic center of Ostuni, a very beautiful little town between Brindisi and Bari. Because of its unique location, you find yourself in the middle of a vital old town but at the same time shielded from any noise but also from the southern Italian heat (if you’re there in summer). A small garden surrounded by high old walls offers an oasis of silence which at night acts as the outdoor part of hotel’s restaurant.

From the top of the building or from atop some of the walls, you can see the lowlands between Ostuni and the Adriatic Sea. During hot summers there is always a mild and refreshing breeze, while in spring or autumn it gets unexpectedly chilly at times.

Although based on a common concept, each room has a unique style and different furniture. Rooms and suites are very charming, quite huge, and all individually “formed” by the historical architecture of the building. If you’d like to enjoy the aforementioned view of the Adriatic Sea, make sure to ask for room facing this direction.

It is some years now since I have been there, but I have only excellent memories of the restaurant, which offers a kind of modern (which is rather rare in Ostuni) and luxury Apulian cuisine: most important are the rich and amazing variety of appetizers and incomparably fresh vegetables! According to La Sommitá’s homepage, the restaurant has 1 Michelin star!

I remember that they had a nicely composed wine selection, though it is not extensive.